Scott Thybony Commentaries

Commentator Scott Thybony had the honor recently of attending a Hopi baby naming ceremony. His good friend, tribal judge Delfred Leslie, had a new granddaughter and wanted Scott to come out to First Mesa for the dawn ceremony. He told Scott to be prepared to offer a name for the baby, as tradition expects of all guests. In this month’s Canyon Commentary, Scott talks about ancestors, the mixing of traditions, and the cultural mosaic of the Colorado Plateau.

The dramatic rescue of a youth soccer team in Thailand conjured up some memories for KNAU commentator Scott Thybony. In 1965, when he was just 16 years old, Scott took part in the rescue of four men trapped inside a cave in Arkansas. The two events—decades and thousands of miles apart—share some eerie similarities. 

There is a long-standing tradition in Arizona of literary pilgrimages. People journey to Walnut Canyon where Willa Cather gathered inspiration for her 1915 novel ‘Song of the Lark’. Others belly up to the bar at The Weatherford Hotel in Flagstaff where Zane Grey wrote ‘The Call of the Canyon’ in an upstairs room in 1923. And some venture to the North Rim Lookout Tower where Edward Abbey worked as a fire scout in the early 1970’s, filling up journal after journal with observations and musings. Scott Thybony made his own pilgrimage to the tower for his latest Canyon Commentary.

It’s time for Scott Thybony’s latest Canyon Commentary. Today, we hear the story of Cecil Creswell, a former Harvey Girl and the only known female cattle rustler in the 20th century. Scott takes us to a stark, desolate landscape where Creswell lived alone on land she homesteaded.

Navigating the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is a big responsibility, especially when you’ve got a boat full of passengers … especially when those passengers are visually impaired. In this month’s Canyon Commentary, Scott Thybony recalls one of his final trips as a river guide. It was one of the most epic and memorable runs he ever made.