On March 24, 1973, news hit the stands that 49-year-old Samantha Gardiner of Fairfield had just returned from a 10-week training voyage aboard the California Maritime Academy training ship, Golden Bear. She was the only woman among a troupe of 253 men and the first female crew member ever in the 43-year history of the academy.
“The primary purpose of her joining the cruise was to determine what difficulties women might encounter aboard such a ship,” said Rebecca Gardiner, Samantha’s daughter-in-law, in a memoir of Samantha.
The academy, which prepares college-age students for careers in the U.S. Merchant Marine and in the Maritime Academy, had become a co-educational institution in July 1972, when the State Legislature amended the school’s entrance requirements by eliminating the word “male” in all references to candidates seeking admission.
Samantha was the first woman to help implement this transition with Golden Bear’s annual journey to Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. It was a time on the 491-foot-long ship she treasured most in her life, as evidenced by vintage scrapbook memories.
On March 12, 2009, at the age of 85, the woman who stepped forward to bring change at the Academy passed away in Suisun City. Nonetheless, her legacy and passion for the sea will always remain alive with weathered notes, photos, and reminiscences of a determined woman.
Yet, her legacy also continues at the Solano Community Foundation, among the names of those who have been memorialized forever in our community.
Last year, the Foundation, together with a group of local leaders, created the Community Memorial Fund, an opportunity for folks to honor a loved one, colleague, or friend with a monetary gift that ultimately makes a difference in the community.
Donations collected during the year are awarded annually to a qualified nonprofit organization in Solano County, resulting in grants that help our local programs remain alive.
Meals on Wheels garnered the Community Memorial Fund’s first grant of $1,000 earlier this year, which was given to create a MOW Web site. This site, expected to go live later this year, will post daily menus and pertinent information to help seniors and those in need with home-delivered services.
The Community Memorial Fund, however, is more than a donation to the community, as Stephanie Wolf, President and CEO of the Foundation said.
“When my best friend died of cancer, I wanted to memorialize her in a way that would be meaningful and in keeping with her love of community. The Community Memorial Fund was started to do just that,” she said. “These donations result in grants that enrich the lives of our community members. We now have the lives of 18 people who are celebrated through this Fund.”
Names of those remembered are listed on the CMF page at the Foundation Web site (www.solanocf.org), where they will remain forever and with lasting memories.
If you would like to memorialize a loved one, or make a tax-deductable donation to the Community Memorial Fund, please visit the site or call the Foundation at 707.399.3846. It’s your way of continuing their legacy in our community.