Van Dyke, Dick

Lived in Cave Creek

Treated in Phoenix

Dick Van Dyke, 1988. Photo by Alan Light .

(Richard Wayne Van Dyke 1925.12.13-    )  Actor.

"The Dick Van Dyke Show"  (1961-1966) was very possibly the best situation comedy that was ever broadcast.  In 1971, Dick and the original show's creator, Carl Reiner, attempted to repeat their prior success with "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" (1971-1974).  Dick played Dick Preston who was the host of a TV talk show in Phoenix, Arizona. Hope Lange was Dick's wife. 

Van Dyke, Vonda Kay

Lived in Phoenix metro area

Attended ASU

(c. 1943-    )  Miss America, 1965.

Vonda Kay Van Dyke at the 2008 Miss America event. Photo by Craig A. Hurst .

In 1964, Vonda Kay was a 21 year old junior at Arizona State University when she took a break to become Miss Arizona for 1964, and Miss America for 1965.  (Like the new car models, Miss America receives a crown for the year after she is selected.)  She first and only Miss America to also be named Miss Congeniality, and the first ventriloquist to perform on the Miss America stage.  The only other Arizonan to become Miss America was Jacque Mercer of Litchfield who won the crown in 1949.

During her reign, Vonda Kay made a lot of appearances including ones on What's My Line? (Episode #780, 1965) as mystery guest #1 and The Ed Sullivan Show (1964) with the Beach Boys, Alan King and Robert Goulet.  She also made a visit to Boise, your author's home town, where she shook the young teen's shaking hand.

Vargas, Elizabeth

Lived in Phoenix metro area

Phoenix TV reporter

(1962.09.06-    )  Correspondent, host, news anchor.

In 2002, Elizabeth Vargas became a regular substitute host for Peter Jennings on ABC Evening News.  She previously hosted the ABC News show 20/20 Downtown (1999), and was a correspondent for ABC's 20/20 (1978).  In October, 2004, she became the co-host of 20/20 replacing Barbara Walters.

From 1986 to 1989, Elizabeth was a reporter on Phoenix's Channel 3 KTVK which was then the ABC affiliate in Phoenix.

Vogt, Brandon J.

Attended ASU

(1969.04.00-    )  Doctoral candidate; proved Kansas to be flatter than a pancake.

While a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, Brandon teamed up with two researchers from Texas State University to produce the definitive paper comparing the flatness of the state of Kansas with the proverbial pancake.

The research team mapped the terrain of a pancake with a confocal laser microscope.  They then compared the pancake terrain to elevation data for Kansas from the U. S. Geological Survey.  Their conclusion:  If a pancake were blown up to the size of the state of Kansas, Kansas would indeed be flatter.

Their study was published in the May/June 2003 issue of the Annals of Improbable Research.  The study reported by papers across the nation when the Associated Press did a story on it. 

On the July 29, 2003 broadcast of NPR's All Things Considered, Brandon was interviewed by Robert Siegel for a story they titled, "The Flat Landscape of Kansas."  Aside from explaining study's purpose and technique, Brandon apologized to Kansas residents who might have been offended--a situation which he discerned from an number of "mean" Emails he had received.  "We actually did not mean to insult anyone who lives in the state of Kansas."