North Oldfather Drive, just north of west Ina Road and east of Interstate 10, is named not for Bookmans founder Bob Oldfather, but for another Bob Oldfather who lived on the street.
Robert Oldfather was born Jan. 1, 1930, in St. David, Ariz., to Orville and Ethel (Miles) Oldfather. Orville’s family had emigrated to the United States from Baden-Baden, Germany in the early 1800s and settled in Fayette County, Iowa. The family later moved from Iowa to Arizona for Orville’s health.
Robert grew up southeast of Tucson in Patagonia, and attended Patagonia High School. He studied dairy husbandry at Upper Iowa University in Fayette.
In 1949 he moved back to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona. His father introduced him to Joyce Peel, who was the attendance clerk at Marana High School. Peel was born on May 1, 1931, in Hornersville, Mo., and her family arrived in Marana in 1936. She graduated from the UA and taught in the Tucson Unified School District for 20 years.
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The couple dated for a year and married on June 16, 1950.
In 1955, they purchased four acres of desert land on the southeast corner of what is now North Oldfather Drive and West Gilbert Street and built a house at 4145 W. Gilbert St. The same year, Robert borrowed a tractor with a blade on the front and built the road from west Ina Road up to present-day Gilbert Street and named it Oldfather Road after himself and his wife.
Robert worked on Interstate 10 during its initial construction and later worked for Sundt Construction for many years. He also worked on movie sets at Old Tucson Studios for several films, including “Rio Lobo” starring John Wayne, and TV shows like “High Chaparral,” “Little House on the Prairie” and “Petrocelli.”
He and Joyce had two children. Rod lives in Scotland and is married to Irene, a former member of the Scottish Parliament. Ardeth is a real-estate appraiser in Mesa.
Robert Oldfather died in 1979. Joyce Oldfather now lives in Coralville, Iowa.
The Old Father Inn restaurant takes its name from Oldfather Drive (the name has been changed from road to drive) and its logo of a man with a big mustache and hat is the likeness of Robert Oldfather.
Geoff Oldfather, Robert Oldfather’s nephew, worked as an anchor and reporter for local CBS affiliate KOLD-TV from 1986 to 1993.
Jim Gilbert, who worked with Robert Oldfather, also owned 4 acres of land and named Gilbert Circle, West Gilbert Street and Gilbert Place after himself.
Sources:
Special thanks to Brian and Lynn Bouffard, owners of the Oldfather Inn, and Leliani Naterra of Catalina Title.
Joyce Oldfather (wife of Robert Oldfather) and Geoff Oldfather
“Orville H. Oldfather obituary,” Nogales International, March 30, 1988
Contract for Sale of Real Estate dated July 27, 1955 (From Ronald C. Magor to Robert C. Oldfather & Joyce I. Oldfather)
Pima County Board of Supervisors — Request to Change Street Name — From Oldfather Road to Oldfather Drive (Sept. 6, 2005)
Information related to Gilbert Street, Circle and Place provided by Joyce Oldfather
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