December 3, 2003

Remembering one of my heroes

There's a short list of men and women I remember as extra special influences for good in my life. Some of my special heroes: my mother and dad, some uncles and aunts, a few teachers, a veteran newspaper publisher, one particular newspaper reporter/coffee expert, and a number of other folks, people who have influenced the way I've viewed life and lived my life, often without knowing it, simply by the way they've lived theirs.

I'm a California native. As it happens, so are, or were, many of the folks I've mentioned. Most I met long before I was 40. The relatives and teachers I knew by the time I was 25. But one man I did not meet until the late nineteen eighties, when he arrived in Pacifica from Iowa to manage the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce. His name is Loyle Mueller, pronounced Miller.

When I first met him, I found it interesting to see this midwesterner with his memorable laugh, a flatlander from Iowa, as he set about coping with the special problems of a California town with geology that won't quit, several creeks but no river, several shopping centers but no downtown, miles of beachfront but no crossroads, 40,000 residents but no industry, square miles of government owned, untaxed open space and some people demanding every possible acre of privately owned land be turned over, "Open-spaced", "de-taxed" and "saved" from human uses by human beings. Loyle and I became friends, and some time after I retired, he invited me to hold down the fort as weekend manager at the Pacifica Visitors Center. I found I vastly enjoyed meeting travelers from around the world, Americans from every state, folks with only one thing in common. They were passing through Pacifica on Cabrillo Highway One. I even met my first and only Pima Indian from Arizona. I told them how to get where they wanted to go and they thanked me. Each weekend I hauled in a portion of my map collection and often used them to direct folks who dropped in. I was able to point out to one German group who arrived at noon that they should not plan to see Monterey later that day and stay in Yosemite that night. I even served, somewhat reluctantly, as Pacifica's semi-official banquet greeter to a group of Korean teachers of English. They were nice people, but my Korean is non-existent, and their English wasn't much better in spite of their profession.

Loyle Mueller was one of the most valuable assets this community has ever enjoyed. He was a true professional, working to improve the business climate in this community against all odds. He did a great deal of good, but, in common with some past city managers, he eventually found multiple bosses bring multiple headaches.

Loyle and Mary have returned to the flatlands of Iowa to retire. By all accounts it's been a good move, for which I'm grateful. But Pacifica has lost an insightful viewer of our community, a clear-eyed, knowledgeable, objective assessor of our needs, our assets and our shortcomings.

Loyle wrote an open letter to Pacifica which appeared in last week's Tribune. The smartest thing our current City Council, city staff, the current Chamber board and staff, every Pacifica business owner, and every Pacifican with a sincere interest in this community could do would be to photocopy that guest column, blow it up to 140 percent, frame it and hang it where it can be read often. Then take it to heart. If enough folks read it, understand it, and act on it, perhaps Pacifica has a chance to get out from under our current malaise.

The Reactor contains Paul Azevedo's opinions. His e mail address is Paul@thereactor.net. Check The Reactor's website at www.thereactor.net.