Prudence Myrland Waid Haney

Mrs. Prudence Myrland Waid Haney, a retired T.U.S.D. teacher, grew up in a home at the corner of Tucson Blvd. and Hawthorne Street. The Himmel's Edmond homestead was a desert playground across the street. She remembers playing in the open area which is now the park creating small hut structures in the creosote bushes and riding her bike in her Levis with her girlfriends on Saturday mornings as the "Girls Levi Club". She also remembers the University of Arizona's ROTC Calvary riding their horses along trails in the area that is now the park. Since the university stables were close they would ride out form the U of A down Hawthorne across Tucson Blvd. and into the trails in the area of Himmel-Edmondson homestead land. Himmel Park and the library are named after Mrs. Alvina Himmel Edmondson who sold the land to the city that was latter developed into the park. Prudence Haney remembers the original Himmel homestead. Alvina and her three daughters Catherine, Grace and Alvina. At first Prudence and her girlfriends were afraid of the old red wood homestead with the tin roof, but after an accident when they needed to get help they found Alvina kind and helpful. Prudence remembers Alvina's family coming to her house to fill up buckets with water because they had forgotten to pay their water bill.