Page 32 July 2013 Pick a card: It will be a part of Phoenix history By Cristina Peralta A passion for photography and history has led one senior at Phoenix Country Day School to create a deck of playing cards featuring photos of historic landmarks from all over the city of Phoenix. Seventeen-year-old Alexandra Melikian came up with the idea for the Explore Phoenix Historic Landmarks card deck after years of traveling with her father to historic areas around the country, including downtown Phoenix. “History has always been a big part of my life,” Alexandra said. “I wanted people to realize that Phoenix should embrace all of its historical landmarks and find better uses for them rather than tearing them down.” The deck features 54 cards with an original photograph on each, as well as the building’s date of construction and Continued on page 37 At Brookdale ® Place Paradise Valley, we’ll help you solve your retirement puzzle! From the subtle to the sublime, we provide the services and amenities that promote a lifestyle of happiness, fun and fulfillment. Optimum Life ® helps residents live at their peak level in six key areas or dimensions of wellness: purposeful, spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual and physical. And with Innovative Senior Care SM , residents have access to convenient on-site therapy services. Nearly all the pieces are in place. The only one missing … is you! • All Day Restaurant Dining • Free WiFi • Walking Paths • Scheduled Transportation • Outings and Day Trips • Social Events • Salon • Weekly Happy Hours • Tai Chi and Yoga • Zumba • Heated Pool • Koi Pond Come for a visit and stay for lunch! Your story continues here... Independent Living Personalized Assisted Living 13240 North Tatum Boulevard Phoenix, Arizona 85032 1-888-396-6692 www.brookdaleliving.com ®Reg. U.S. Patent and TM Office. 00783-ROP01-0812 SC Visit us and see the many ways we can care for your family. Dr. Rob Mirabelli and Dr. Jen Mirabelli Board Certified Pediatric Dentist Board Certified Orthodontist i PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY & OR THODONTICS www.camelbackpedoortho.com 44th Street & Camelback Road 602-595-3531 VINTAGE: WEBSTER’S: “Representing the highest quality of a past time.” VINTAGE: Cars, boats, jewelry, wines, artwork, HOMES REMODEL EXPERTS, LLC: “30 YEAR LOCAL RESIDENT” Vintage homes deserve the highest quality care and CRAFTSMANSHIP when remodeling Colors: PMS 626 (Green) PMS Warm Gray 11 (Gray) Steven Ditter • 602-708-0877 Steven97@cox.net • www.remodelexpertsaz.com ROC #257705, #247691 Contact: 40 years of EXPERIENCE. Licensed, Bonded, Insured. BBB A+ Rating. NKBA Member. Green Builder.

For 85 years Wilhelm Automotive has been part of the family Wilhelm Automotive has made it their business, for 85 years, to make sure their customers aren’t just satisfied, but 100 percent happy with their service. Wilhelm has made it their mission to support their employees, neighbors and community in the work they do every day. And it’s been that way since the beginning. The story of Wilhelm began back in 1889, when a family from Peoria, Illinois found a new home in the desert of Peoria, Arizona. The original shop was opened as a blacksmith business by Milt “Tuck” Blackwell, and the operation served pioneer families. Milt eventually sold his business to the Jennings brothers, who served the community for many years, and sold the shop to Joe Wilhelm in 1928. That original Wilhelm Automotive still operates in the very spot in historic downtown Peoria, Arizona today. In 1928, the shop was opened as Wilhelm Garage, and Joe continued the tradition of providing farmers in Peoria a place to repair their farm equipment. During the early 40s, Joe built cotton wagons to support the war effort, and a welding shop in full production in 1945 produced thousands of wagons for hauling cotton. The business expanded over the next two decades, supported by the farming community and newly sprouted Sun City community nearby. It was in 1979 that Joe sold the business to the Gyder family, who still own and operate the shop today. For a few years, Joe continued to provide guidance to the family including Charley, Mary and their five sons. It didn’t take long for the business to begin to grow, and by the late 80s, another shop opened in the city of Litchfield Park in the southwest valley. Since that time, growth has been steady and five more stores — including the newest location at 52nd Street and Thomas, have opened. But even as the business grew, Wilhelm never lost sight of their focus on family and community. “The people that work for us, live in the communities around our stores and the customers who support us — they are the reason we have been successful for 85 years,” said Wilhelm Automotive President Chris Garman. That philosophy has driven a spirit of ‘giving back’ that drives Wilhelm to reach out to the community in a variety of ways—whether it is giving internships at their shops to area high school seniors, or by repairing a car at no cost to a single mom in desperate need of a working vehicle. They also support a variety of local non profits including arts organizations, area schools and groups like Empty Bowl pet food pantry that provide pet food to pets of families in need. But Wilhelm customers don’t just feel good about the work done outside the shop; their service is backed up by a guarantee to fix the problem right, the first time. Wilhelm technicians are ASE certified and many are master technicians. They also work with most after-market warranties. “It doesn’t matter what else you do to make a customer happy, if you don’t fix their car right, you won’t keep their business. We will put the effort in to diagnose the problem the first time and fix it,” said Garman. Wilhelm is a full service automotive repair shop and techs are trained to fix nearly any make and model of car. The customer waiting areas are a comfortable, homey environment that offers free hot coffee and Wi-Fi access while you wait. Or, take advantage of their free shuttle service which will pick up and drop off your car at your home or office. Wilhelm Automotive’s philosophy is to keep a happy customer for life. As Garman notes, “You don’t get to be the oldest automotive repair shop in Arizona unless you have customers that trust the work you do 100 percent,” Garman said. 5211 E Thomas Road Phoenix AZ 85018 wilhelmautomotive.com 602-422-9250 A D V E R T I S E M E N T