Leonard W. Hardy |
| Posted 2007-01-05 by Arizona Newspapers |
| Leonard W. Hardy, 92, died Aug. 21, 2003, at his home in Mesa. He was born in Bumble Bee and attended school in Buckeye where he excelled in baseball and football. In 1932 he won the Arizona state amateur boxing title. He moved to the Globe-Miami area in 1949 and worked as a butcher and later as a shovel operator for the Castle Dome mine. While working in the mines, he became interested in the turquoise that was found with the copper ore. He began to market the turquoise to Native American Indians for use in their jewelry and soon opened a wholesale turquoise operation in the Miami area. Hardy and his wife, Geraldine, later moved the operation to Kingman after successfully bidding on the removal of turquoise pockets at the Kingman, Castle Dome and Sleeping Beauty mines. Kingman became known as the turquoise capital of the world and L.W. Hardy earned the nickname of Turquoise King. In the early 1970s, Hardy Turquoise Company was producing over half of the world's supply of turquoise. He stayed active in the turquoise business until the age of 85. Survivors include one daughter, Judy of Gilbert; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The family requested private services. Memorial contributions are suggested to Heartland Hospice Service, 1661 E. Camelback, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85016. |
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