Marshall Trimble (born 1939) is an American author, singer, former

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

, and

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

's official state historian. In addition to his position as director of Southwest studies at

Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale Community College is a Public college, public community college just outside of Scottsdale, Arizona. It is on the city's eastern boundary, on 160 acres (650,000 m2) of land belonging to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. ...

, he is a popular speaker and

True West Magazine ''True West Magazine'' (alternate title: ''True West'') is an American magazine that covers the Old West. Started in 1953, ''True West'' is headquartered in Cave Creek, Arizona, and publishes monthly. It is the world's oldest, continuously pub ...

's question-and-answer man.

Biography

Trimble was born in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

in 1939. When he was eight, his family left the

Salt River Valley The Salt River Valley is an extensive valley on the Salt River (Arizona), Salt River in central Arizona, which contains the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Although this geographic term still identifies the area, the name "Valley of the Sun" popularl ...

and moved to

Ash Fork, Arizona Ash Fork is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 396 at the 2010 U.S. Census, down from 457 in 2000. History Ash Fork has proclaimed itself "The Flagstone Capital of the World", due to the lar ...

where his father worked for the

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...

. Following high school, Trimble enrolled at

Phoenix College Phoenix College (PC) is a Public university, public community college in Encanto, Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country. History The college was originally a part of the Phoenix Union Hi ...

where he was a member of the nationally ranked baseball team. During those same years he played for the semi-pro Glendale Greys baseball team. The 1956 Greys were runner-up for the Arizona State Semi-pro Baseball Championship. In February 1957 Trimble dropped out of college and joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. Inspired by a Marine buddy, he purchased his first guitar in 1958 and taught himself to play while listening to records by

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's sexuall ...

, and

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

. His motivation for learning the guitar was to overcome shyness and to attract girls. He returned to college and graduated from Arizona State University in 1961. Two years later Trimble was touring with the Gin Mill Three, a folk group performing

Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, a ...

-inspired music. During his travels he took the opportunity to visit a variety of historical sites and museums. While visiting the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana in 1968 Trimble made up his mind to become a western historian and writer. He returned to

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

, taking every available course in Arizona and Western history. In 1969 he began teaching at Coronado High School. Teaching

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

at first, after two years he was teaching 10 sections of Southwest history. As part of his teaching style, he played his guitar and sang old Johnny Cash songs to demonstrate how folk music and history were interrelated. In 1972, Trimble was asked to create an Arizona history class at

. Within three years it was one of the largest classes at the college and in 1977 he began serving as director of the college Southwest Studies program. After publishing his first book in 1977, he used his guitar and songs to liven up promotional book readings. Since then he has hosted several radio shows, including ''Trimble’s Tales'' and The Emmy award-winning television show, ''Arizona Backroads'' on

KAZT-TV KAZT-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to Prescott, Arizona, United States, serving the Phoenix television market as a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station of The CW. The station is locally owned by the Londen family of Phoenix ...

. Trimble has appeared on ''

CBS This Morning ''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987 to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012 to September 6, 2021. On November 1, 1999, the original incarnation was repla ...

'', ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'', KAET-TV at ASU and the

Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...

. He appears several times a year on stage at Prescott's Historic Palace Restaurant and Saloon on Whiskey Row. Trimble has received many honors both as a historian, writer and performer. In 1997, Governor

Fife Symington John Fife Symington III (born August 12, 1945) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 19th governor of Arizona from 1991 until 1997. Symington, who is a member of the Republican Party, resigned from office in 1997 following ...

appointed him official State Historian. In 2000, he was selected as one of Arizona's representatives in the Library of Congress’ “Local Legacies.” Two years later he received the first “Copper Star Award” from the State Society of Arizona in Washington, D.C. In 2003 he received the Scottsdale Jaycees “Distinguished Service Award,” That same year he was named a Charter Member of the Arizona Culturekeepers. In 2004, the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

awarded him their “Medal of Honor” for leadership and patriotism. He was also inducted into the Scottsdale Hall of Fame On December 9, 2010, he sang ''Arizona'' at a ceremony at the Arizona State Capitol to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the signing of the Arizona State Constitution. In 2004 he was inducted into the Arizona Veteran's Hall of Fame. In 2007, the Arizona Office of Tourism honored him with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his many years of service to his native state. In 2008 the governor appointed him to the Arizona Centennial Commission. In 2010 he received the Wild West History Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2011. That same year he received the Al Merito Award from the Arizona Historical Society in recognition for lifelong distinguished service in promoting Arizona history. Also in 2011 the Arizona Centennial Commission honored him as one of “Arizona’s Most Inspiring Leaders.” In 2012 he was selected for the U.S. State Department's “Cowboy Hall of Fame Tour,” a goodwill visit to Kyrgyzstan to share American cowboy culture with the people of that country.

Honors

* In 1997, Governor

Fife Symington III John Fife Symington III (born August 12, 1945) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 19th governor of Arizona from 1991 until 1997. Symington, who is a member of the Republican Party, resigned from office in 1997 following ...

appointed Trimble the state's official historian. * Medal of Honor from the

* Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arizona Office of Tourism. * Scottsdale Hall of Fame 2004. * Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame 2004. * Wild West History Association Lifetime Achievement Award 2010. * 2011 Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. * 2011 Arizona Historical Society "Al Merito" Award.

Books

* ''Arizona: a Panoramic History of a Frontier State'', New York: Doubleday, 1977. * ''Arizona Adventure'', Phoenix: Golden West, 1982, 2003. * ''The CO Bar Ranch'', Flagstaff: Northland Press, 1982. * ''In Old Arizona'', Phoenix: Golden West, 1985, 2003. * ''Roadside History of Arizona'', Missoula, Mont.: Mountain Press, 1986, . * ''Arizona A Cavalcade of History,'' Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 1989, 2003. * ''Wild West Heroes and Rogues: Wyatt Earp and the Showdown at Tombstone,''Phoenix: Primer Publishers, 2008. * ''Ash Fork: Images of America'', San Francisco: Arcadia Publishers, 2008. * ''Arizoniana'', Phoenix: Golden West, 1988, 2003. * ''Arizona 2000'', Flagstaff: Northland Press, 2000. * ''Law of the Gun'', Phoenix: Arizona Highways, 1997. * "Arizona Trivia." Golden West Publishers 2004. * "Arizona: A Diamond in the Rough." Donning 1987. * "It Always Rains After A Dry Spell." World Pub. 1999 * "Never Give a Heifer a Bum Steer." Arizona Highways 1999. * "Pulling Legs Attached to Tenderfeet" World Pub. 2000. * "Ash Fork" Images of America. Arcadia Press 2008 * "Arizona Outlaws and Lawmen." History Press 2015 * "Arizona Oddities: A Land of Anomalies and Tamales." 2018

References

External links

Official site

The American Folklife Center,

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Trimble, Marshall 1939 births Living people Historians of Arizona 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Musicians from Scottsdale, Arizona Writers from Scottsdale, Arizona American male non-fiction writers