Minnie Coyle, Mayor of Monterey
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The Mayor Minnie Coyle Collection
An Oral History: Velma Coyle Burns (daughter) and Kitty Ragsdale (friend & campaign manager). Other sources:
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MEET "THE MAYOR" MINNIE D. COYLE
FIRST AND ONLY WOMAN MAYOR OF MONTEREY
OUR MINNIE D. COYLE COLLECTION WAS GIVEN TO US BY HER DAUGHTER VELMA AND SON-IN-LAW ALTER "BUD" BURNS.
MINNIE DENAH SILVER WAS BORN ON DEC. 12, 1915 IN CHICAGO, ILL. HER FATHER ISADORE WAS FROM ROMANIA, HER MOTHER GUSSIE FROM RUSSIA.
THE FAMILY LIVED IN A 3 STORY WALK-UP. HER FATHER WAS A BARBER AND HIS SHOP WAS LOCATED ON THE GROUND FLOOR. MINNIE'S FATHER DID WELL IN THE BARBER BUSINESS, EVEN DURING THE DEPRESSION AS MEN NEEDED HAIRCUTS TO LOOK GOOD WHEN LOOKING FOR JOBS.
MINNIE'S MOTHER WANTED HER TO BECOME A PIANIST AND STARTED HER PIANO TRAINING AT A YOUNG AGE. SHE PLAYED CLASSICAL VERY WELL AND BY 4-5 YEARS OLD WAS GIVING CONCERTS. BUT MINNIE'S HEART WAS NOT IN PLAYING THE PIANO, HER PASSION WAS SINGING.
MINNIE HAD AN EXCELLENT ALTO VOICE. AT 14 (SHE PASSED FOR 18) SHE WAS HIRED TO SING ON A RIVERBOAT IN CHICAGO. HER PARENTS DIDN'T APPROVE OF THIS VENTURE, BUT DID NOT STOP HER. AT ONE POINT IN HER SINGING CAREER, SHE ENTERED A SOPHIE TUCKER CONTEST AND WON FIRST PRIZE, WHICH INCLUDED PRIZE MONEY, VOICE LESSONS, HEALTH PHYSICAL AND RECORDING CONTRACT.
IT WAS DURING THE PHYSICAL THAT NODULES WERE DISCOVERED ON HER VOCAL CORDS. SHE WAS HEARTBROKEN BECAUSE SHE SO WANTED TO BE A BLUES SINGER. THE DOCTOR INFORMED HER THAT SHE MUST MOVE TO A WARMER CLIMATE IF SHE EVER WANTED TO SING AGAIN. HER CONTEST MONEY PAID HER DOCTOR BILLS AND THE TRAIN FARE TO PHOENIX, AZ.
WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF HER ARRIVAL IN PHOENIX (1936), SHE MET E.B. (ENOS) COYLE (16 YEARS HER SENIOR) AND UP AND MARRIED HIM. AFTER THE MARRIAGE THEY WERE STANDING ON THE LANDING OF THE COURTHOUSE AND SHE SAID, "WHAT HAVE I DONE". SHE LOOKED AT HER NEW HUSBAND AND TOLD HIM SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE MARRIED. HE SAID, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE MARRIED, TEAR UP THE MARRIAGE CERTIFCATE". MINNIE STARTED TO TEAR IT, THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND STARTED TO LAUGH. THEY DECIDED TO GIVE IT A GO, AND THE REST IS HISTORY. ACCORDING TO THEIR DAUGHTER VELMA, THEY HAD A WONDERFUL LOVE AFFAIR THROUGH LIFE, BEING OF ONE HEART AND ONE MIND.
MINNIE AND E.B. HAVE THREE SURVIVING CHILDREN: VELMA COYLE BURNS, CAROL COYLE HART AND BERNARD COYLE (MINNIE'S STEPSON).
THE COYLE'S ARRIVED ON THE MONTEREY PENINSULA IN 1937. E.B. WENT TO WORK FOR RUDOLPH'S FURNITURE. DURING THE WAR YEARS, THE FAMILY RELOCATED TO SALT LAKE CITY WHERE E.B. WORKED FOR THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING JAPANESE CAMPS.
THEY MOVED BACK TO THE MONTEREY PENINSULA AND IN 1947 AND STARTED BILL COYLE FLOORS, A FLOOR COVERING BUSINESS. LATER THEY OPENED COBURN & COYLE A LAMP AND SHADE SHOP. MINNIE AND E.B. OWNED AND OPERATED THE BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS JOINTLY AND ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO KNEW HER, SHE WAS EVERY OUNCE A BUSINESSWOMAN. SHE WAS ALSO VERY ARTISTIC AND AN ACCOMPLISHED INTERIOR DECORATOR. SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE KNOWN FOR THEIR HONESTY AND INTEGRITY. .
MINNIE AND HER HUSBAND WERE ALWAYS VERY INTERESTED IN CIVIC AFFAIRS. SHE ONCE SAID OF HERSELF "I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ON CITIZEN AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES, AND WAS HAPPIEST WHEN I WAS BUSY AS A BIRD DOG".
BUSY AS A BIRD DOG SHE WAS, BESIDE HER FAMILY AND BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITIES. MINNIE'S CIVIC PARTICIPATION DURING HER LIFE INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING:
MONTEREY COUNTY MARCH OF DIMES
EASTER SEAL SOCIETY
MONTEREY HISTORY AND ART ASSOCIATION
PYTHIAN SISTERS
WOMAN OF THE MOOSE
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
RED CROSS ASSOCIATION
MONTEREY FOUNDATION
MONTEREY COUNTY SYMPHONY GUILD
MONTEREY PENINSULA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF THE ARTS
QUOTA CLUB
MONTEREY PENINSULA BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CLUB
TOASTMISTRESS CLUB
CHILDREN CHRISTMAS BUREAU
IT ALSO MUST BE SAID THAT HER HUSBAND WAS VERY ACTIVE IN MANY OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, AND THEY WORKED AS A TEAM ON MANY PROJECTS.
HER HUSBAND E.B. WAS THE ONE INTERESTED IN A POLITICAL CAREER, BUT DUE TO ILL HEALTH WAS UNABLE TO RUN FOR OFFICE. SINCE HE COULD NOT RUN, HE ENCOURAGED MINNIE TO DO SO. IT WAS HIS WAY OF LIVING HIS DREAMS THROUGH HER. AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION AND PRODDING, SHE DECIDED TO RUN.
IN 1957 SHE RAN FOR A SEAT ON THE MONTEREY CITY COUNCIL. SHE LOST THAT ELECTION BY 12 VOTES TO INCUMBENT HAROLD LEWIS. IN 1961 SHE RAN AGAIN AND WAS ELECTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SHE WON THE SEAT WITH THE LARGEST VOTE TALLY OF THE ELECTION OVER HER STAND ON THE FREEWAY PROPOSAL AT THE INTERSECTION LEADING TO MONTEREY. SHE IS QUOTED AS SAYING "A HORRIBLE OCTOPUS, 5 LEVELS HIGH AT THE INTERSECTION LEADING TO MONTEREY CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS MONSTER AT OUR FRONT GATE". WHILE SERVING ON THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS WHEN MAYOR, SHE WAS VERSED ON THE ISSUES AND STUDIED EACH LIKE A STUDENT. SHE STATED "I NEVER VOTED IN THE DARK". SHE FELT THAT BEING A WOMAN SHE HAD TO KNOW MORE THAN ANY MAN ON THE CITY COUNCIL DID.
IN 1962 WHILE STILL ON THE CITY COUNCIL SHE RAN FOR MONTEREY COUNTY ASSESSOR. SHE LOST THE ELECTION TO INCUMBENT DONALD P. STEWART. ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE LOSS MIGHT HAVE BEEN HER STANCE ON PROPERTY TAX INEQUITY; A POSITION NOT WELL RECEIVED BY THE VOTERS.
MINNIE'S HUSBAND (E. B.) DIED ON SEPTEMBER 20, 1962. AFTER HIS DEATH SHE FELT SHE HAD MORE TIME TO DEVOTE TO THE CITY OF MONTEREY AND ALSO WANTED TO FULFILL HIS DREAM OF HER BEING MAYOR. IN 1965 AFTER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE ON THE MONTEREY COUNCIL, MINNIE RAN FOR THE OFFICE OF MAYOR AGAINST INCUMBENT, L.M. (SPARKY) POLLARD. SHE WAS ELECTED ON MAY 10, 1965. IT WAS A VERY DRAMATIC AND COMPETITIVE RACE (see BPW quotes). SHE HAD THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE FIRST WOMAN IN THE U.S. TO BE ELECTED MAYOR OF A MUNICIPALITY BY A POPULACE OF OVER 25,000. ON MAY 8, 1967 MINNIE WAS RE- ELECTED TO A SECOND TERM, HER OPPONENT WAS ELVIN ANDERSON. IN 1968 SHE IS QUOTED AS STATING "I'M ONE THOSE POSITIVE THINKERS, A PRACTICAL PERSON. THAT'S THE WAY I GET THINGS DONE. "
IN 1969 SHE RAN FOR A 3RD MAYORAL TERM, BUT LOST THE ELECTION TO AL J. MADDEN. BY THIS TIME SHE WAS ILL AND LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER THE ELECTION BECAME DISABLED.
DURING HER TERM AS MAYOR SHE BECAME VICE PRESIDENT OF THE MONTEREY BAY DIVISION OF THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES AND WAS ALSO ELECTED TO THE AMERICAN HALL OF FAME LIBRARY FOR OUTSTANDING CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT.
OTHER HONORS INCLUDED PENINSULA QUOTA CLUB'S WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR 1965, MONTEREY PENINSULA BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CLUB NIKE AWARD AND IS LISTED IN WHO'S WHO IN CALIFORNIA.
MAYOR MINNIE D. COYLE DIED ON JUNE 20, 1976 OF EMPHYSEMA. BEFORE HER DEATH SHE HAD BEEN BEDRIDDEN FOR TWO YEARS. FOR THIS HIGHLY ENERGIZED WOMAN THE LAST FEW YEARS OF HER LIFE WERE VERY DIFFICULT, BUT RIGHT TO THE VERY END HER MIND WAS SHARP.
MINNIE PACKED HER LIFE WITH FAMILY, A BUSINESS, CIVIC ACTIVITIES, A POLITICAL CAREER AND A BUSY SOCIAL LIFE. ACCORDING TO HER GOOD FRIEND AND CAMPAIGN MANAGER KITTY RAGSDALE, MINNIE WAS DEDICATED TO HER CIVIC AND POLITICAL LIFE, BUT WAS ALSO A WOMAN WHO LOVED TO PARTY AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.
MINNIE ENJOYED LIFE, SPENDING TIME WITH HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, SOCIALIZING WITH FRIENDS, TRAVELING, CASINOS, & CRAFT PROJECTS. SHE WAS NOT A COLLECTOR OF THINGS, SHE PREFERRED TO GIVE PEOPLE GIFTS SHE KNEW THEY WOULD LIKE. MINNIE ALSO GOT GREAT PLEASURE PLAYING HER PIANO, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE WAS STRESSED OR DEPRESSED. SHE WOULD UNWIND BY PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC.
A SPECIAL CLUB SHE BELONGED TO WAS KNOWN AS THE 12/12 CLUB (DEC. 12TH BIRTHDAYS) WITH KITTY RAGSDALE, ALAN PATTEE, & TALMA WOLFE. THEY EACH HAD A SPECIAL 12/12 CLUB COCKTAIL GLASS. ACCORDING TO KITTY RAGSDALE THEY WOULD MEET ONCE A YEAR (12/12) AT NEPTUNE'S TABLE ON FISHERMAN'S WHARF TO HAVE LUNCH AND A DRINK. AFTER LUNCH WITH THEIR 12/12 GLASS IN HAND THEY WOULD VISIT THE OTHER RESTAURANTS ON THE WHARF HAVING A DRINK AT EACH ONE AND ENJOYING THEIR SHARED BIRTHDAY. BY THE END OF THE DAY, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THEY WERE FEELING NO PAIN.
Quotes from an article about Mayor Coyle in BPWACTION (National Federation of Business and
Professional Women's Clubs, Inc.) October, 1966
SOME CITY PROJECTS WHILE MAYOR:
MINNIE SPEAKS ABOUT HER BELOVED CITY (from Air West magazine article 1968)
"We're not a museum, not shielded off by red velvet ropes. Our lovely old adobe buildings are lived in and used just as the Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey and the Mission in Carmel have been in almost constant use since their founding. We know that to live people must be able to make a living, but we believe it can be done without heavy industry and loss of our pleasant pace of life"
"When we have an esthetic problem that needs moral support they come from all over the Peninsula, hundreds of them. They care so much that they give their time and nationally known talents without thought of payment. Landscape artists and architects serve on advisory committees; members of the planning commission, architectural review board, highway advisory commission and city council are heroes, putting years of effort into the careful thought that is retaining the dignity of Spanish and Mexican eras in a busy modern city.
"We love what we have. It comes back to people, to caring for people. You take our "shacky" old wharf that we fight so hard to keep just as it is. We do everything we can to give the fishermen incentive to keep their waterfront markets open. We keep the city's rents so low that two of them are still in business even though many housewives have been trained to buy seafood in little frozen packages instead of fresh squid, octopus, crabs and red snapper. I love nothing better than to start at the wharf and just walk, up Huckleberry Hill to the fishermen's homes, the paisano gardens bordered with abalone shells, along the arc of the bay on hard wet sand. All the fire and adventure of our past are here. Monterey isn't fake, it's real and that's our strength".
FIRST AND ONLY WOMAN MAYOR OF MONTEREY
OUR MINNIE D. COYLE COLLECTION WAS GIVEN TO US BY HER DAUGHTER VELMA AND SON-IN-LAW ALTER "BUD" BURNS.
MINNIE DENAH SILVER WAS BORN ON DEC. 12, 1915 IN CHICAGO, ILL. HER FATHER ISADORE WAS FROM ROMANIA, HER MOTHER GUSSIE FROM RUSSIA.
THE FAMILY LIVED IN A 3 STORY WALK-UP. HER FATHER WAS A BARBER AND HIS SHOP WAS LOCATED ON THE GROUND FLOOR. MINNIE'S FATHER DID WELL IN THE BARBER BUSINESS, EVEN DURING THE DEPRESSION AS MEN NEEDED HAIRCUTS TO LOOK GOOD WHEN LOOKING FOR JOBS.
MINNIE'S MOTHER WANTED HER TO BECOME A PIANIST AND STARTED HER PIANO TRAINING AT A YOUNG AGE. SHE PLAYED CLASSICAL VERY WELL AND BY 4-5 YEARS OLD WAS GIVING CONCERTS. BUT MINNIE'S HEART WAS NOT IN PLAYING THE PIANO, HER PASSION WAS SINGING.
MINNIE HAD AN EXCELLENT ALTO VOICE. AT 14 (SHE PASSED FOR 18) SHE WAS HIRED TO SING ON A RIVERBOAT IN CHICAGO. HER PARENTS DIDN'T APPROVE OF THIS VENTURE, BUT DID NOT STOP HER. AT ONE POINT IN HER SINGING CAREER, SHE ENTERED A SOPHIE TUCKER CONTEST AND WON FIRST PRIZE, WHICH INCLUDED PRIZE MONEY, VOICE LESSONS, HEALTH PHYSICAL AND RECORDING CONTRACT.
IT WAS DURING THE PHYSICAL THAT NODULES WERE DISCOVERED ON HER VOCAL CORDS. SHE WAS HEARTBROKEN BECAUSE SHE SO WANTED TO BE A BLUES SINGER. THE DOCTOR INFORMED HER THAT SHE MUST MOVE TO A WARMER CLIMATE IF SHE EVER WANTED TO SING AGAIN. HER CONTEST MONEY PAID HER DOCTOR BILLS AND THE TRAIN FARE TO PHOENIX, AZ.
WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF HER ARRIVAL IN PHOENIX (1936), SHE MET E.B. (ENOS) COYLE (16 YEARS HER SENIOR) AND UP AND MARRIED HIM. AFTER THE MARRIAGE THEY WERE STANDING ON THE LANDING OF THE COURTHOUSE AND SHE SAID, "WHAT HAVE I DONE". SHE LOOKED AT HER NEW HUSBAND AND TOLD HIM SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE MARRIED. HE SAID, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE MARRIED, TEAR UP THE MARRIAGE CERTIFCATE". MINNIE STARTED TO TEAR IT, THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND STARTED TO LAUGH. THEY DECIDED TO GIVE IT A GO, AND THE REST IS HISTORY. ACCORDING TO THEIR DAUGHTER VELMA, THEY HAD A WONDERFUL LOVE AFFAIR THROUGH LIFE, BEING OF ONE HEART AND ONE MIND.
MINNIE AND E.B. HAVE THREE SURVIVING CHILDREN: VELMA COYLE BURNS, CAROL COYLE HART AND BERNARD COYLE (MINNIE'S STEPSON).
THE COYLE'S ARRIVED ON THE MONTEREY PENINSULA IN 1937. E.B. WENT TO WORK FOR RUDOLPH'S FURNITURE. DURING THE WAR YEARS, THE FAMILY RELOCATED TO SALT LAKE CITY WHERE E.B. WORKED FOR THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING JAPANESE CAMPS.
THEY MOVED BACK TO THE MONTEREY PENINSULA AND IN 1947 AND STARTED BILL COYLE FLOORS, A FLOOR COVERING BUSINESS. LATER THEY OPENED COBURN & COYLE A LAMP AND SHADE SHOP. MINNIE AND E.B. OWNED AND OPERATED THE BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS JOINTLY AND ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO KNEW HER, SHE WAS EVERY OUNCE A BUSINESSWOMAN. SHE WAS ALSO VERY ARTISTIC AND AN ACCOMPLISHED INTERIOR DECORATOR. SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE KNOWN FOR THEIR HONESTY AND INTEGRITY. .
MINNIE AND HER HUSBAND WERE ALWAYS VERY INTERESTED IN CIVIC AFFAIRS. SHE ONCE SAID OF HERSELF "I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ON CITIZEN AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES, AND WAS HAPPIEST WHEN I WAS BUSY AS A BIRD DOG".
BUSY AS A BIRD DOG SHE WAS, BESIDE HER FAMILY AND BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITIES. MINNIE'S CIVIC PARTICIPATION DURING HER LIFE INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING:
MONTEREY COUNTY MARCH OF DIMES
EASTER SEAL SOCIETY
MONTEREY HISTORY AND ART ASSOCIATION
PYTHIAN SISTERS
WOMAN OF THE MOOSE
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
RED CROSS ASSOCIATION
MONTEREY FOUNDATION
MONTEREY COUNTY SYMPHONY GUILD
MONTEREY PENINSULA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF THE ARTS
QUOTA CLUB
MONTEREY PENINSULA BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CLUB
TOASTMISTRESS CLUB
CHILDREN CHRISTMAS BUREAU
IT ALSO MUST BE SAID THAT HER HUSBAND WAS VERY ACTIVE IN MANY OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, AND THEY WORKED AS A TEAM ON MANY PROJECTS.
HER HUSBAND E.B. WAS THE ONE INTERESTED IN A POLITICAL CAREER, BUT DUE TO ILL HEALTH WAS UNABLE TO RUN FOR OFFICE. SINCE HE COULD NOT RUN, HE ENCOURAGED MINNIE TO DO SO. IT WAS HIS WAY OF LIVING HIS DREAMS THROUGH HER. AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION AND PRODDING, SHE DECIDED TO RUN.
IN 1957 SHE RAN FOR A SEAT ON THE MONTEREY CITY COUNCIL. SHE LOST THAT ELECTION BY 12 VOTES TO INCUMBENT HAROLD LEWIS. IN 1961 SHE RAN AGAIN AND WAS ELECTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL. SHE WON THE SEAT WITH THE LARGEST VOTE TALLY OF THE ELECTION OVER HER STAND ON THE FREEWAY PROPOSAL AT THE INTERSECTION LEADING TO MONTEREY. SHE IS QUOTED AS SAYING "A HORRIBLE OCTOPUS, 5 LEVELS HIGH AT THE INTERSECTION LEADING TO MONTEREY CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS MONSTER AT OUR FRONT GATE". WHILE SERVING ON THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS WHEN MAYOR, SHE WAS VERSED ON THE ISSUES AND STUDIED EACH LIKE A STUDENT. SHE STATED "I NEVER VOTED IN THE DARK". SHE FELT THAT BEING A WOMAN SHE HAD TO KNOW MORE THAN ANY MAN ON THE CITY COUNCIL DID.
IN 1962 WHILE STILL ON THE CITY COUNCIL SHE RAN FOR MONTEREY COUNTY ASSESSOR. SHE LOST THE ELECTION TO INCUMBENT DONALD P. STEWART. ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE LOSS MIGHT HAVE BEEN HER STANCE ON PROPERTY TAX INEQUITY; A POSITION NOT WELL RECEIVED BY THE VOTERS.
MINNIE'S HUSBAND (E. B.) DIED ON SEPTEMBER 20, 1962. AFTER HIS DEATH SHE FELT SHE HAD MORE TIME TO DEVOTE TO THE CITY OF MONTEREY AND ALSO WANTED TO FULFILL HIS DREAM OF HER BEING MAYOR. IN 1965 AFTER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE ON THE MONTEREY COUNCIL, MINNIE RAN FOR THE OFFICE OF MAYOR AGAINST INCUMBENT, L.M. (SPARKY) POLLARD. SHE WAS ELECTED ON MAY 10, 1965. IT WAS A VERY DRAMATIC AND COMPETITIVE RACE (see BPW quotes). SHE HAD THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE FIRST WOMAN IN THE U.S. TO BE ELECTED MAYOR OF A MUNICIPALITY BY A POPULACE OF OVER 25,000. ON MAY 8, 1967 MINNIE WAS RE- ELECTED TO A SECOND TERM, HER OPPONENT WAS ELVIN ANDERSON. IN 1968 SHE IS QUOTED AS STATING "I'M ONE THOSE POSITIVE THINKERS, A PRACTICAL PERSON. THAT'S THE WAY I GET THINGS DONE. "
IN 1969 SHE RAN FOR A 3RD MAYORAL TERM, BUT LOST THE ELECTION TO AL J. MADDEN. BY THIS TIME SHE WAS ILL AND LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER THE ELECTION BECAME DISABLED.
DURING HER TERM AS MAYOR SHE BECAME VICE PRESIDENT OF THE MONTEREY BAY DIVISION OF THE LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES AND WAS ALSO ELECTED TO THE AMERICAN HALL OF FAME LIBRARY FOR OUTSTANDING CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT.
OTHER HONORS INCLUDED PENINSULA QUOTA CLUB'S WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR 1965, MONTEREY PENINSULA BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CLUB NIKE AWARD AND IS LISTED IN WHO'S WHO IN CALIFORNIA.
MAYOR MINNIE D. COYLE DIED ON JUNE 20, 1976 OF EMPHYSEMA. BEFORE HER DEATH SHE HAD BEEN BEDRIDDEN FOR TWO YEARS. FOR THIS HIGHLY ENERGIZED WOMAN THE LAST FEW YEARS OF HER LIFE WERE VERY DIFFICULT, BUT RIGHT TO THE VERY END HER MIND WAS SHARP.
MINNIE PACKED HER LIFE WITH FAMILY, A BUSINESS, CIVIC ACTIVITIES, A POLITICAL CAREER AND A BUSY SOCIAL LIFE. ACCORDING TO HER GOOD FRIEND AND CAMPAIGN MANAGER KITTY RAGSDALE, MINNIE WAS DEDICATED TO HER CIVIC AND POLITICAL LIFE, BUT WAS ALSO A WOMAN WHO LOVED TO PARTY AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.
MINNIE ENJOYED LIFE, SPENDING TIME WITH HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, SOCIALIZING WITH FRIENDS, TRAVELING, CASINOS, & CRAFT PROJECTS. SHE WAS NOT A COLLECTOR OF THINGS, SHE PREFERRED TO GIVE PEOPLE GIFTS SHE KNEW THEY WOULD LIKE. MINNIE ALSO GOT GREAT PLEASURE PLAYING HER PIANO, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE WAS STRESSED OR DEPRESSED. SHE WOULD UNWIND BY PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC.
A SPECIAL CLUB SHE BELONGED TO WAS KNOWN AS THE 12/12 CLUB (DEC. 12TH BIRTHDAYS) WITH KITTY RAGSDALE, ALAN PATTEE, & TALMA WOLFE. THEY EACH HAD A SPECIAL 12/12 CLUB COCKTAIL GLASS. ACCORDING TO KITTY RAGSDALE THEY WOULD MEET ONCE A YEAR (12/12) AT NEPTUNE'S TABLE ON FISHERMAN'S WHARF TO HAVE LUNCH AND A DRINK. AFTER LUNCH WITH THEIR 12/12 GLASS IN HAND THEY WOULD VISIT THE OTHER RESTAURANTS ON THE WHARF HAVING A DRINK AT EACH ONE AND ENJOYING THEIR SHARED BIRTHDAY. BY THE END OF THE DAY, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THEY WERE FEELING NO PAIN.
Quotes from an article about Mayor Coyle in BPWACTION (National Federation of Business and
Professional Women's Clubs, Inc.) October, 1966
- Her opponents claimed the job of Mayor was NO JOB FOR A WOMAN.
- Her proponents, many of them local women residents were outraged by newspaper editorials criticizing their favorite candidate, had no doubt she was the woman for the job
- The campaign epithets reached a serio-comic level when members of opposing camp said she could not belong to men's smokers clique.
- A local newspaper admitted her qualifications, and in the same editorial breath discounted them because of her gender.
- Women and admiring men voted for her in masse.
- Mrs. Coyle won because of her accomplishments and gender.
- Minnie is viewed as firm, but fair, kind and willing to hear opposing viewpoints. She is not a doormat to be stepped on by others, and is every ounce a businesswoman.
SOME CITY PROJECTS WHILE MAYOR:
- Urban Renewal was at a standstill, instrumental in getting it moving again.
- Monterey Tunnel, instrumental in moving it to completion
- Harbor Breakwater - Leading to creation of large recreation area
- Expansion of city park system
- Had a special place in her heart for children and the elderly. Set up the first children's
- Christmas drive and the Senior Citizen Center.
MINNIE SPEAKS ABOUT HER BELOVED CITY (from Air West magazine article 1968)
"We're not a museum, not shielded off by red velvet ropes. Our lovely old adobe buildings are lived in and used just as the Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey and the Mission in Carmel have been in almost constant use since their founding. We know that to live people must be able to make a living, but we believe it can be done without heavy industry and loss of our pleasant pace of life"
"When we have an esthetic problem that needs moral support they come from all over the Peninsula, hundreds of them. They care so much that they give their time and nationally known talents without thought of payment. Landscape artists and architects serve on advisory committees; members of the planning commission, architectural review board, highway advisory commission and city council are heroes, putting years of effort into the careful thought that is retaining the dignity of Spanish and Mexican eras in a busy modern city.
"We love what we have. It comes back to people, to caring for people. You take our "shacky" old wharf that we fight so hard to keep just as it is. We do everything we can to give the fishermen incentive to keep their waterfront markets open. We keep the city's rents so low that two of them are still in business even though many housewives have been trained to buy seafood in little frozen packages instead of fresh squid, octopus, crabs and red snapper. I love nothing better than to start at the wharf and just walk, up Huckleberry Hill to the fishermen's homes, the paisano gardens bordered with abalone shells, along the arc of the bay on hard wet sand. All the fire and adventure of our past are here. Monterey isn't fake, it's real and that's our strength".