From Pusch to Procter/Leiber — Discover the Next Chapter at Steam Pump Ranch
Floor plan of Pusch house (dark lines) and additions by Procter and Leiber families.
1940: Betty and Hank moved into the Pusch Ranch House, where they later updated the bathrooms, expanded the kitchen, and enclosed the porch.
1963: The family moved to the Forty Niner development.
1977: Butch and his wife Kathryn returned to live in the Pusch Ranch House, making further improvements which included rebuilding the south porch, adding the living room fireplace and central cooling.
1988: Butch and Kathryn moved out in 1988, and Hank returned to the home until his death in 1993.
Floor Plan of Procter-Leiber House with additions done by John and Cheryl Leiber.
1972: After Jack Procter’s death, his son John and wife Cheryl remodeled the home. They added a west porch, enclosed the sunroom, expanded the kitchen, created a master suite, and built a rooftop office for John’s law practice.
The Procter-Leiber Family Tree
John “Jack” Monroe Procter married Elizabeth “Libba” (1899 – 1966). They had two children, Betty and John Jr.
In 1932, Jack moved the family to Tucson to manage the Pioneer Hotel, where they lived in an apartment inside the hotel.
Betty and Her Mother, Libba
Jack owned the Steam Pump Ranch, where he raised prized Brahma bulls, chickens and other livestock. He also played an active role in establishing the Tucson Rodeo.
Sells Rodeo – November 1941. Jack Procter far right.
John Monroe Procter Jr. Draft Card and Army Enlistment Information
John Monroe “Sonny” Procter Jr. was born in El Paso, was drafted into the Army in 1942, and married Betty Kathleen Gleeson in 1949, where they lived at Steam Pump Ranch.
John Monroe Procter, Jr. Marriage Notice to Betty Gleeson – Tucson Citizen, Sat, Nov 26, 1949
Sonny passed away in 1992 and is buried between his father and Mendota “Minnie” Ravenscroft (former head housekeeper at the Pioneer Hotel) at the Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetary in Block 34, Section A.
John Monroe Procter Jr. Obituary 1992 – Arizona Daily Star
Elizabeth “Betty” Procter was born in El Paso, Texas, to John “Jack” and Elizabeth Procter. The family lived in Eastland, Texas, Pasadena, California, and eventually settled in Tucson, Arizona. Betty attended the University of Arizona, joined Kappa Kappa Gamma, and was crowned Queen of the Harvest Festival, and a socialite of Tucson.
She met professional baseball player Hank Leiber during his visits to Arizona, and they married in Yuma in 1940.
Hank Leiber and Betty Procter Engagement Photo MLB Press Release, November 17, 1940
Hank and Betty’s Marriage License, December 30, 1940
Betty and Hank lived in the Pusch ranch house on property and made many upgrades and expansions to the home.
Betty modeled for Cele Peterson’s clothing shop and worked at the Pioneer Hotel gift shop, where her father was manager. She specialized in Native American pottery and jewelry.
The couple had two sons, John and Henry “Butch” Leiber.
Betty Procter-Leiber in Late 1930s/Early 1940s Car
Betty passed away in 1978 at age 59 from an aneurysm.
Hank Leiber and JF Pops McKale, 1941
Henry (Hank) Edward Leiber, born in Phoenix, Arizona to Henry F. and Hattie M. Leiber, was a standout athlete at Phoenix Union High and the University of Arizona, where he lettered in football, baseball, and basketball. He was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1963.
Hank played Major League Baseball with the New York Giants (1933–38) and Chicago Cubs (1939–41), earning three All-Star selections (1938, 1940, 1941).
After baseball, he became a successful real estate developer, helped bring spring training baseball to Tucson in the 1950s, helped develop the Oro Valley Country Club Estates and Forty Niner Country Club. A scratch golfer, he was also a founding member of Tucson Big Brothers and active in community organizations.
He married Elizabeth “Betty” Procter in 1940 and had two sons, Henry “Butch” Jr. and John Lee. Hank passed away in 1993.
Hank Leiber Reading a Magazine in the Sun Porch of the Procter-Leiber House.
A grandson of Jack and Libba Procter, John Lee Leiber, and Cheryl Pledger both graduated from the University of Arizona and married in 1968. They moved into the Barbecue/Caretaker House (the building where caretaker Carlos Rivera also lived) at Steam Pump Ranch to care for Jack, who passed in 1972. John and his brother Butch inherited the ranch, which at that time was around 350 remaining acres. The land extended from near First Avenue to the north to the CDO wash.
John and Cheryl remodeled Jack’s home increasing its size with a west porch, an enclosed sunroom, an expanded kitchen, a new a primary suite, and a rooftop office for John’s law practice. For family enjoyment, they added a basketball court, a built-in swimming pool, and an RV awning. Additional structures included a tack room and boarding stables on the north end of the property.
John and Cheryl raised four children – Sean, Zane, Evan, and Michelle “Missy” – on the ranch. Zane Leiber followed his grandfather, Hank, into pro sports, playing for the Chicago White Sox in 1993.
Procter-Leiber Family Gathering Christmas, c. 1972.
The family lived at Steam Pump Ranch until 2007, when the property was acquired by Pima County and the Town of Oro Valley, but remained in the greater Oro Valley area.
John Leiber passed away in 2025.
Henry “Butch” Leiber
Butch Leiber and daughter, Leslie, relaxing on a Willys Jeep.
Henry “Butch” Leiber graduated from Amphitheater “Amphi” High School and also the University of Arizona. He married Kathryn “Oot” and lived on the property from 1977 – 1988. They had a daughter, Leslie.
Currently he lives in Montana with his second wife, Dorothy.
