Jun 3, 2009 7:28 pm US/Pacific
Oakland Woman's Century of Service Protects Parks
Jefferson Award Winner: Marjorie Saunders
OAKLAND (CBS 5) ―
It's hard to believe when you see the lush landscape with the waterfall, but the park at Ascot and Chelton Drives in the Oakland hills wasn't always so serene and inviting. People used to dump garbage there. But these days, that green oasis is named for Marjorie Saunders, the Oakland native who cleaned it up.
"To me, it's just a beautiful spot," Marjorie says. "This particular area of the waterfall is magnificent, really."
Marjorie, who celebrated her 100th birthday in May, has spent most of her life fighting to preserve and maintain open space in her Piedmont Pines neighborhood.
Her motto in life came from her grandfather, Charles Bartlett, often called the unofficial mayor of Piedmont Avenue.
Marjorie remembers him saying, "If it needs to be done, just do it. Don't talk about it. Just get in and do it."
Over the years, the former accountant helped the city purchase and preserve open space, like Beaconsfield Canyon in the late 1980's and 90's. More than thirty years ago, she led the fight against turning Skyline Boulevard into a four-lane freeway. And, she helped stop an oil company from carrying jet fuel through a neighborhood pipeline.
Her cousin Paul Basting says Marjorie's won these battles through sheer tenacity.
"A force to be reckoned with, she is," he says with a smile. "Marjorie knows how the world ought to operate, and she sees to it the work gets done."
"I do it because I want to do it. I love the area. It's just part of me," Marjorie adds.
Marjorie complains she's slowed down since she turned 98: she can't hike, plant, or rake as much anymore. But neighbor Elaine Geffen says Marj remains active in their Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association meetings with her own "to do" list.
"She has a great way of remembering," Elaine explains. "That's why her projects get done. Because she doesn't give up. Most of us will give up."
Now, Marjorie inspires a new generation of volunteers, like her granddaughter.
"I've lived here long enough to appreciate the beauty of the hills. And more people should really appreciate it," she says.
For a lifetime of volunteering to preserve open space in Oakland, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Marjorie Saunders.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments