followed, Shankwitz would be jerked around the country. But, he would later re- call, he never lost the sense that he was a cowboy. In all the years that followed, as he became an Arizona highway cop and then the “wish man,” Shankwitz seemed never to take off his cowboy hat. Shankwitz, a co-founder of the “Make- A-Wish-Foundation” and its longtime am- bassador, died at the end of January of esophageal cancer. He was at his home in Prescott. Shankwitz had a difficult up- bringing. “As a young boy, my greatest wish was Pam Johnson November 14, 1946-January 20, 2021 A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and longtime newsroom leader, Pam Johnson died at 74 after battling dementia. Johnson shared the 1982 Pulitzer dur- ing her tenure at The Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times for news stories about the Hyatt Hotel skywalks collapse, which killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds. She was a co-founder of Journalism and Women’s Symposium, otherwise known as JAWS, as an organization to support women in the news industry. “It was hard for a woman to be heard (in the newsroom),” Johnson said during an oral history in 2013 by the Donald W. Reyn- olds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. John- son was a senior editor at the Phoenix Ga- zette and later The Arizona Republic’s executive editor. She was the first execu- tive director of the University of Missouri’s institute in 2004. She described journalism as more than a career. “When it gets in your blood, journalism is what you live,” she said. Johnson hails from Carthage, Missouri, and after college, her first job in journalism was for the Joplin Missouri Globe newspa- per. She later worked for the Binghamton Evening Press in New York, then on the copy desk of the Kansas City Times and then Kansas City Star. KRISTEN MOSBRUCKER survival,” he wrote in his memoir. He would eventually climb out of pov- erty, enlisting with the Air Force and, after some years, moving to Phoenix and joining the Arizona Department of Public Safety as a highway patrol officer. It was on the force that he met a 7-year- old boy, dying of leukemia, who wanted to be a motorcycle officer. Shankwitz and fel- low patrol officers gave the boy a badge and a uniform just days before he passed away. Shankwitz was torn up by the boy’s death. It inspired him to co-found Make-A-Wish, which expanded rapidly. Even as Make-A-Wish went global, Shankwitz remained in Arizona, never leaving law enforcement. Eventually, he became a cold case investigator in Prescott. When filmmakers began working on the 2019 blockbuster about his life, Wish Man, they planned to film it out-of-state, wherever they could snag the best tax credits. But Shankwitz pushed back: If they were to make a movie about his life, it had to be done in Arizona. “I lobbied very hard,” he said. In the end, Shankwitz got his wish. They filmed in Prescott. KATYA SCHWENK Tomaso Maggiore August 18, 1947-January 2021 Tomaso was born and raised in Sicily, the southern region of Italy, and is a true exam- ple of the American dream with the culi- nary empire he created in the Valley and beyond. He first opened the award-winning Antonio Carrasco August 25, 1957-January 27, 2021 If you ever walked into The Chuckbox, the longtime burger joint on University Drive in Tempe, you were probably greeted with the boisterous, high-pitched laugh and smiling face of Antonio “Tony” Carrasco. Carrasco, who lived in Laveen but com- Frank Shankwitz March 8, 1943-January 24, 2021 Frank Shankwitz was born in Chicago, where he lived until his mother, enrap- tured by the West, stole him away to north- ern Arizona. In the custody battle that muted to The Chuckbox daily, was a fix- ture at the restaurant for more than 30 years, starting work there in 1988. Carrasco was one of nine children who grew up in Durango, Mexico. He made his way to Arizona during his teen years as an undocumented immigrant and later re- Tomaso’s Italian Restaurant in the Camel- back Corridor in 1977. He later founded The Maggiore Group, a restaurant group that operates local eateries like The Sicil- ian Butcher, The Sicilian Baker, and Hash Kitchen. In total, Maggiore launched more than 50 restaurants in Arizona and Califor- nia. He even created his own Sicilian- sourced wine. Maggiore died in January at age 73 from lung cancer. A true titan, Maggiore made a positive impact on the Arizona food scene. His res- taurants created more than 27,000 jobs. His devotion to his restaurants and his trade was unmatched. He often visited vegetable farms locally, across the country, and in Europe to source fresh ingredients for his entrees while also adopting the lat- est cooking techniques to incorporate the true essence of Italy in every bite, making sure his guests enjoyed only the finest meals. Maggiore received countless awards ceived his green card. He met his beloved wife, Mary Perez, on a Phoenix dancefloor. The couple had four children and eight grandchildren. His co-workers at The Chuckbox were his extended family. At the burger stand, Carrasco was a jack of all trades, flipping burgers and prepping fries, usually while whistling. After years of feeding hungry ASU stu- dents, it was revealed Carrasco had a small tumor and stage two colon cancer in 2019. He died on January 27 from complications with COVID. Friends, coworkers, and Chuckbox pa- trons flooded the page with positive vibes for Carrasco. “This is sad,” posted Brandon Walls. “Remember him all through my de- gree, always made the place feel like a home-cooked meal.” Another Chuckbox customer provided some levity. “This dude fed us all,” said Jo- seph Kimball. “God needed a good burger.” KEVIN BURTON over the years including Best Italian Res- taurant in the Valley for several decades, Arizona Restaurant Association’s Food Pi- oneer Award, and dozens of top chef awards. The Maggiore family, spearheaded by his children Joey and Melissa, continues to operate Tomaso’s iconic Italian institution and honor his legacy. “It is my goal to honor his legacy and make him proud with amazing restaurants and delectable food. He is the greatest fa- ther, chef, and friend that I have ever known, and I will love and miss him dearly, forever,” said Joey Maggiore, executive chef of The Maggiore Group. KEVIN BURTON Monique Sanderson-Mata December 21, 1978-February 1, 2021 Monique Sanderson-Mata loved creating a sense of unity in Phoenix’s arts and cul- tural scene. When friends speak of the art- ist, teacher, and community organizer, who died last February from liver failure, it’s mentioned as one of her defining charac- teristics, along with her rambunctious laugh, enormous smile, and boundless spirit. Her friend and fellow artist Kathy Cano-Murillo says Sanderson-Mata acted as connective tissue and booster for Phoe- nix’s cultural landscape. “Monique loved bringing people to- gether and helping them shine,” Cano- Murillo says. “She was always ready to jump in, help out, to take action, and she al- ways made a point to be there when you needed her.” Besides conducting workshops as a member of the Phoenix Fridas, a Latina- oriented artist group, Sanderson-Mata or- ganized art shows at local galleries and nightspots, ran crafting and make-and-take events at Grand Avenue’s La Melgosa building, and hosted a radio show on local community radio station KDIF 102.9. She was also a constant presence at downtown Phoenix’s First and Third Friday art walks. A native of Tucumcari, New Mexico, who moved with her family to Arizona in the ’90s, she brought together creatives from both states during her annual “AZ/ NM Connection” events. Cano-Murrilo says Sanderson-Mata continued to connect with people during the final weeks and months of her life. “When she knew what was coming, she went out of her way to reach out to every- one, find out what they were doing, >> p 18 17 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES JAN 6TH– JAN 12TH, 2022
