In our last Fountain Hills History Lesson, we talked about 1980 being a year of celebration since it was the community’s 10th anniversary.

We talked about how the sale of tiny hamburgers called White Castles brought us worldwide publicity.

There were other stories making headlines that year.

It was also the year of the big storm. A January storm and possibly containing one or two tornadoes did considerable damage to homes in the northwest section of the community. Numerous homes were destroyed or badly damaged in the area between Golden Eagle Boulevard and Aspen Drive. Several residents said they saw at least two tornadoes touch down in that part of the community.

“I don’t refute that some people may have seen funnel clouds,” said Claire Jensen for the National Weather Service. “But I could find no evidence that a funnel cloud touched down to the ground and that is what it takes to be classified as a tornado.”

She added that the debris would be scattered in circular patterns if it was a tornado.

Several years later, when I was interviewing a couple who lived on Centipede Drive, I noticed several large saguaro cacti laying on the ground on a hill behind their home.

They were each pointing in a different direction creating a circular pattern.

I asked the couple, “How did those saguaros fall down in that pattern?”

“Well, that’s where the tornado came down earlier this year,” said the woman.

Hmmm!

Weather was also a major factor in the school board’s decision to approve a shift to Coronado High School from Mesa high schools for the next year. They continued to bus to Coronado until Fountain Hills High School opened in 1992. The high school students had as much as two-hour commutes due to the Salt River flowing at record high levels of rainfall in 1978 and 1979. At one point, all bridges over the Salt River were closed. The record annual rainfall was set in 1978, measuring 26.3 inches.

In other school news, Dr. Gary Prosper was named in June as both principal and superintendent for the School District.

He replaced Phil Capozzi.

Robert Hendrix was one of the first people to move to Fountain Hills, and he was the first School Board president. He passed away in September.

In late May, students at Fountain Hills Elementary learned that two of the 300 balloons they had released in March made it all the way to Kingman and Holbrook, Ariz.

As for new construction in the community the number of building permits issued was down 52 percent for the year. After a record year for construction in 1978, the bottom fell out of the housing market nationwide because of high interest rates and a national recession.

Well, that wraps up 1980. I hear there was another good day turnout for the Great Fair. I will be talking to you with another chapter in our Fountain Hills History Lesson next time.