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 I
first met Eddie Basha in Chandler, Arizona, when my
father and I would go shopping at his father’s
grocery store. This was sometime in the late 1940s.
I shouldn’t say I actually met him, but I talked to
him briefly exiting the store. He was younger than I
and he was busy at the time.
The next time I had any involvement with Mr. Basha
was at his corporate offices on Ocotillo Road in
Chandler in 1971. I was then scoutmaster for Troop
559 in Mesa. We were planning a trip to Yellowstone
National Park in Wyoming and I asked Eddie for some
help with groceries for the boys. He generously
complied with my request with enough groceries to
feed seventeen hungry boys ranging in ages 13 to 17
for two weeks.
Again, in June of 1972, I asked him for help with
food supplies for the same troop when they planned
their Grand Canyon Rim to Rim hike. Mr. Basha was
there again to assist me in this important endeavor.
Seventeen young men earned their Grand Canyon
Council Rim to Rim patch. This was certainly an
accomplishment for these young
 men
that they would never forget and an experience that
would live with them for the rest of their lives.
It was August of 1973 when I began teaching at
Apache Junction Jr. High School. Early in 1974 we
formed the Apache Junction Jr. High School Hiking
Club. The club spent many weekends hiking the trails
of the Superstition Wilderness Area. Early in May of
1974 the hiking club planned a trip to the Colorado
Rockies for a hiking adventure experience. Again, I
called on Eddie Basha for assistance. He provided
groceries for 24 young boys and girls for a two week
expedition to the Colorado Rockies. We spent most of
our time hiking in the San Juan Mountains and
visiting historical locations in southwestern
Colorado. I required each of my students to keep a
journal of their experiences. To this day I have
heard from students who still have those journals
and talk about that trip. It was a fantastic
experience for my Jr. High School students and we
had Eddie Basha to thank. Mr. Basha and his desire
to help young people sure made an impact on the
students and young people I have worked with over
the years.
The next time I ask for help from Mr. Basha I
invited him to be our guest speaker at the Apache
Junction Unified School District’s Community School
‘Thank You’ Banquet in 1984. At the time he was a
member of the Arizona State Board of Education. He
graciously accepted the invitation and made a fine
presentation to about five hundred citizens of our
school district. He talked about what a fine
resource our young people were and they were our
responsibility to educate. We as citizens of this
school district held their future in our hands.
Mr. Basha loves to impersonate people. He would call
and change his voice and say I am so and so. Once he
had me hooked on his impersonation of some important
person he would laugh and say “Hello brother, how
are you doing?” One time he called me and said he
was the Governor’s assistant and that I was needed
for a meeting at the Governor’s Office. I
immediately laughed this one off, however in the
next breath he said we were meeting with the
governor on the 15th of the month and he wasn’t
joking. We indeed met with Gov. Rose Mofford.
Another time I told Eddie about an old friend of
ours named Billy Martin Jr. I told him we should all
get together and get him nominated and inducted in
the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
Eddie said we would have to form a committee and
meet once a month until the job was done. He said he
was far to busy to chair such a committee so he
assigned me the task. He said he would get a couple
of friends and I could get a couple of friends.
Eddie asked Norman Saba, Bill Workman, and Sonny
Felix. I ask Marvin Smith and Billy Early. We had
our committee and we worked for three years to get
Billy Martin Jr. inducted in the National Cowboy
Hall of Fame in March of 1990. Movie star great Sam
Elliot introduced Martin Jr. the night of his award
in Oklahoma City.
Over the years I called on Eddie Basha many other
times. One of the most traumatic times was when my
nephew, Benjamin Farr, age 16, was at the University
of Arizona Medical Center awaiting a heart
transplant. This was in the fall of 1991. His mother
told me her son’s dream was to meet Sun’s basketball
star Cedric Cerbolles. I didn’t know where to start,
but I knew how much Ben loved the Sun’s basketball
team. I called Eddie Basha and ask him if he could
help me with such a request. He and his office took
on this enormous and challenging task. Eddie
contacted the Suns’ owner and presented the problem
to him. It wasn’t long before Eddie’s secretary
called me and said I needed to have somebody at the
Tucson International Airport to pickup Cedric and
drive him to the University of Arizona Medical
Center. I called on an old friend, Dr. Phillip
Corkill, who was the Assistant Superintendent of
Flowing Wells School District in Tucson at the time.
He assured me he would meet Basha’s airplane and
take Cedric to see Benjamin. Cedric gave Ben a Sun’s
basketball and autographed it. Sadly Ben died three
days after Cedric’s visit still waiting for a heart.
Eddie’s office staff mourned the news of Ben Farr’s
death when he didn’t get his heart in time. Phil
Corkill told me this was one of the most gratifying
experiences of his life to see a brave young man
receive his dream. Since then Eddie Basha has always
been a special part of our family and our prayers.
Eddie Basha has always been there for me and my
various requests over the years. Shortly after my
grand daughter died in 1997 he called me late one
evening to express his sincere sympathy. Something I
never expected, but I wasn’t shocked either. His
words are still a comfort to my wife and I. Eddie
Basha is more then just a corporate grocery store
owner. He is a true humanitarian who cares about
people. His work and donations to St. Jude’s
Children’s Hospital speak highly of his character
and his dedication to helping children. His stores
often hire special handicapped young people giving
them an opportunity to succeed in this world we live
in. He has been a very generous person over the
years when it involves assisting children in need.
You might ask what Eddie Basha has to do with the
Superstition Mountains. Surprisingly, he is very
knowledgeable about the area. He just happened to be
a friend of the Martins who have worked cattle in
the Superstition Mountain for three generations.
Eddie even knew some of the characters who
prospected the Superstition Wilderness Area and
heard their stories. He helped my Apache Junction
High School Hiking Club on many occasions; therefore
I feel he is truly a citizen of our community and of
our nation.
I am not sure I am quoting Mr. Basha exactly, but he
said something like this once. “Children are this
nation’s greatest resource and we must take the
responsibility to educate and care for them as
citizens.”
I am extremely proud to call him my friend.
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