Don and Lela Aldrich

 
Don and Lela Aldrich, longtime Tucson residents and regular Giffords for Congress volunteers, are Gabrielle Giffords’ August Supporters of the Month. The Aldriches became active in local politics when a friend ran for the Arizona State Legislature in the early 1970s. They call themselves “selective” when choosing to volunteer on campaigns, but Lela said they decided to support Gabrielle last year in part because “she is interested in what happens to the country, and she cares about what happens to the people of this district.”
Lela, who is originally from Missouri and Michigan, relocated to sunny Tucson after enduring severe snowstorms in the winter of 1967. At the time Don, who had moved to Southern Arizona in 1954, was working as a mechanic for Magma Copper in San Manuel. They met in a science and math course Lela taught for the mineworkers. Don asked Lela out after completing the class, and they were married in 1970.

Both Lela and Don are retired: Don was a sanitarian with the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, and Lela worked in the Physiology Department at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine for 21 years. They attribute their professional successes to the encouragement and collaboration they each derive from their relationship. The Aldriches have three children and several grandchildren, and they have lived in the same Tucson home for 36 years.

Don and Lela have continued to be involved with the campaign because they are enthusiastic about Gabrielle’s performance as Congresswoman. “One of the things that impresses me most,” Lela said, ” is that at her forums she not only provides information to the constituency, but she really listens to what her constituents have to say.”