WALL OF HONOR
Class of 1960
Carlos Hadaway
Western Artist · Veteran
Carlos Hadaway, Class of 1960, is a Western artist nicknamed The Arizona Kid. At San Diego High Carlos served as Art Commissioner on the Boys’ Federation Cabinet and the Senior Class Cabinet. He was a 3-year member of the Art Service Committee. As a member of the Gray Castle yearbook staff, his “Caveman” drawings appeared throughout the annual.
Carlos has contributed generously to the Alumni Association and the class of 1960 by donating his paintings for fund-raising events for student scholarships. His R.I.P. Caveman is a feature of the Alumni Association Newsletter and website.
When Carlos was serving in the U.S. Navy in 1961, he designed the Swinging Friar logo for the new professional baseball team, the San Diego Padres. He was nineteen at that time. He retired from the Navy after four years of service and moved to Arizona to launch his art career and to become a professional cowboy.
He created and donated a work of art for the Parks and Recreation Department of Fountain Valley, Arizona, in tribute to department employees.
He has participated in top art shows in all the western states and has won many awards, including Best of Show at Old Town Tempe’s Festival of the Arts and the George Phippen Popular Award at the George Phippen Western Art Show in Prescott, Arizona.
Licensed by Anheuser Busch, Carlos created a series of six western prints featuring the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. One of his paintings hangs in the Arizona State Capitol building, and his artwork hangs in galleries throughout the world.
Two highlights of Carlos’s life were being selected as the 1994 Grand Marshal of the world’s oldest rodeo, Prescott Frontier Days, and 1992 Grand Marshal at the Pine County Pro Rodeo in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Carlos has been a keynote speaker at Veterans Memorial events throughout Arizona. He is an active member of many veterans’ organizations. In May 2016 the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association dedicated a large plaque to Carlos, commemorating his many contributions to the life of that community.