Fireman, Bert M.

Historian, Curator of Arizona Collection, Arizona State University.

From the description of Oral history interview, 1965 Mar. 5 [sound recording]. (Arizona Historical Society, Southern Arizona Division). WorldCat record id: 35774131

Bert Fireman was born in San Francisco, California, on March 11, 1913 to Sam and Preva Fireman. He was the second of three children; Milton, Bert and Gertrude. Mr. Fireman came to Arizona in January 1917. He attended high school in Glendale, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Arizona State University in 1936. He returned in 1939 for graduate study in history. In college he was active in student publications, a campus correspondent for newspapers and wire associations, a member of the Arizona State chapter of Blue Key, and played on football teams coached by Ted Shipkey and Rudy Lavik.

In 1941 he married Esther Samuels. They spent three years in California during World War II. Bert was engaged in ship construction in San Francisco. He also spent some time working for the Pittsburgh, California paper. Bert and Esther moved back to Phoenix in 1944. They had two daughters, Janet and Judie. For many years Bert worked in the newspaper field for the United Press and Associated Press, the Pittsburgh (California) independent, the Southside progress, and the Phoenix gazette. For thirteen years (1948-1961) he was the author of the daily column, Under the sun, in the Phoenix gazette. The column covered both current and historical events. For seven years (1950-1957) he wrote and narrated a radio program, "Arizona crossroads", dealing with the history, lore and legends of Arizona.

In 1959, he along with Senator Barry Goldwater, was one of the founders of the Arizona Historical Foundation, established to promote research and greater understanding of Arizona and southwestern history. He left the Phoenix gazette in 1961 to become the fulltime executive vice-president of the Arizona Historical Foundation. In recognition of its efforts (and Fireman's leadership) AHF was the recipient of the National Award of Merit in 1962, awarded by the American Association for State and Local History. Two years later, a second award of merit was awarded to AHF for the publication, Be it enacted : the creation of the Territory of Arizona by Dr. Benjamin Sacks.

Mr. Fireman also served as the curator for the Arizona Collection at Arizona State University. He was a member of the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission; a member and director of the Arizona Historical Society; member and former chairman of the Arizona State Parks Board; member of the Western History Association; founder and member of the Westerners, Phoenix Corral; member of the Advisory Council of Region 9 of the National Archives and Records Administration; and an appointed member of the President's Advisory Council on Historical Preservation. In recognition of his contributions to Arizona history he received the Arizona Historical Society's Al Merito award in 1976.

He contributed articles to various publications including Arizona highways, Phoenix point west, Journal of Phi Alpha Theta, Arizona and the West, and American west. He co-authored with Madeline Paré two widely used textbooks on Arizona history, Arizona pageant and Arizona adventure. At the time of his death in January 1980 he was working on a book for Alfred A. Knopf of New York. Arizona : historic land was published in 1982.

(Taken from Bert Fireman's biographical sketch and Esther Fireman's oral history).

From the description of Bert Fireman collection, 1921-1980 [manuscript]. (Scottsdale Public Library). WorldCat record id: 276172398