SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT

WE KNOW VERY LITTLE about this beautiful Christmas painting, titled Silent Night, Holy Night, by George Avey, our longtime art director. There was no fanfare when it first ran in our December 1948 issue. And that was typical. Mr. Avey was rarely in the spotlight. That is, until he retired in November 1972, when our editors wrote: “At the risk of being labeled ‘iconoclast,’ we must state that George Avey has never been accorded the recognition he deserves in the evolution and development of this magazine’s prestigious status. From 1938 through 1972, George Avey was the engineer and the builder who took Raymond Carlson’s conceptual architecture and together they built the world’s most beautiful magazine. George Avey was the quiet, soft-spoken, perfection-seeking dreamer who complemented the dynamic Raymond Carlson. From such polarity came the magnetic property internationally known as Arizona Highways. Too few of us know the degree of nobleness and sacredness he poured into even the simplest of everyday challenges.” Seventy-two years later, we’re proud to bring back Mr. Avey’s homage to heavenly peace.

— R.S.