AL FOR ALS CURE

A $2 million gift to UC San Diego from long-time Del Mar resident Stephanie (Steve) Tarkington is not just a significant tribute to her husband, Al Tarkington, who died in 2024, but also a reminder of the significant roles Steve and Al have played in Del Mar for decades, bringing an inspiring teamwork model to their lives and to their community-serving roles. This teamwork was in full force as they responded to Al’s diagnosis with ALS, but it was finely honed throughout their 63 years together.

Steve recalls a literal example of their tandem life: “We rode our tandem bike thousands of miles, through many states and one time we spent a year biking around the world, on 6 continents.” They experienced the world and other cultures “up close and personal,” and in beautiful harmony. Al was an outstanding triathlete; in 2019, he completed his 10th Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

Together, Steve and Al supported environmental organizations preserving open space, making land acquisitions, and providing animal corridors, along with humanitarian groups like Doctors Without Borders and The Bail Project.

Their focus on Del Mar has been equally impactful – including championing the City’s acquisition of what is now Powerhouse Park and the Del Mar Powerhouse Community Center; Al’s service on Council and as Mayor; and working to preserve and enhance nesting opportunities for ospreys at San Dieguito Lagoon — a project Al worked on until the day he died, and that Steve continues to work on today.

Steve says, “We always considered that we might die on a plane flight together as we loved to travel. Never was ALS even a consideration.” But when Al was diagnosed with ALS, he and Steve responded with the same focus and teamwork they brought to everything in their lives.

And now, Steve’s gift to UCSD will serve as an enduring legacy to Al, accelerating research on ALS, and establishing the Al Tarkington Endowed Lectureship in ALS. In making this exceptionally generous donation, Steve said, “By investing in research and care, I hope to help advance new treatments and bring us closer to a cure.”

Asked about Al and his many accomplishments, Steve had plenty to say, but she ended by saying, “Mostly, Al was genuinely a nice guy.” No surprise that it was that quality that Steve most admired. And it seems fitting to observe that Steve is a genuinely nice person. Those who know her will put that at the very top of a very long list of her accomplishments and qualities.