An institution in San Juan Bautista politics, Rebecca McGovern’s
presence could be counted on at nearly every city council
meeting.
An institution in San Juan Bautista politics, Rebecca McGovern’s presence could be counted on at nearly every city council meeting.
Seated in the front and usually wearing a black, billed cap, she wouldn’t hesitate to speak up at the meetings – especially on issues of growth and development.
“She nurtured our City of History and she also defended it against all those who threatened to detract from it,” said Cara Vonk, a close friend of McGovern’s who also served with her on the city’s historic resources board. “She really was the city’s institutional memory.”
McGovern died in her sleep Saturday morning. Her death came a year after she underwent heart surgery. Her sister, Willa Bunleavy, said she never fully recovered from that surgery, but her passing was still unexpected. She was 73.
She was a resident of San Juan Bautista for 33 years and an outspoken proponent of slow growth, and preserving the city’s historic resources, for almost as long. She was involved in many campaigns and had a strong impact on the entire county throughout her life.
“She’ll be remembered for her integrity and sticking to what she really believed in – the historical preservation of San Juan Bautista,” said Georgana Gularte, executive director of the San Juan Bautista Historical Society and a friend to McGovern.
Despite devoting much of her adult life to the Mission City, McGovern was not a San Benito County native.
She was born on July 3, 1934 in West Frankfort, Ill. Her father was a coal miner and her mother was a teacher. Bunleavy said her sister displayed strong leadership skills even as a child, becoming president of nearly every club she joined in high school. She also had a strong belief in the value of education.
Later, she would become a proponent of music programs in public schools.
After graduating from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts and then Boston University for her master’s degree, McGovern worked for both the Beacon Press and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.
In 1974, McGovern and her significant other, Wanda Styron, moved to San Juan Bautista. Here, they opened Mariposa House and McGovern became deeply entrenched in the city and its politics.
During her years in San Juan, McGovern served as manager of San Juan’s chamber of commerce and sat on the El Teatro Campesino board and the city’s historic resources board, among many other commitments.
In recent years she became well known throughout the county when she worked on the campaign supporting the controversial slow-growth initiative, Measure G, in 2003 and 2004. This year McGovern fought against Measure B, which would have increased San Juan’s growth cap from 1 percent to 3 percent.
Bunleavy, her sister, said when she saw her Friday, McGovern talked about her pride in helping to defeat the measure.
“She was very proud of her abilities to bring to light any kind of change that might affect the historical beauty of San Juan Bautista,” Bunleavy said.
Her outspoken anti-growth beliefs gained McGovern many critics as well.
“Her way was not always everybody else’s way, but we knew where she was coming from and where she was going to go,” Gularte said.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho said although he did not always agree with her positions, he always respected McGovern and her willingness to speak out for what she believed.
Botelho noted that she always worked on “striking a balance in maintaining the rural, historical nature of our community.”
“What I appreciate, living here in San Benito County, is its character,” said Botelho, who represents San Juan. “Without people being involved and being very vocal about it, we could lose those things very easily … she had always been an invaluable vocal activist for as long as I can remember.”
Although she was an active member of the political community, McGovern was equally known for her “famous” Fourth of July parties.
Each year, McGovern – whose birthday fell the day before Independence Day – would throw a lavish party to celebrate the holiday. She would decorate her back yard with red, white and blue streamers and balloons – and she even put up large photos of various American presidents.
“She was very patriotic – it was always a huge celebration,” Bunleavy said.
A lover of music and a musician, McGovern always played the piccolo solo in stars and stripes at these parties, Bunleavy said.
McGovern was also known by those close to her as both witty and caring.
“I don’t know how she’ll be remembered in San Juan, but I know how she’ll be remembered in my heart,” said former County Supervisor Ruth Kesler. “Real, deep, true friends don’t come around every day, but Rebecca was one.”
Kesler said from time to time she and McGovern would get into “a tizzy” – disagreeing about how to go about a campaign or what stance to take on an issue. But they always knew it would be all right between them, Kesler said.
The loss of McGovern will be felt throughout San Juan Bautista, the city she called home.
“I think it’s really going to change the city,” Vonk said. “It’s going to leave a huge hole. I don’t think the city will ever be the same without Becky there.”
Still, many of her friends and political allies say they’ll fight to ensure that her “legacy of preserving San Juan Bautista” is not lost.
“She won’t be forgotten and her little hat won’t be forgotten either,” Gularte said.
