University of Arizona - Desert Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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Lead singer of Troy ' s Bucket, James Lesure, a music senior, performs in the second annual Battle of the Bands. His band came up short in the competition, falling behind local band Gorilla Behind Bars, which got to take home the $300 gift certificate to the Guitar Center. PHOTO BY KEVIN B. KLAUS OPPOSITE: Robert Cheseret, a freshman from Kenya, leads an ASU distance runner in a men ' s cross country race. Cheseret, the Pacific-10 Conference men ' s cross country newcomer of the year for 2003, turned his talent for tearing up the terrain into wins in two of his first three races. PHOTO BY CHRIS CODUTO Spirit, and ultimately academics, would be redefined to be all inclusive of active participation in the UA ' s growing leadership opportunities. But tha t didn ' t mean the community would forget its past or the struggles it had faced. A reinvigorated school spirit was coupled with a growing nostalgic connection to the university ' s history and traditions. It wouldn ' t take an anniversary for the students and a growing number of alumni to understand and appreciate the university ' s long journey to excellence. Meanwhile, construction commenced at the center of campus after five long years of inconveniences and expelled to the fringes, allowing the UA ' s old and new architecture to blend into one outstanding atmosphere. The challenges that had seemingly plagued the university for the better part of the new century had really propelled campus into a new, exciting period of stability, forward thinking and fond appreciation of former days. UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

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Continued from page 2 A tear-filled memorial in October to UA ' s three slain nursing professors on the one-year anniversary of their deaths allowed students, faculty and families to reflect. The end of a bumpy season and new optimism for the struggling football team energized Wildcat fans. And news in early fall that the UA ' s financial worries were shifting course saved some vital programs from the cutting board. The university was on an upswing, and it was evident in the spirit of campus. Meanwhile, with student involvement ever increasing and sophisticating, spirit would symbolize more than cheering at ball games, although that would remain an important part of the formula. - -- ARIZONA 54

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Dedication Bill Bowers 1 903-2003 THE DESERT YEARBOOK STAFF is proud to dedicate this year ' s book to Bill Bowers, a 1927 graduate o f the UA. Bowers, who died in late 2003 at age 100, established himself as a living legend on campus. From working as photography editor on the 1926 Desert Yearbook, to salvaging the bell from the USS Arizona battleship, which now hangs in the Student Union Memorial Center bell tower, Bowers has inspired a new generation of students to take pride in the UA. Bowers came across the bell accidentally while working as an army captain at a Washington Naval Yard in 1944. The bell, which was one of two bells salvaged from the USS Arizona battleship that sank in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, was sitting in a crate ready to be melted for raw material. After calling the governor of Arizona and the president of the UA, the bell was delivered to the university in 1946. Bowers had an open invitation at the UA to ring the bell, and he participated in a memorial to commemorate UA alums killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. He rang the bell for the last time in February 2003, during the grand opening of the Student Union Memorial Center. After spending 20 years in the military as an army captain, Bowers went on to run a photo gallery with his brother-in-law in Colorado Springs, Colo. He also worked as a photographer for Hewlett-Packard. The yearbook staff honors his devotion to the UA with great fondness. Dedication The life of a legend .