By Neil Farrell
Jack McCurdy, one of the more accomplished and influential people ever to live in Morro Bay, died on March 23, 2016 at the age of 83. He fought a long battle with cancer and for over a year also endured the ravages of Parkinson’s Disease.
Jack was a brilliant newsman, and a formidable political operative, who left his mark on this little town — for good or bad depending on which side of the political fence you sit on — a mark that continues to resonate today in the activism of its residents.
His friends in town, who brought his death to my attention, have done a bang-up job of tracking down information on Jack’s history, the battles he led and helped wage against development proposals that weren’t right for this town of just 10,000 souls, and some of his professional accomplishments, as well. By no means do I believe this is a complete inventory of Jack’s accomplishments.
The following is taken mostly from what his friends supplied, as they knew him far better than I.
Jack had a stellar career in journalism before he moved to Morro Bay in 1980. He was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times for 20 years and was California correspondent for the Chronicle of Higher Education from 1980-2000.
He was a member of the Times’ staff who won the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Watts Riots in 1965, and was awarded the “International Reading Association Print Media Award,” in 1968 in recognition of outstanding reporting in newspapers, magazines and wire services. He was also the author of two books and several extensive papers dealing mostly with education issues.
He may have retired to Morro Bay, which he once described as, “the most beautiful place on the entire coast,” but was active politically and fought to keep Morro Bay the treasure that it is.
An example of this was in 1989, when Tri-W Inc., wanted to develop ranchlands on the eastern edge of town into a large, 32-acre regional shopping center.
Jack was one of those who battled the proposal, which was larger in area than the central business district, as he believed it would ruin Morro Bay.
Through several years of a hard-fought battle, “The Civic Action League” or CAL, a citizen’s political group, and the “Voters Initiative Committee” or VIC, worked to pass Measure H, which limited the size of the proposed shopping center to just 13 acres and that effectively killed it. (CAL and VIC were merged into Advocates for a Better Community or ABC.)
He also opposed a second Tri-W proposal for a golf course and resort hotel, conference center and more on that same Tri-W property. It was stopped before it was even formally proposed.
He worked diligently for select political candidates that he felt would protect the lifestyle that was uniquely Morro Bay.
He was concerned about health issues from having an active power plant on the bay. And when Duke Energy proposed a project to replace the plant, he and others formed the “Coastal Alliance on Plant Expansion” or CAPE, which became the lead opposition group to Duke’s plans.
Jack served as vice-president, and wrote extensively on CAPE’s website, an integral part of the strategy used that ultimately helped kill the plant project in 2006. In addition to CAL, VIC, ABC and CAPE, he was also active with the Sierra Club.
When his health began to deteriorate, a group of Morro Bay residents bestowed upon him an “Unsung Hero Award,” in the fall of 2015 to acknowledge all that he had done while residing in Morro Bay.
“Those who called themselves his friend can take comfort in the fact that Jack knew that he was loved and respected by so many and esteemed by those who read his works over the years. All who came in contact with this thoughtful intelligent man had their lives elevated.”
Just a few months before his death, his prime concern was not himself; but rather, the health of his dear friend, Judy Sullivan, the editor of the online news magazine, SLO Coast Journal. Jack had written for the Journal for several years.
He had left Morro Bay from February 2005 to January 2009 to live in McKinleyville, Calif.; returned for a few years, and last year moved to Santa Rosa to be close to his family. He was in an assisted living facility when he died. He is survived by two sons and two granddaughters.
Editor’s Note: Though the SLO Coast Journal is no longer active, Morro Bay resident, Linda Stedjee, said she salvaged the articles shortly before the site was to be deleted. Stedjee has re-posted the articles online, see: https://slocoastjournal.net.
