Ora Mae Harn, Marana Heritage Conservancy are celebrated

More than 100 town staff, elected officials and local dignitaries on June 10 packed the entryway to the Marana Municipal Center, 11555 W. Civic Center Drive, awaiting Harn's arrival by limo so her work with the fledgling Marana Heritage Conservancy could be feted.

Once the guest of honor arrived, everyone filed into the Town Council Chambers for a program that was part kickoff celebration for the conservancy, then part roast, part lifetime achievement ceremony for Harn.

The limousine rental was donated by several farmers who kicked in money to get it, and all the food and pretty much everything else at the party was donated by people in the area, said Deb Thalasitis, assistant town manager.

Now that the Heritage Conservancy is getting some legs under it, Thalasitis said, it will begin taking on a more important role in the town.

It will finish building the heritage park and museum at 12375 N. Heritage Park Drive, near Gladden Farms, she said.

And the annual Founders' Day celebration will move to the fall and combine with the fall heritage festival to become a weeklong event, she said.

"This group is going to start to take on more and more heritage-related stuff," she said. "Ora started all of this."

The celebration highlights included a gentle roast by Town Manager Gilbert Davidson, and commendations read to Harn by representatives of Sen. John McCain, Sen. Jon Kyl, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the local Cortaro Marana Irrigation District and the Cortaro Water Users Association.

Marana Heritage Conservancy President John Officer noted Harn's attitude of "Do it right, but just get it done."

Davidson said, "When the subject of heritage comes up, Ora's is the first name that comes to many people's mind."

Harn, 77, moved to the Marana area in 1961 and immediately became involved in the community. She worked for the Marana Unified School District for several years, and later she went on to oversee the Marana Health Center.

She spent 16 years on the Town Council, having served twice as Marana's mayor. She is still the only woman to have been mayor.

"If you want to work on ways to improve Marana, Ora will find you," Davidson said. "Her actions do speak louder than words."

Mayor Ed Honea surprised Harn by making her the first inductee into the long-planned Marana Hall of Fame.

"She represents the best of our community and the excellence we strive to reach," he said.

When Harn spoke, she used the humor she's known for to deflect the attention she was getting, but the mood turned more serious.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight," she said. "I know you all probably had something better to do."

Then she announced that in April, doctors told her they could no longer treat with traditional methods the lymphoma she's been fighting for more than three years. They offered some trial treatments.

"We're not doing trials," she said. "We're trusting God. The doctor's not giving me any guarantees of how long I'm going to be around."

And because of that, she said, there is still much work to do, and soon.

"There's absolutely no reason we shouldn't be the best little town in Arizona," Harn said.

Then, pointing out in the audience former Oro Valley Mayor Paul Loomis - who she said has been her friend a long time - she said, "We'll let him be second-best."

She urged people to hold onto important news items, pictures and keepsakes and consider giving them to the Heritage Conservancy.

"Today's news is tomorrow's history," she said.

And then, after holding her composure for so long, she said through tears, "Thank you tonight. I'm humbled. I'm humbled by this honor."

Contact reporter Shelley Shelton at sshelton@azstarnet.com or 807-8464.