Biography of Jimmie D. Davis
CHS Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Jimmie D. Davis was born on September 2, 1927, in Sherman, Texas. He was one of eleven children born to James and Laura Davis. In 1939, Jimmie’s family packed up to move to California and their car broke down in Coolidge. It was about two days before Christmas and no one was available to fix the car, so they stayed and made Coolidge their new home. His brother Jack recalls a time when the two of them sat on top of a building so they could see the lights of the football field in town and Jimmie said, “Someday I’m going to play on that field.” It turned out he was right. He played on the Varsity Football Team his four years at Coolidge High, and still holds the running back record to this day. He played on the Football All-State First and Second Teams and was Pinal County Player of the Year in 1944 and 1945. Jimmie was a member of the Bear Tracks Newspaper, FFA, Track and Field, Baseball Team, Yearbook Staff, Student Council, and served as Student Body Class President. He worked as the Coolidge Ice Man and as a soda jerk at the fountain in Hines Drug Store during his high school years.

Upon graduating in 1946, he received a football scholarship to play at The University of Arizona in Tucson. After one year of college, he was drafted into the military, where he reached the rank of Staff Sergeant in The United States Air Force. He was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Before being discharged, he was transferred to Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, Arizona.

In 1954, Jimmie married Gloria Kenworthy. They had four children, Debbie, Dawn, Steve, and Tracey. During the following years, he was employed by Barq’s Distributing and Pepsi-Cola before getting into the insurance business. He worked for Prudential for several years before he and his brother Jack opened Davis Bros. Insurance Agency, where they were in business together for six years. He then joined Don Mahoney Insurance Agency, retiring from there after 30 years. Jimmie and Gloria also owned Central Drive-In Liquors on Main Street. He was very active in the community and served on the Selective Service Board, Kiwanas Club, and the Coolidge City Council. He felt very blessed to help the youth and volunteered his time as a Pop Warner coach. He also ran the chain at the high school football games for 20+ years. In the summers, Jimmie played first base for the Coolidge Boosters Softball Fast Pitch Team. The Boosters entertained the residents of Coolidge for about ten years while winning local and state championships. The team took second place in the world tournament held in Long Beach,

California. In his retirement years, he worked for Bohlen Construction as the demolition crew. He loved to golf with his dear friends Chuck McHugh, Larry Bohlen, and Archie Edge. They met every morning for coffee and Jimmie adored Gloria, his children, and eight grandchildren. Family was everything, nothing made him happier than spending time with them. If you were lucky enough to know Jimmie, you know that he truly cared about people, he was forever a Coolidge Bear at heart, and he always had time for one more joke.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association presented Raul with an Honorary Life Time Pass is given for recognition of thirty years of exemplary service for the youth of Arizona. Coolidge High School also awarded him a Lifetime Pass.

Susan was active in a variety of activities at Coolidge High School. She was a member of Future Homemakers of America and Future Business Leaders of America. She was the state representative to the National FBLA conference in Washington, D.C. in 1972, participating in the National Spelling Bee. Susan was a member of the dance line her junior year and played volleyball and basketball her senior year. She was voted “Best Personality” in her senior class yearbook.

Susan worked at the Arizona Training Program while attending Central Arizona College where she earned an Associate Arts Degree in General Studies. From there she took a position at the Arizona Training Program in Tucson, Arizona, and attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Special Education.

Susan signed a contract with Coolidge Unified School District for the 1979-1980 school year to teach in the junior high school resource classroom. She started working on her Masters in Educational Administration, attending classes at San Diego State University during the summer months. She did her Administrative Internship at McCray, serving as a Dean of Students in the 1983-1984 school year. Upon graduating from San Diego State University in 1984, Susan became Assistant Principal at McCray. In 1986, Susan took Principal position at Coolidge Central School and at North and Intermediate Schools, grades 4-6. She continued to work as Principal for a variety of sites and programs, including McCray Junior High School, grades 5-8, Success Center, and the Alternative to Suspension Program through the 2006-2007 school year. She retired in May 2007, after 28 years of service. 

Susan married her husband, Charly Price, in December 1988. They were happily married for 20 years. Charly passed away in May 2008, after a short illness. Susan continues to live and enjoy her life in Coolidge. She thinks often to the great people she has worked with over the years and the students on whose lives she made a positive impact.

Biography of Thomas R. Shope
CHS Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Born in Belle Plaine, Iowa, Tom Shope arrived in Coolidge, Arizona, at the age of 4 and has lived here ever since. Shope grew up in a home on the corner of Main Street & Elm Avenue in Coolidge and was raised in that home by his parents, Russell and Anna Shope, along with his sisters Pat, Jennifer, Mary, and Beth.

During his time in the Coolidge school system, Shope attended South School, North School, Intermediate School, Coolidge Junior High School, and then Coolidge High School. During his high school years, Shope played basketball and baseball for the Bears. Upon graduating from Coolidge High School in 1966, Shope enrolled at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Arizona, and later attended Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona finishing six credit hours short of a bachelor’s degree in Accounting at Arizona State.

It was during his time at Arizona State University that Shope truly embarked on his lifelong commitment to Coolidge High School and Coolidge, Arizona, when he began his 40-plus year tenure as the “Voice of the Bears”, broadcasting for radio stations KCKY, KQEZ, and TV Channels 11 and 19. During that time, Shope painted the picture for the fans at home for 7 State Football Championship Seasons and 5 State Basketball Championship Seasons while broadcasting games that featured numerous players from Coolidge and their opponents who would later go on to have collegiate and professional careers in athletics.

Shope assumed control of his family’s business, Shope’s Market, in 1970. He oversaw the completion of his father Russell’s dream of a larger building for the market, now called Shope’s IGA. From the time of assuming control of the business, Shope has been active in the Coolidge Chamber of Commerce, Retail Grocers Association of Arizona (now Arizona Food Marketing Alliance), and the National Grocers Association. Some of the highlights of that involvement include being selected as AFMA’s Arizona Retailer of the Year in 1999, IGA’s Arizona Retailer of the Year in 1990, and the winner of NGA’s Spirit of America Award in 1988. He has also served as the Chairman of IGA- Arizona, and RGA as well as serving a term as President of the Coolidge Chamber of Commerce.

Shope’s political and community involvement began in 1973 when he fills out a term on the Coolidge School Board after being defeated in the year’s election. Since then, he has served as the Mayor of Coolidge for eight terms as of 2012 and for many years was the only Republican Mayor in what was then a solid Democratic Pinal County. Shope attends St. James Roman Catholic Church in Coolidge, where he has resided for all but four of his years and is active in the St. James Knights of Columbus. Shope is married to Luz and has four children: Cyndi, Zandra (CHS Class of 1995), Kelli, and Thomas “T.J.” (CHS Class of 2003).