Sylvia McLaughlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sylvia McLaughlin
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McLaughlin in 2011
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Sylvia Cranmer
December 24, 1916 Denver, Colorado, US
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| Died | January 19, 2016 (aged 99) |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Movement | Save The Bay |
Sylvia Cranmer McLaughlin (December 24, 1916 – January 19, 2016) was an American environmental leader. She helped protect nature and the environment. Sylvia, along with Kay Kerr and Esther Gulick, started an important group. This group was called the Save San Francisco Bay Association. It later became known as Save the Bay.
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Sylvia's Early Life and Education
Sylvia Cranmer was born in Denver, Colorado. Her father, George E. Cranmer, worked as a city park commissioner. Her mother, Jean Louise Chappell Cranmer, was a violinist. Growing up in Denver, Sylvia learned to love the outdoors and wild places.
She went to the Ethel Walker School. Later, she earned a bachelor's degree in French from Vassar College in 1939.
How Sylvia Became an Activist
Sylvia McLaughlin was a strong leader for environmental causes. From 1952 to 1956, she was the president of the East Bay Vassar Club. Some people called her an "impractical idealist" or a "do-gooder." But she became a key leader in protecting the environment.
Founding Save the Bay
In 1961, Sylvia helped start the San Francisco Bay Association. This group was formed to stop people from filling in parts of the San Francisco Bay. Sylvia remembered in 2006 that some people wanted to "take the top off San Bruno Mountain and put it in the bay." They thought this was a sign of progress.
However, Save the Bay and other groups fought against these plans. They worked hard to protect the bay. Their efforts led to the creation of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission. This commission helps manage and protect the bay.
Sylvia's Other Important Roles
Sylvia served on the boards of many important organizations. These included the National Audubon Society, which protects birds. She also worked with People for Open Space and the Oakland Museum of California. She was also involved with the San Francisco Exploratorium, a science museum.
She led the advisory council for the University of California's Water Resources Center. In 1963, she was a delegate to a White House conference about natural beauty. She also helped organize a similar conference in California.
Awards and Recognition
Sylvia received several awards for her work. In 1977, she won the Benjamin Ide Wheeler Award. This award recognized her as "Berkeley's most useful citizen." In 2004, her old college, Vassar, gave her the Spirit of Vassar Award.
In 2006, she attended the opening of Eastshore State Park. This park was created thanks to the efforts of environmentalists like her. In 2007, she even joined a tree-sitting protest to try and save an oak grove at the University of California, Berkeley.
Sylvia's Family Life
In 1948, Sylvia Cranmer married Donald H. McLaughlin. He was a mining executive. They made their home in Berkeley, California. Sylvia had two children and also raised her two stepchildren in the Berkeley Hills. Her husband passed away in 1984.
Sylvia continued to be active in protecting the environment until she passed away on January 19, 2016. In 2012, Eastshore State Park was renamed McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. This was done to honor her "tireless" work to protect the San Francisco Bay area. She was only the second woman in California to have a state park named after her, after Julia Pfeiffer Burns.
