Video by Pam Stevenson, Agave Productions Inc., for Historical League
Bill Shover’s forty-year career at the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette is legendary. Born in Beech Grove, Indiana, Bill was the first child in his family to be born in a hospital. His Irish Catholic family often struggled to made ends meet, but they never considered themselves poor. Mr. Shover says, “We were rich in family, but I guess poor in dollars.” He got his first job when he was eight years old, selling newspapers for a nickel at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
When he was eighteen, Bill Shover joined the Army. The nation was between wars, and he spent much of his military career at Fort Ord in California, pitching for the fort’s baseball team. Mr. Shover used his G. I. benefits to attend college, where he was inspired by an old Jimmy Stewart movie to major in journalism. He felt it was a profession that would enable him to help people. His first newspaper job was with the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News, not as a reporter, but working to promote the papers and the community. In the first few days at his new job, he met the newspapers’ larger-than-life publisher, Eugene Pulliam. It was the beginning of a friendship that would change his life.
In 1962, Eugene Pulliam asked Bill Shover to move to Phoenix with the mandate to involve the newspaper in improving the community. Mr. Shover says simply, “I had the best job in the world because all Gene said was, ‘Do good and don’t get into too much trouble, kid.’”
In Phoenix, Bill Shover quickly became known as the man to call when you needed to get something done. In the 1970s, he helped establish the Phoenix Forty to fight local crime, fraud and corruption. That group spawned the successful Valley Leadership program. Mr. Shover also helped found the 100 Club, that aids the families of public servants killed in the line of duty.
After Eugene Pulliam died in 1975, Bill Shover worked with his widow, Nina Pulliam, to continue the newspaper’s commitment to the community. Mr. Shover chaired the Phoenix American Bicentennial Commission in 1976 that celebrated patriotism with Valley-wide events. He led the campaign to return the anchor of the World War II battleship, the USS Arizona, from Pearl Harbor to a place of pride at the Arizona State Capitol. He was a key player in the effort to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a holiday in Arizona. He was also a founder of the auction to raise money for COMPAS (Combined Metropolitan Phoenix Arts and Sciences), which for decades was a major source of funds for many of the Valley's cultural organizations.
In 1987, Bill Shover coordinated the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Arizona. He calls it, “One of the best things that ever happened to this Valley, not only to show off the leading cleric of the Catholic Church, but the purpose was to get all religions to come together.” The Pope’s visit culminated with a mass at Sun Devil Stadium, where Mr. Shover asked his friend, humorist Erma Bombeck, to introduce the Pope. In typical Mrs. Bombeck fashion, she did so by announcing to the crowd, “Heeere’s Johnny!” Bill Shover said the Pope loved the unique introduction.
In the world of Arizona professional sports, Bill Shover helped launch the Phoenix Suns. He was also one of a group of local businessmen who spearheaded the creation of the Fiesta Bowl in 1968, and he chaired the effort to bring Super Bowl XXX to Tempe.
Devoted to youth organizations, he coached boys' baseball for seventeen years, beginning with Little League when his son was eight, and continuing through American Legion baseball. One of Mr. Shover's proudest moments was in 1966, when his team won the Arizona Little League State Championship. Over the years, he says, he coached 337 youngsters and still maintains close ties with many of his “boys.”
Bill Shover retired from the newspaper in 1998, but when asked how long he worked there, his answer is, “Never. I never worked a day. I was employed there, but every day I went to work . . . I felt like it was a new day of having a good time. It never felt like it was a job.” Mr. Shover continues to devote his days to many causes close to his heart. His philosophy is framed on the wall of his den, “There is no limit to the good a man can do if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.” He says his greatest achievement is his family of twenty-one, "co-chaired" by his wife, Murny.
All of Arizona has been the beneficiary of Bill Shover’s tireless work and vision of making the Valley of the Sun a great place to live, work and raise families.
