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Sue Lofgren Papers 1960-1995

MSS-360

Biographical Note

Susanne Bleston (anglicized from Bleistein) was born to Walter S. and Olga Bleston on January 31, 1926 in Berlin, Germany. The family moved to the United States in about 1933. She married Robert Eugene Lofgren (1922-) in New Mexico in 1947 and the couple lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Knoxville, Tennessee before settling in central Arizona in the late 1960s. Lofgren earned her B.A. in Management from the University of Phoenix and became expert in issues regarding ground and surface water, land use, transportation, and waste control. Arizona governors appointed her to a number of groups dealing with such issues, including the Commission on the Arizona Environment (1976-1996, Chair 1990-1992), the Advisory Council for Intergovernmental Relations (1976-1979), the Governor's Advisory Board for Central Arizona Water Control Study (1978-1981), the In Lieu Commission on Selection of State Lands (1979-1980), the Groundwater Users Advisory Council, Phoenix Active Management Area (Chair, 1981-1993), and the Governor's Riparian Habitat Task Force (Chair, 1989-1992). Lofgren also worked with a number of civic and advisory committees, including the Arizona Academy of Town Halls (1974-2000); the Arizona Department of Health Services Construction Grants Advisory Committee, Water Reuse Advisory Committee, and Water Management Working Group (1977-1986); the Arizona Water Resources Committee (1981-1990); the Maricopa Association of Governments Title XX Policy Committee (1976-1978) and Water Quality Policy Advisory Committee (1975-1991; Chair 1979-1989); the Tempe Community Council (1981-1987); and the Tempe County Island Committee (1975-1977; Chair 1976-1977).

Lofgren was deeply involved with the League of Women Voters and the Tempe Sister Cities Program. She began working with the LWV in 1963 and served as East Maricopa President from 1967 to 1969 and as Arizona President from 1973 to 1975. Lofgren began working with the Sister Cities Program in 1980 and became Timbuktu Coordinator in 1993. She arranged to send a retired water engineer to Timbuktu to address the severe water shortage facing the area and then organized the fundraising effort necessary to procure the $7,000 necessary to drill a well. She went on to raise money to drill six additional wells and to provide such necessities as medical supplies, school supplies, sewing machines, wheelchairs, livestock, and toilets. Lofgren also facilitated a collaboration with Project C.U.R.E. that provided $500,000 of desperately needed medical equipment. For her efforts, Lofgren was awarded the Sister Cities International Volunteer of the Year award in 2009.

Scope and Content Note

This collection houses correspondence, minutes, brochures, clippings, publications, newsletters, and other materials documenting Sue Lofgren's involvement with the Arizona League of Women Voters; advocacy for potable drinking water and responsible use of groundwater at the state and national levels; and service with such state organizations as the Tempe County Island Committee, the Maricopa Association of Governments, and the State Bar Fee Arbitration Committee. These materials have been divided into four series based on Lofgren's original organization and have been organized alphabetically within each series.

Series I: League of Women Voters houses correspondence, brochures, clippings, publications, newsletters, and Board minutes documenting Lofgren's presidency and the League's involvement with such issues as civil rights, juvenile delinquency, public welfare, legislation and voting, groundwater, and drinking water.

Series II: Arizona and Series III: National consist primarily of correspondence, clippings, publications, and other materials documenting Lofgren's service with a number of state and national organizations dedicated to environmental causes. The majority of these groups advocated for potable drinking water and responsible groundwater use. Among the entities represented are the American Water Resources Association, the Arizona Water Resources Committee, the Groundwater Users Advisory Council, the National Water Alliance, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Water Quality Association Review Panel. Series II also houses materials showing Lofgren's involvement with merit selection of judges, the Tempe County Island Committee, the Maricopa Association of Governments, and the State Bar Fee Arbitration Committee.

Series IV: Correspondence and Speeches houses letters and speeches that Lofgren kept separately from the materials housed in Series I through Series III.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

The Arizona Board of Regents retains copyright to this collection for and on behalf of the Arizona State University Library. Requests to publish, display, or redistribute information from this collection must be submitted via our online application.

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Sue Lofgren Papers, MSS-360, Arizona State University Library.

Provenance

Sue Lofgren donated these papers to the Arizona Collection in June of 2013 (Accession #2013-04747).

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