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Arizona Daily Star, The (Tucson, AZ) - February 24, 1992
Deceased Name: William Dumes dies at 70; store owner, inventor, author
William I. Dumes, a Tucson resident for 50 years, died Friday of kidney failure at Tucson Medical Center. He was 70.
Dumes had owned many businesses, including party supply stores, the former Park Theater, and numerous restaurants and motels. He once owned the Tucson Gardens, a country-Western nightclub.
Dumes also was an inventor, a writer and was active in the community.
"He dabbled in a great number of different things," his sister, Naomi Bear of Tucson, said yesterday. "He liked to stay active."
Dumes originated the "Try Tucson First" and "Don't Be a Litterbug" slogans. The litterbug campaign grew out of a concern for the environment instilled by his late father, Arthur.
"Our father ran a junkyard and taught us to recycle everything," Bear said.
Dumes also took an interest in politics, at one time running as a candidate for Pima County treasurer. He also served as a deputy sheriff and precinct committeeman.
An arthritis sufferer for almost all his life, Dumes founded the Arthritis Foundation.
Bear said rheumatoid arthritis didn't cripple his creativity.
Dumes used a walker to get around and was frustrated that he couldn't carry things while using it. So he invented the Kangapouch.
The pouch, a piece of corduroy material with pockets, fits on the back of a wheelchair or the front of a walker.
Dumes' vivid imagination also resulted in numerous children's stories and books, Bear said. Many of his stories have been published in children's magazines, she added.
Besides his sister, Dumes is survived by sons, Arthur L. and Martin Scott Dumes; and daughters, Patricia R. Dumes and Sandi L. Oniszko, all of Tucson; and 11 grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Anshei Israel section of Evergreen Cemetery Mortuary & Memorial Park, 3015 N. Oracle Road.
The family asks that donations be made to the Shalom House.
Copyright (c) 1992 The Arizona Daily Star