Commentary: Bergeson was trail-blazer for women in Orange County

Editor’s note: These remarks about Marian Bergeson, who died July 6 at age 90, were delivered by Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon to the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the Newport Beach City Council on July 12, 2016.

On behalf of our City Council and all women in public service in Orange County, I want to share a few reflections on our friend and mentor, Marian Bergeson.

An uncommon woman with a common touch, a beacon of inspiration, integrity and service, Marian served with incomparable wisdom, good humor and grace. She was our North Star guiding us to a better future.

Marian created a path for women and gave them the courage and inspiration to serve with the highest standards, to work together to deliver solutions to some of the state’s most intractable problems.

The OC Register noted that four decades after she was first elected to the state Assembly, three of the county’s seven congressional delegates and two of its five state senators are female, as are two of our supervisors. Ten of the county’s 32 cities have female mayors.

Marian blazed that trail for women in Orange County, and we are grateful.

She was always generous with her time and efforts. I know, because she was so very gracious and helpful to me.

I first met Marian in 1978 in Sacramento when she was serving as president of the California School Boards Assn. and preparing to run for the Assembly. We shared many mutual friends over the years, and she was the first person I met with to discuss my run for Newport Beach City Council.

Marian’s public service spanned nearly six decades, from 1964 until a few weeks ago. She never stopped actively participating in community activities or local political events, even when battling cancer. She was a constant presence for good.

It is often noted that education was her primary focus, as she began her public service as a member of the Newport Beach City School District board and continued to lead in various education roles for decades.

Yet there are significant laws enacted under Marian’s authorship that dealt with transportation — creating the Orange County Transportation Authority, for example — as well as criminal justice, adoption, discrimination in housing and employment, drug trafficking, domestic violence, infant and childcare development, planning for California’s growth, women in the workforce, equal rights, border issues, health and human services.

It’s a long list of legislative accomplishments across a broad spectrum that improved the lives of many.

Last August, 300 of her closest friends gathered to celebrate her 90th birthday, just days after she went skydiving for the third time. The word went out not to create any more proclamations or plaques. She wanted only to celebrate with friends. It was a remarkable evening of remembrances, along with In-N-Out Burger and dessert — her favorites.

In February, I hosted a panel discussion for 250 women in Newport Beach interested in public service. Marian was the keynote panelist and spoke about her life, the challenges she encountered, and her determination to overcome obstacles on her way to achievement. And she spoke of the important role her family played in supporting her.

She set a positive tone for women interested in serving in public life and shared these key messages: Stay focused on your goal, stay grounded with family, hold firm to principle and enjoy every moment, even the challenging ones. Her message to them and to me was don’t get even; get ahead.

She was still leading the way for women in public service and speaking to the next generation. In this and other ways, her influence and inspiration will live on.

Modest, humble and forceful to the end, she was a woman with 1,000 friends on Facebook and she was adding posts until her last days. She was able to speak her mind without being mean and she could work with anyone to find common ground and get things done without compromising her principles.

Our communities are better because of Marian. Our goals are stronger because of Marian. Our principles are solid. Our North Star will continue guide us, even as we move into the future without her steady presence.

There will never be another Marian Bergeson. As Jan Debay, former mayor of Newport Beach, wrote to me, Marian will be eternally significant. I could not agree more.

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DIANE DIXON is mayor of Newport Beach.