MANGUM, Eugene Kenneth

Eugene Kenneth Mangum 1914 - 2007 Devoted husband, loving father, grand- and great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, Eugene Kenneth Mangum peacefully passed away on Sunday, April 29, 2007, at age 93. He leaves a huge legacy of devotion to family, service to community, humanitarianism to his fellowmen, and dedication to his religion. Eugene was the 4th of 5 children of James Harvey Mangum and Charlotte Augusta Kempe and was born on February 16, 1914, in Pima, Arizona. He graduated from Gila Junior College where he was student body president and then attended the University of Arizona where he became the first Superintendent of Sunday School at the newly built LDS Institute and the first president of Lambda Delta Sigma, LDS fraternity. He graduated from law school, With Distinction, with a near perfect GPA (1.9 out of 2) in 1939. While at the University of Arizona, Gene met Marzelle Jesperson, a Tucson native, on a blind date and on June 10, 1938 they married in the Arizona Temple. Theirs was a love affair to behold and they truly worshipped each other. Gene always remembered to celebrate their monthly wedding anniversary, and even as a newly-wed, he wrote in his journal: "It is now Sept. 10, 1944—75 glorious months we have been married." Upon Marzelle's passing in 2003, he reminded us they had been married for 775 months (65 loving years). A year after World War II started, Gene was drafted when their eldest child, Janice (born Oct. 23, 1942 in Phoenix), was just two months old. They were stationed in Los Angeles, California, where Gene served in the Army Counter Intelligence Corps. Part of his job was interviewing movie stars for security purposes, and he had occasion to dance with actress Deanna Durbin. He was transferred for special training in San Antonio, TX, and while there, James Kenneth was born in Pasadena, California (on Feb. 24, 1945). Following his discharge, Gene moved his family to Phoenix and began his law career. In 1947, Gene and Marzelle moved to Casa Grande where he opened a law office. He practiced law there from 1947 to 1961 and was also City Attorney for many of those years. Their third child, Brenda, was born on Nov. 15, 1949. While in Casa Grande, Gene was instrumental in locating 1700 acres of Federal land, which was available for city use. He did all the legal work and raised all the money, which enabled the city to acquire 1200 acres south of town (e.g., C.G. Mountain) and 500 acres north of town (as city parks). Both Gene and Marzelle helped build the first LDS church in this town and Gene served as its first Branch President. In 1961, Gene was appointed City Magistrate for the City of Phoenix. He served until his official retirement at the end of 1984. He continued to work part-time until 1993. More than half of his service was as Chief City Magistrate. Gene was responsible for the appointment of the first African-American Phoenix City Magistrate, Hayzel B. Daniels, and also for the appointment of the city's first female magistrate, Dorothy Carson. Throughout his life, Gene manifested the pioneer spirit in his dedication to his fellowmen, going far beyond the "extra mile." Some examples of his foresight and pioneering efforts include: working with Phoenix Union High School officials to begin the Traffic Survival School which expanded statewide; forming the Court Class on Alcoholism with members of Alcoholics Anonymous; and conceiving the Phoenix DWI School, which has been the model for similar schools in every state and at least 5 other countries. He served two governors (one of each party) as the Chairman of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Alcoholism (which the governor created as a result of Gene's efforts); and he spent over 10 years on the Board of the National Council on Alcoholism. Judge Mangum was much in demand as a speaker at many national and international conventions and he wrote numerous articles for journals, magazines and newspapers around the United States and in other countries. He also found the time to serve on a variety of civic boards and has been involved in many other activities. He's been specially honored by more than 50 local, state, national, and international organizations. One of Gene's favorite organizations was the Boy Scouts of America. He was the second Eagle Scout in Graham County. He served on two BSA Councils and was vice president of one. He was honored with the Silver Beaver Award and the Distinguished Eagle Award. Membership in Rotary International was very important to Gene his entire adult life. He had more than 52 years of perfect attendance at Rotary and served as President of the Casa Grande and Phoenix 100 Rotary Clubs. His sense of civic duty extended to helping those in time of need, including donating more than 22 gallons of blood to the Red Cross and United Blood Services of Arizona, one pint at a time! He also served as Red Cross chair in Casa Grande. Gene has been active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his entire life, having served as a missionary in the Eastern States Mission, Bishop, counselor in the Phoenix West Stake Presidency, and as a Stake Patriarch. In the true spirit of Christianity, he and Marzelle assisted many church members and neighbors with their most basic needs. No one was a stranger to them and both were the epitome of selflessness. They were immensely loved, respected, and admired. All the while Eugene was making a name for himself by his service, his compassionate spirit, and all his accomplishments, he managed to also be the consummate husband and family man. He had a heart of gold and a great sense of humor. Family vacations became explorations as he would never take the same route twice. On family trips, he would never let his sisters-in-law pay for anything; he would send money and words of encouragement to children of relatives; and he always had a smile and kind word. Gene is survived by Jan M. Clutter and her sons, Michael (Laura Eagle) and Scott, all of Portland, Oregon; Judge J. Kenneth Mangum of Phoenix, his son, Ryan (currently on an LDS mission to Italy); Brenda M. Ross (Rodney J Ross) of Payson, Arizona and their children, Jennifer Dille (Brian Dille), Karen, and Rodney (Stephanie); and 7 great-grandchildren: Hayden Dille, Jackson Dille, Mara Dille, Tessa Dille, Emma Ross, Cooper Ross, and Preston Ross. A grandson, Christopher Mangum, passed away in 1988. Services for Judge Mangum will be held at 10 AM, Saturday, May 12, 2007 at the Tempe 10th Ward building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1050 W. Grove Parkway (north of Elliot Rd., east of Priest Dr.) in Tempe. A visitation will be held at the same location from 8:30 AM to 9:45 AM. Burial will be at 3 PM at the Binghampton Cemetary in Tucson. In Lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Hospice of the Valley www.hospiceofthevalley .org.