Last week I wrote a blog announcing the PBS documentary “Together We Heal” – interviews of those affected by the January 8, 2011 mass shooting at the Safeway in NW Tucson. Click here for my earlier blog with background information on the PBS production team. The show is written, directed and produced by AZPM’s Emmy® Award winner Tom Kleespie.

Hearing the heart-wrenching interviews of the shooting victims and heroes who responded to help them get medical aid that morning was difficult for me, as I know Gabby and I knew Gabe. Here’s the blog I wrote about Gabe (and the other victims) the day after he died (click here) – “Farewell Gabe Zimmerman, Congresswoman Giffords’ aide”.

Most of us in the Tucson community knew someone directly affected by this tragedy, which made it even more painful and shocking to us.

And in this documentary there is a solemn photo of me at the UMC memorial, mourning as I re-light candles in memory of the six who died. (I’m wearing my British wool gillie hat which my husband gave me in Oxford, where we were married).

View the show tonight at 8 p.m., and remind others of the January 8 repeat showing at 6 p.m. MST.

Our prayers are still with those who were injured that day and are recovering, especially Congresswoman “Gabby” Giffords who was shot in the head and receiving rehab in Houston. And hopefully there may be a sense of some peace for those who lost the six innocent people by this senseless shooting.

May we never forget:

Christina-Taylor Green
Dorothy Morris
Judge John Roll
Phyllis Schneck
Dorwan Stoddard
Gabe Zimmerman

And may we all move on and heal from this tragic event.

Yesterday about 150 people attended the Gabe Zimmerman Davidson Canyon Trailhead Dedication. This lovely area is about 1/4 mile west of Cienega Creek on Marsh Station Rd. north of Exit 281 of I-10. Several speakers spoke eloquently about Gabe’s legacy of loving nature and hiking: Jennifer Cox from Congresswoman Giffords’ office, Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll (whose District 4 this portion of the Arizona Trail is located in), Supervisors Richard Elias and Ann Day, and lastly Emily Nottingham, Gabe’s mother. Supervisor Carroll said that we all need “places and people to help us recover” from 1/8/11, that Gabe was “irreplaceable like this trail, a shepherd to all of us”. Supervisor Elias said that there was “no fairness” in this shooting of 1/8/11, but that “justice reigns supreme” with this beautiful trail dedicated to Gabe.

Gabe’s mother Emily spoke of his love of the desert and his ability to form “connections.”
Gabe’s father Ross Zimmerman, his brother Ben, his stepmother, fiancee Kelly O’Brien, and other relatives were present at this dedication, as were heroes Daniel Hernandez Jr. and Patricia Maisch, who were at the Safeway that morning. The tiles at the gateway of the trail from photographs of Gabe were made by LD 28 House Rep./artist Steve Farley and his tile team who were present. A night blooming cereus was also planted at the trailhead. I encourage all of you to visit this spectacularly beautiful desert area & hike it in memory of Gabe Zimmerman, and the five others who died that day.

AZ Daily Star photos from this event (click here). Gloria Giffords, mom of the injured Congresswoman was also present.

Remembering January 8, “Honoring the Spirit of Tucson”

Not many of us can forget that horrendous event of the January 8, 2011 mass shooting here in Tucson, or the outpouring of community caring & support after that tragedy. 6 innocent citizens (including a nine year old girl and a federal district judge) were gunned down in front of that Safeway Supermarket, and 13 (including a 3-term U.S. Congresswoman) were wounded.

We remember January 8th. How could we forget? I took photos of each of the 3 memorials that sprung up after the shooting, which are hyperlinked at the end of this blog.

http://www.rememberingjanuary8.org/

Listed below are community events scheduled for January 8:

January 8th
Together Tucson

7:00 am Ben’s Bells Distribution

Description: Hundreds of Ben’s Bells will be randomly distributed throughout Tucson in memory of those we lost on January 8th, 2011 and in gratitude for our beautifully supportive community.

Location:Ben’s Bells Main Gate, 816 E. University Blvd.
Contact: Phone:520-628-2829

8am-5:pm Tohono Chul Park Complimentary Admission Day

Description:In remembrance of January 8th, Tohono Chul Park will open its gates free of charge to offer the community a place of quite reflection.
Location:Tohono Chul Park – 7366 N. Paseo del Norte

10-5pm A Day of Kindness at the Children’s Museum Tucson

Description: Join Ben’s Bells at the Children’s Museum Tucson For a Day of Kindness. Ben’s Bells invites families to gather to sign the Kindness Contract, to paint Kindness Coins and to hang Kindness Wishes in the trees at the Museum. The Museum will serve as a gathering point for families to celebrate the kindness in our community.

Location: Children’s Museum Tucson, 260 S. 6th Ave.
Contact: 520-792-9985 (Children’s Museum), 520-628-2829 (Ben’s Bells)

10:11am Community-wide Ringing of Bells

10:15 am Remembering January 8, 2011: Hurting, Healing, Hoping

Description: January 8, 2012, marks the first anniversary of the Tucson tragedy where six people died and thirteen were injured. Join the Rev. Dr. John Kitagawa, at 10:15 a.m., remembering and reflecting on our memories of that day and the year that has followed. In this session, we remember those lost and injured and share reflections of the time since the tragedy. All are welcome to join in this community conversation in the Murphey Gallery at St. Philip’s and at the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. worship services which will also honor the tragedy of January 8, 2011.

Location:St. Philip’s In The Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave. at River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718

10:45- noon Journey from Mental Illness to Mental Health

St. Francis in the Foothills is offering a class that is open to the public discussing the journey from mental Illness to mental health. Members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will be presenting information to enlarge community mental health awareness and promote civil engagement.

Location: St. Francis in the Foothills, 4625 E. River Rd (River west of Swan), Tucson, Arizona

1:00pm “We Remember, We Celebrate, We Believe” Interfaith Service

Description: All faith communities in Tucson are invited to join in commemoration of both the tragedy and the triumph of Jan. 8, 2011. The service will consist of prayer, music, reflections, dance and the participation of those attending. The service will include Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha’i and Sikh traditions of prayer.

Location: St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, Arizona

3:00pm Reflections: Honoring the lives of January 8 shooting victims

Description: A series of talks reflecting on the lives of Congresswoman Giffords and those who were killed on January 8.

Speakers include:
Senator Mark Udall (for Congresswoman Giffords)
Federal Judge Raner Collins (for Judge John Roll)
Pat Maisch (for the survivors and citizen heroes)
Dr. Lattie Coor (for Gabe Zimmerman)
Dr.Andrew Ross (for Phyllis Schneck)
Serenity Hammerich & Jamie Stone (for Christina-Taylor Green)
Ron Barber (for Dorwin Stoddard)
Brandon Nelson (for Dorothy Morris)

Location: Centennial Hall – University of Arizona Campus, 1020 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ. Tickets are free and can be picked up at the UA Centennial Hall’s box office, 2020 E. University Blvd.; The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, 2250 E. Broadway; and Pima Council on Aging, 8467 E. Broadway.

6:30pm Candlelight Vigil
University of Arizona Mall

Community members are encouraged to attend and show their support for the families of victims and the survivors. Those attending are asked not to bring candles. Glowsticks will be provided at the vigil to all those in attendance.

The Tucson Symphony Orchestra will perform and confirmed speakers include:

Eugene G. Sander, President, University of Arizona

Ken Bennett, Arizona Secretary of State

Honorable Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor, City of Tucson

Dr. Peter Rhee, Chief, Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, The University of Arizona Medical Center

Mark Kelly, Captain, USN (Retired) Spouse, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

The emcee for the evening will be Ron Barber, survivor and founder of the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding.

1/4/11 UPDATE: Injured Congresswoman Giffords will also be attending this vigil (click here).

6:30 pm Shining the Light of Hope and Peace

Description: The entire Tucson community is invited to attend a special evening service of songs, prayer and healing.

Location: Northminster Presbyterian Church, 2450 East Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, Arizona
Contact: 520-327-7121, ext. 229

For more information: Daniel J. Benavidez at

(520) 331-4989, or info@rememberingjanuary8.org.

And for more events commemorating 1/8/11, read my blog on “BEYOND” Tucson (click here) for info and updated website events on what’s happening the day before (January 7) all over Southern Arizona.

Photo gallery of UMC memorial (click here).

Photo gallery of Congresswoman Giffords’ office memorial (click here).

Photo gallery of the Safeway memorial (click here).

And recently I posted a blog about an upcoming PBS documentary about the shooting victims & aftermath entitled “Together We Heal” to show on January 5 & 8, 2012 (click here).

On Wednesday at a press conference for BEYOND, I met Ross Zimmerman, father of the late Gabe Zimmerman, and Suzi Hileman who took the late Christina-Taylor Green to that “Congress on your Corner” (and who was also shot three times.) I felt their pain as victims of that shooting. Let us participate in “honoring the spirit of Tucson” on January 8, 2012.

Gabe Zimmerman

I knew Gabe Zimmerman (Director of community outreach) and I wept over reading about his senseless killing yesterday at the Safeway on Oracle/Ina, when his employer CD 8 Congresswoman Gabrielle “Gabby” Giffords was also shot in the head allegedly by Jared Lee Loughner (who is in custody). 19 people were injured in the shooting, 6 have died.

Apparently former Tucson Citizen Associate Editor Mark Kimble (who now works for Gabby as a speech writer) was there as well, helping with constituents, but he was not injured.

Also shot and injured were Gifford’s District Director Ron Barber and part-time outreach coordinator Pam Simon. I just met Pam at an Arizona Women’s Political Caucus holiday event in December, when she spoke on Gabby’s behalf (click here). Both are recovering at University Medical Center here in Tucson.

More here at AZ Central about Gifford’s aides:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/09/20110109gabe-zimmerman-gabrielle-giffords-arizona-shooting.html

Gabe was with Congresswoman Giffords from the beginning as a field organizer during her first campaign back in 2006. I remember how thrilled he was to then become part of her local Tucson staff, and I’ve communicated off and on with him since then. And the news article says he was engaged to be married. He was only 30 years old when he was killed yesterday. He was a great guy, very dedicated and passionate about helping constituents, in representing the Congresswoman.

A private memorial service has been scheduled for January 15. I also serve on the Casitas of Broadway board with his mother Emily Nottingham, retired City of Tucson community services administrator. Heartfelt condolences to the Ross Zimmerman family.

And pray for Gabby, who’s still in critical condition in the ICU (intensive care unit) following brain surgery at University Medical Center, on Campbell Avenue. She is married to NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, and has two step daughters Claudia and Claire Kelly.

List of the other deceased victims, most of whom were Giffords’ constituents apparently waiting in line to speak with her at her “Congress on Your Corner” event:
(There are a few discrepancies in the names of these victims, with the news coming in so quickly since yesterday’s shooting).

-John Roll, 63, a federal district court judge (Chief Judge in U.S. District Court for AZ)

- Dorwan Stoddard, 76, a volunteer at Mountain Ave. Church of Christ (his wife Mavanell was also shot & injured, but is expected to recover)

-Christina-Taylor Green, 9, a student at Mesa Verde Elementary

-Dorothy Morris, 76 (not Murray as originally reported)

-Phyllis Schneck, 79, a retiree from the East Coast

Condolences to all the families of these innocent victims.

1/13/11 Update: Gabe’s obituary in the Arizona Daily Star (linked through Tucsoncitizen.com):

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tucson/obituary.aspx?n=gabriel-zimmerman-gabe&pid=147777756

1/14/11 update: names of the 13 additional persons injured at the shooting from Pima County Sheriff’s Dept, including Congresswoman Giffords:

Susan Hileman, 58 (neighbor of Christina-Taylor Green who took her to the event)
Mavanell Stoddard, 75 (wife of Dorwan)
Pamela Simon, 63 (aide to Giffords)
Ronald Barber, 65 (aide to Giffords)
Gabrielle Giffords, 40 (the Congresswoman)
James Tucker, 58
Kenneth Veeder, 75
George Morris, 76 (husband of Dorothy)
James Fuller, 63
Randy Gardner, 60
Mary Reed, 52
Kenneth Dorushka, 63
Bill Badger, 74