City Council Member Ruth Vreeland Dies in Car Crash

Monterey City Council Member Ruth Vreeland has died in a car crash in South Monterey County. Ruth had been a mainstay in Monterey County politics since the early 1980s, and had served on the Monterey City Council for more than 20 years. In addition, Ruth had taught in the Monterey Peninsula school system for four decades. She is survived by her husband, Dick Vreeland, three daughters and seven grandchildren.

Ruth Vreeland "lived with great joy and passion," said Monterey Mayor Dan Albert, as quoted in the Monterey County Herald. "Her contributions to the community and city organizations are numerous, her dedication and commitment were unmatched. She was a loyal and tireless patron of Monterey, who gave of herself that this community might be a better place."

The Monterey County Herald reports that Vreeland was born June 6, 1935, in Chungking, China, the daughter of medical missionaries and professors at West China Union University. After she and her family narrowly escaped death in a bombing of the university by the Japanese in 1939, they returned the following year to Toronto, Canada, her parents' original home. Years later, her family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when her father took a teaching job at the University of California at Berkeley.

Vreeland earned bachelor's degrees in arts and education from San Francisco State University, where she met her husband. She also received a master's degree in organization development from the University of San Francisco. She lived on the Monterey Peninsula for 47 years -- 44 in Monterey. Ruth Vreeland entered the city's political world in 1983, in her first bid for City Council. She ran on a platform of limiting development, particularly along the Bay, a stance she maintained throughout her career. "Monterey is more than buildings and streets. First, it is people," she wrote in a 1983 campaign statement in The Herald. "Monterey citizens have a right to a fiscally sound government, and they have a right to a view of the bay."

A longtime member of LandWatch Monterey County, Ruth Vreeland was always an energetic and enthusiastic voice for better land use planning. "This community is going to miss Ruth Vreeland greatly," said LandWatch Executive Director Gary Patton. "We deeply mourn her loss." Ruth's family has asked that any memorial contributions be sent to the Monterey Library Trust Fund, Monterey City Hall, Pacific and Madison streets, Monterey.

From the Monterey County Herald:

Ruth M. Vreeland June 6, 1935-Jan. 25, 2004 Profession: Teacher (retired), substitute teacher, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Elected positions: Monterey City Council (four-year term); 1983, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002 Appointed positions: Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (director); League of California Cities board of directors, Quota International; Women in Municipal Government; Monterey Bay Sanctuary Advisory Committee, alternate; Overall Economic Development Committee of Monterey County; Institute for Local Self-Government; 20th District Parents/Teachers Association; Monterey Peninsula Concert Association, past president; Children's Home Society, Winnie the Pooh Chapter, past president; Volunteers in Action, past board member; Monterey Bay Task Force, past member; Friends Outside of the Monterey County, advisory board member. Memberships: Monterey Vista Homeowners Association; Community of Caring; League of Women Voters; American Association of University Women; California Teachers Association; Monterey Bay Teachers Association; Responsible Hospitality; California Elected Women's Association for Education and Research; Monterey Main Street Program; National Organization of Women; Old Monterey Preservation Society; Sierra Club; ACLU; State Theater Preservation Group; Monterey Civic Club; Monterey History and Art Association; American Association for Retired Persons; California Retired Teachers' Association; Unitarian Church. Awards: WHO (We Honor Ours), California Teachers Association; Community Service, Volunteers in Action; Outstanding Achievement, Sierra Club; Outstanding Woman in Politics, Planned Parenthood; Outstanding Teacher, Monterey Rotary; Outstanding Service, California Democratic Party; Recognition for Exceptional Dedication, Old Monterey Business Association; 20-Year Service Award, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments; Golden Rule Award, J.C. Penney; Community Volunteer, Monterey Civic Club; Wharf Rat of the Year 1995, Fisherman's Wharf.

posted 01.27.04