May 22, 2018
A
life-long resident of 29 Palms, the daughter of pioneers Bill and
Ada Hatch, who homesteaded in 29 Palms in the early 1930's, one
could say Liz and 29 Palms grew up together. In this
episode, Liz talks about a little trick she used to
go to school barefoot, shares memories of parades and square-dances
and tells a great story about buying her college texts at the
student bookstore.
Liz
reflects on how her
parents contributions, and the contributions of
other homesteaders reflect the spirit of the desert - a place Liz
feels allows people to return to their creativity and where you
learn to treat your community like your family.
Leaving only to attend Northern Arizona
University in Flagstaff and to Venezuela for the Peace Corps, Liz and her late husband,
Dave, decided after a trip to a mall in Long Beach, CA that 29
Palms would be the best place to raise their family.
We
also talk about 29 Palms becoming it's own city, why it was
important for the community to do so and her eventual roles in
leading the city. Liz is currently the President of the Board of
Trustees of Copper Mountain
College and discusses the importance of
education, instilled in her by her mother, which led to Liz's 30-
year teaching career at 29 Palms High School and involvement with
the college.
As a
long time resident, Liz has experienced many changes in 29 Palms -
we cover a lot of ground in this conversation - it was a lot of
fun.