HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.2 Rememberance Former Councilmember Hegarty
STAFF REPORT CITY CLERK
File #610-50
CITY COUNCIL
DATE:March 19, 2013
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:
Joni Pattillo, City Manager
SUBJECT:
Remembrance of former City Councilmember Peter J. Hegarty
Prepared by Paul McCreary, Parks and Community Services Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
On February 26, 2013, former Vice Mayor and City Councilmember Peter J. Hegarty passed
away. The City Historian has prepared an article about Mr. Hegarty and will make a
presentation on his contributions to the community.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council receive the Staff Report and presentation from the City
Historian.
Submitted By Reviewed By
Director of Parks and Assistant City Manager
Community Services
DESCRIPTION:
On February 26, 2013, former Vice Mayor and City Councilmember Peter J. Hegarty passed
away. The City Historian has prepared an article about Mr. Hegarty (Attachment 1) and will
make a presentation to the City Council about his contributions to the community.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
A copy of this Staff Report was sent to the City Historian and Rosalie Hegarty.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Article prepared by City Historian about Peter J. Hegarty
ITEM NO. ___3.2______
Page 1 of 1
Remembering Peter J. Hegarty
July 3, 1936 to February 26, 2013
By Georgean M. Vonheeder-Leopold, City Historian
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On February 26 2013 at 11:15 PM former Vice Mayor and City Council Member Peter Hegarty passed
away. We now have lost three of Dublin’s original five City Council Members. Pete was out on the
President’s Day Holiday walking his dog. No one, including the doctors, are sure what happened but
when his neighbor found him he was not breathing and had no heartbeat. The paramedics revived him
and took him to Tacoma General, where he passed away eight days later. He never regained
consciousness.
Pete was born in Oakland, California on July 3, 1936. He went to school in Oakland and met and married
his wife Rosalie. In 1962, they moved to Dublin. Right from the beginning Pete was passionate about
Dublin’s history. He was one of the founding members of the Dublin Historical Preservation Association
(DHPA) that cared for the Murray Schoolhouse between 1975 and 1995 when DHPA gave the
Schoolhouse to the City of Dublin. For years he, his family and a workforce of the new pioneers of
Dublin worked to keep the school Schoolhouse standing. Until the day he left town that passion never
died.
He was also concerned for the future of Dublin. So he and his friend former City Council Member Dave
Burton, spent days at the County offices in Hayward and Oakland keeping watch over what was
developing in our little town. Pete worked graveyard and Dave was a realtor which gave them very
flexible schedules.
Pete’s passion for history didn’t subside when his company, Southern Pacific moved him Washington in
July of 1993. He and Ro bought a beautiful home in Gig Harbor. He stayed close to friends here but very
quickly talked himself into the Gig Harbor Community. Pete was quite a talker. When he finally retired
he became very active in the Gig Harbor Museum. Lately he had been working with the Historical
Society to restore a historic fishing boat named the Shenandoah.
I served with Pete for 6 ½ years on the City Council. I always found him to be a kind, loyal friend, up
front and totally devoted to our community. Dublin has lost one of its City’s founding fathers. He will
be deeply missed.
Georgean M. Vonheeder-Leopold
City Historian