TABLE OF CONTENTS

---

ESSAYS

---

GREAT ORATORS OF THE SOUTHWEST

---

CONTRIBUTORS

Robert A. Barraclough was raised in Idaho and Oregon. He studied Education and Human Communication at Boise State University, Brigham Young University, and West Virginia University.  He taught public speaking and coached debate at a high school in Pocatello, Idaho, and has taught communication and research methods at tertiary institutions in Arizona, Kentucky, New Mexico, Victoria(Australia), and West Virginia, finishing on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  He retired in 2020 and can be reached at robert.a.barraclough@gmail.com.

Ashley Garcia was raised in Tucson, Arizona, and studied Communication Studies and Criminology & Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University. She earned a Ph.D. in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Public Culture and a graduate specialization in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2022. Ashley teaches Communication Studies at Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County, California. Her research focuses on the rhetoric of social movements, specifically protest rhetoric, and the intersections of politics, sport, masculinity, and race. Ashley can be contacted at agarcia@santarosa.edu.  

John C. Hammerback was born and raised in the San Francisco area.  He graduated from San Francisco University in 1962.  He received an M.A. at the University of Oklahoma in 1965 and a Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1970.  He taught for 37 years at California State University, Hayward.  During his career he received many awards for his teaching and research.  He also served in numerouss administrative positions as well as President of the Western States Communication Association.  His research focused on minority discourse and public discourse.  He died in 2012.

Dayle Hardy-Short grew up in Montana and received her bachelor’s degree (Interpersonal Communication) from the University of Montana. Her master’s degree (Speech Communication) from the University of New Mexico, and her Ph.D. (Speech Communication) from Indiana University. She served as Director of Forensics at Northern Arizona University and was Professor in the School of Communication.  For five years she was Associate Dean in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences before retiring in 2022.  She can be contacted at dayle-hardy-short@nau.edu.

Richard J. Jensen was born and raised in a small town in Eastern Utah.  He graduated from Weber State College in 1965.  After graduation he taught junior high school English for a year and served as a high school debate coach for 3 years.  He received an M.A. from the University of Arizona in 1971 and a Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1974.  He taught at Humboldt State University (1974-1976), the University of New Mexico (1976-1992), and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1992-2004).  His research focused on social protest, great speeches, and minority discourse.  He retired in 2004 and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ben Krueger was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He studied speech communication at Northern Arizona University and earned a Ph.D. in communication with an emphasis in rhetoric and political culture from the University of Maryland in 2014. He is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he teaches classes in rhetoric, communication research, and interpersonal communication.He can be contacted at benjaminkrueger@unr.edu.

Brant Short grew up in Idaho and received his BA (History) and MA (Speech) from Idaho State University.  He completed his education at Indiana University, earning his Ph.D. in Speech Communication in 1985.  He retired from Northern Arizona University in 2022 after 26 years as Professor, Associate Director, and Director in the School of Communication.  He can be contacted at brant.short@nau.edu.

---

EDITORIAL NOTE

Brant Short

Many years ago, between 2009—2012, the Arizona Communication Association leadership decided to move its annual print journal to online delivery.  We decided to solicit essays on the topic of “Great Orators of Arizona” and put out a call multiple times.  With little interest in this topic, we decided to contact scholars who might be willing to share their work on great speakers from the state. John Hammerback and Richard J. Jensen, notable researchers on Southwestern rhetoric, agreed to write essays on Barry Goldwater and Cesar Chavez. We continued to seek other essays for a special issue and asked former students Ben Krueger and Ashely Garcia to contribute essays. Their essays on Morris Udall and Janet Napolitano are detailed examinations of two Arizona leaders with unique rhetorical skills. 

With four case studies on diverse Arizona orators, we sought additional essays for the inaugural issue of the Southwest Communication Association’s journal, as the ACA had transitioned to the SWCA in 2016.  We were lucky to get help from two colleagues with significant personal and professional interest in the region: Richard J. Jensen and Robert Barraclough. Their essays focus on the topics, difficulties, and opportunities of teaching Communication in the Southwest. 

Finally, Dayle Hardy-Short and I prepared a brief overview of our experience with the ACA/SWCA from 2001 to 2022 as the SWCA makes its own transition with new leaders and new challenges on the horizon.

Although this journal is long overdue, its contents offer insight and hopefully inspiration for anyone interested in studying Communication through the unique lens of the American Southwest. 

Thank you to Dayle Hardy-Short for editorial assistance, Keene Short for WordPress expertise and support, and Spencer Short for creating the SWCA logo which has been used since 2016.