Video directed and written by Chris Wooley. Director of photography: Wayne Dickmann. Produced by the Historical League. Narrated by Pat McMahon. Made possible by a financial grant from Dr. Edward B. Diethrich.
Rose Perica Mofford, Arizona’s eighteenth governor and the state’s first female chief executive, exhibited qualities of leadership and responsibility at a very early age. Born Rose Perica on June 10, 1922, she was president of her class from seventh through eleventh grades in her native town of Globe, Arizona. She was the first female student body president at Globe High School. She attained scholastic honors that have not been duplicated in more than four decades. In her senior year in 1940, she was chosen both “most outstanding student” and class valedictorian.
Rose Perica also excelled in and had a great love for athletics. She earned All-American status as a member of the amateur Arizona Cantaloupe Queens softball team, and was twice inducted into the Arizona Softball Hall of Fame. She also had an offer to play professional basketball, but turned down the contract.
After high school graduation, Rose Perica moved to Phoenix and began a career in Arizona state government that was to span more than half a century, starting as a secretary in the state treasurer’s office. For a short time Rose was the business manager for Arizona Highways magazine. She then became the secretary to the Secretary of State and was soon named his assistant, thus beginning her twenty-two year career in that office. In 1975, Rose Mofford was appointed assistant director of the State Revenue Department in charge of administration.
Two years later, then Secretary of State Wesley Bolin succeeded Governor Raul Castro who had resigned. Due to her many years of service and experience, Rose Mofford was appointed Secretary of State. She was elected to a full term in 1978, becoming Arizona’s first woman to be elected to that position. She served in this capacity over ten years, computerizing the office and making it a model of efficiency.
On February 5, 1988, Rose Mofford became Arizona’s acting governor after the State House of Representatives voted to impeach Governor Evan Mecham. Two months later she was sworn in as Arizona’s first woman chief executive. She became known as the “healing governor,” bringing a strong sense of professionalism to the office. She was one of only three women governors in the U.S. during her time in office and recognized the services and contributions of women. In 1990, after fifty-one years of state service, Rose Mofford decided to retire from state government.
Always concerned about children’s issues, Rose Mofford received many awards over the years, including the Distinguished Public Servant and Dedicated Humanitarian Award from St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. She placed major emphasis on the halt of youth drug use during her administration, with the formation of the Governor’s Alliance Against Drugs and the Red Ribbon Campaign.
Always a sportswoman, she has vigorously supported Arizona’s professional sports organizations. Esquire magazine honored Rose as one of the “50 Best-Loved Women in America." In recognition of her seventy-fifth birthday, Cave Creek Park was renamed in her honor, and Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza declared June 10th as “Rose Mofford Day." One of this remarkable woman’s accolades was her 1988 selection by Valley Leadership as Outstanding Woman of the Year in Arizona.