A quarter for your thoughts


Inside NAU Home \| NAU in the News \| Search Archives \| Submit a News Tip	Vol. 4 No. 4 \| Jan. 24, 2007

When the U.S. Mint unveiled its five designs for Arizona's state quarter this week, James Bowie, a senior researcher in Northern Arizona University's Social Research Lab, was paying close attention.

Bowie, who was appointed by Gov. Janet Napolitano to the Arizona State Quarter Commission in 2005, spent hours in meetings with the commission members and gathering public input about what images should appear on the state quarter.

"The process that resulted in these designs was very interesting," he said. With 25 people who had very different backgrounds and expectations about what the quarter should look like, Bowie said the members were always respectful of each other's opinions and worked together to help design a quarter that Arizona can be proud of.

"I think the designs are a good reflection of what Arizonans told us they wanted to see on the coin, and they should result in a quarter that will represent the state well," he said.

Napolitano will have the final say on which image will be minted, but will invite the public to vote on their favorite design in April.

Our informal poll has concluded. In the next Inside NAU, we'll share the results of our survey below that asked readers to vote for the image they would like to see on Arizona's state quarter.

	Quarter #1 Description: An overview of the Grand Canyon with enough detail to suggest the immensity of this natural wonder. In the background, include a sun or sunray element that does not detract from the main focus, which is the Grand Canyon. The inscription reads "Grand Canyon State."

	Quarter #2 Description: A view of the Grand Canyon in the upper background with the sun rising or setting. In the foreground, a saguaro cactus. A clear separation, perhaps using the suns rays, is needed to ensure that it is understood that saguaro cactus do not grow at the Grand Canyon. The inscription reads "Grand Canyon State."

	Quarter #3 Description: A distinctive saguaro cactus—large and central (or slightly off center) as the focal element. Supported by a simple background of a mountain or hill incline with desert vegetation and additional proportional saguaros in the distant background. Include a simple sun or sunray element. Use inscription "The Grand Canyon State."

	Quarter #4 Description: A view of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River showing a wooden boat going through rapids with members of the John Wesley Powell expedition fighting the rapids. The design should show action and not be static. It should be clear that it is the Grand Canyon and Colorado River by scope and size of sheer rock. Inscription reads "Powell’s Grand Canyon Expedition."

	Quarter #5 Description: A Navajo Code Talker or Code Talkers in Marine combat uniform(s) surrounded by and using World War II field communication equipment. Below the Code Talker(s), the inscription "Nihizaad." The Navajo word means because it has power, it is unbreakable or power of language referring to how it was used in World War II.