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This Week
NEWS .............. 5 Avondale employees give $122K to United Way
SPORTS ........ 12 Super Bowl Experience returns to the Valley
The Voice of the West Valley for 37 years
December 28, 2022
Late deputy, mom honored by Donate Life BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI West Valley View Executive Editor
D
eborah Edenhofer and her son, Tyler, were connected by football. The single mother encouraged him to cheer on her hometown Buffalo Bills during his formative years in Glendale. Football is bringing them together one more time as the late Tyler will be honored on the Donate Life America float in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on Monday, Jan. 2. It will air on NBC and Peacock starting at 9 a.m. The float will feature a floragraph of 24-year-old Tyler, who was an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper for 54 days when he was allegedly killed by Isaac D. King near I-10 and Avondale Boulevard in July 2018. “It makes me happy and sad,” Deborah said about the Rose Parade honor. “I was amazed. It was beautiful. I felt like he was there.” Tyler is one of 44 organ, eye and tissue donors from across the United States who will adorn the float. He restored vision for two people and helped 20 others with his cornea and tissue donations.
Deborah Edenhofer finishes a floragraph of her late son, Tyler Edenhofer, for the Rose Parade Donate Life float. (Donor Network of Arizona/Submitted)
Nico Santos, media relations specialist for the Donor Network of Arizona, said Deborah has worked tirelessly to promote organ donation since Tyler died.
“Deborah reached out to local media on her own after her son passed and told his
Honored...continued on page 3
FEATURES .... 17
The Wigwam named best historic resort in the country
OPINION ................. 8 BUSINESS.............. 10 SPORTS ..................12 CALENDAR ............16 FEATURES ..............17 OBITUARIES ...........21 YOUTH ..................22 CLASSIFIEDS ..........24
BY JOE MCHUGH
Cancer survivor continues volunteer work at CTCA
WEST
West Valley View Staff Writer
T
he Wigwam has been highly decorated in Arizona. Once again, the same holds true for the nation. The Litchfield Park resort has broughthome yet another award, as it was recently named the best historic resort in the United States by Historic Hotels of America. Competing against over 300 other resorts across the nation, The Wigwam reigns supreme.
“We are honored to have been awarded the best historic resort in America for 2022,” said J. Green, Wigwam vice president of sales and marketing. “It’s just an absolute honor. I don’t think words can sum it up any better than that.” What started as a small lodge founded by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Corp., The Wigwam was built on 16,000 acres of land for farming long-staple cotton for the manufacturing of tires. It officially opened as a resort in 1929 on
Thanksgiving Day, and it had just 24 guest rooms. The times have changed, as now The Wigwam has more than 300 rooms. It sits on 440 acres of land that include any amenity a guest could want — a 26,000-squarefoot spa, three full golf courses, nine tennis courses, three pools, a 25-foot water slide, and 100,000 square feet of event space. The Wigwam is also known for its food.
Wigwam...continued on page 4