November 15, 2000

She was Grace! A name well chosen

Grace McCarthy has been one of my favorite people for a long time, since the mid-sixties, in fact. Even so, I'm a late comer to the McCarthy admiration society. At the first meeting of the American Association of University Women, Pacifica Branch that my wife Lydia attended, in early 1964, she kept hearing references to "our Grace", "our Grace." Finally she leaned forward to ask the woman in front of her "Who is 'our Grace'?" The woman she'd asked turned out to be Grace McCarthy, who was running for city council.

In the years since, Grace McCarthy served on the Pacifica City Council, the San Mateo County Planning Commission, the California Coastal Commission, been the driving force behind the Pacifica Historical Society, written a weekly newspaper column, been honored with the Koshland Prize, promoted the concept of "Scenic Pacifica", and achieved a number of other worthy goals that do her much honor.

She lived her early years in the turbulent atmosphere of early 20th century Mexico, where her father, Mr. Lockhart, was employed as a skilled mining expert. As a child she met Pancho Villa, who was classified as either a bandit or a revolutionary, depending on your politics.

One of the finest tributes paid to Grace McCarthy was written in 1975 by Patrick Lynn, then the Executive Editor of the Columbus, Mississippi, Commercial Dispatch. (He's since been a TV Anchor in Anchorage, Alaska, and the owner of a radio station and newspaper in Valdez, Alaska. He was also the voice heard reporting the Exxon Valdez oil spill nationwide over the ABC radio network.)

His letter was in the Dec. 17, 1975 Tribune.

"Editor. I was much distressed to read in a late-arriving Tribune that Councilwoman Grace McCarthy has been challenged to remove herself from any decisions on Freeway 380 because the McCarthy home was in the path of one of the possible alternative routes of the freeway.

"The unfortunate insinuation is an unwarranted slur on the character of a remarkable and truly outstanding public servant.

"In more than 15 years as a newspaper reporter and editor, I've had to scrutinize warily many municipal public servants in action in California, Florida, Washington and Mississippi, including five years in Pacifica during which I rarely missed a meeting of the Pacifica City Council. "During those Pacifica years, it was frequently reported in the Tribune and other papers, that one of the possible, though unlikely, freeway 380 alternative routes could possibly include the McCarthy homes. It was no secret, and Mrs. McCarthy openly discussed it with two city attorneys, the late Judge Conrad Reisch and and John Sherman, and with attorneys representing the California Division of Highways.

" Reflecting back on those years, Grace McCarthy emerges in my mind as the most intelligent, well informed, effective and scrupulously honest municipal official I have ever encountered. This is to say nothing of the untold private hours of labor she has given on behalf of the city through the City Council, the PB&R Commission, ABAG, the North County Council of Cities, the California League of Cities, the Coastal Commission, and a number of non-governmental agencies (Girl Scouts, Federated Women, League of Women Voters, etc.)

'The Freeway 380 challenge was an ill-advised and unworthy slap at an admirable person who has served diligently the public far beyond what the public has a right to expect."

Obviously I agree with Pat's comments completely. Though made 25 years ago, they stand the test of time as a commentary on a woman I've admired deeply since I first met her. I'm certainly not alone. Jack Billmire was responsible for the Grace McCarthy Fuchsia, a beautiful tribute. The City of Pacifica has dedicated the Vista Point on Sharp Park Road to her. For more than 60 years she has lived in and served this community. Whether it was Girl Scouts, or protecting and appreciating the environment, or keeping alive our sense of history, it was Grace McCarthy who led the way and fought the good fight.

Someone once said that when an old person dies, it's like a museum has burned. With Grace's death, it is like a hundred museums are gone. She was a personal friend of leaders of the government of Catalunya, the Spanish state where Gaspar de Portolá was born. Jordi Pujol, who visited Pacifica and Mrs. McCarthy when the statue of Portolá was given to the state of California by Catalunya, has been the key to the stability of the Spanish government.

Pacifica would have been a much poorer place without her.

Grace has touched my own life at so many points I find it difficult to enumerate them. I can only say it's been an honor to have known her these many years.

Some recent Reactor columns may be found at Paul Azevedo's website, http://www.thereactor.net/ Reach him by e-mail at Paul@thereactor.net