16 Jan 4th–Jan 10th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | WALTER DAVIS Nov. 2 Long before Devin Booker, Steve Nash or Charles Barkley, NBA All-Star Walter Davis was the face of the Phoenix Suns. Known by nicknames such as “Sweet D” and “The Man with the Velvet Touch,” the 6-foot-6-inch shooting guard mesmerized fans with smooth shooting and versatile gameplay during his 11 seasons in Phoenix . Hailing from North Carolina, Davis excelled at every level, winning titles in high school, leading UNC to an NCAA championship game, and securing a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics with the USA men’s basketball team. Selected fifth overall in the 1977 NBA Draft by Phoenix, Davis quickly made his mark, earning Rookie of the Year honors and becoming a six-time All-Star. With a career average of 20.5 points per game, his partnership with Suns legends Alvan Adams and Paul Westphal led to multiple playoff appearances, but an NBA title eluded them during his tenure. While issues with addiction and involve- ment in the Suns’ mid-’80s drug scandal dominated his later career, Davis’ legacy endures. Remembered for his time in a Suns uniform, Davis died of natural causes in November at age 69, leaving behind a lasting impact on Phoenix basketball. — Benjamin Leatherman NELDA MAJORS Aug. 1 Nelda Majors and Karen Bailey were together 50 years before they told their families they were a couple and nearly seven more until that commitment was recognized by the state of Arizona. Majors and Bailey championed marriage equality in the state and across the country, and were among the first two same-sex couples to tie the knot in Phoenix on Oct. 17, 2014, when the state’s ban on gay marriage was struck down in court. It was the culmination of a love story that spanned decades, and one that the Texans who made Arizona their home shared with others to break down stigmas and advocate for LGBTQ+ equity. When Majors died on Aug. 1 at age 84 after a battle with cancer, advocacy group One Community said she was a “central part of the inspiration behind the ONE Community Unity Pledge, the largest equality pledge in the nation, that continues to inspire support for equal protections for LGBTQ+ people in Arizona and across our nation.” Majors is survived by Bailey, her partner of more than 65 years; her great-nieces Marissa Diamond and Sharla Curtis, who Majors became a guardian and mother to; and a grandchild. — Sara Crocker SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR Dec. 1 Sandra Day O’Connor transcended her humble beginnings as a rancher’s daughter to become a pioneer who inspired genera- tions of women. The nation’s first female U.S. Supreme Court justice, O’Connor wielded consider- able influence on the nine-member court. Twice, she helped form the majority in decisions that upheld and reaffirmed Roe v. Wade, the landmark court case that made abortion a constitutional right for women. O’Connor also was the deciding vote in cases involving affirmative action, national security, campaign finance reform and separation of church and state. O’Connor was a longtime Arizona lawmaker and judge before being named to the Supreme Court in 1981. When she retired in 2006, she was replaced by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. who quickly tried to undo several of her landmark rulings. Nevertheless, O’Connor’s legacy lives on through the women who followed in her trailblazing footsteps. “We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely inde- pendent defender of the rule of law and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said of O’Connor’s passing at age 93. — O’Hara Shipe The Departed from p 14
