Del Mar's Human Resources
March 2008 | Editorial

Our community lost an extraordinary leader when Jerry Finnell left us. Much has been said about Jerry's rich biography and there is even more to learn from Jerry and Kathy's model of civic patriotism. When they retired to Del Mar they hit the ground running with civic involvement. They chose Del Mar because they loved it and made a commitment to work to preserve the qualities that attracted them. No committee, no volunteer activity, no organizing work was beneath them. They dug in, worked tirelessly with good humor, and did not seek out the limelight-no big heads for them. Ironically, it was those self-effacing qualities that attracted others to their leadership capabilities and ultimately to leadership roles, including Jerry's mayoral election.

In our view, Jerry's most enduring legacy to us all will be this model of civic activism. Del Mar has achieved its distinctive reputation, not because of its natural resources, but because of its human resources-hundreds of citizens who have worked to protect those natural resources and a quality of life that is very rare in today’s world.   Jerry was in the top tier of our community’s human resources.