The lifetime of former state Assemblyman Howard Wayne was remembered by some 150 pals and family Saturday as one exemplified by a pointy wit and a deep understanding of presidency and politics.
His brother, Bob, a Seattle lawyer, informed the standing-room-only crowd at Elijah’s Restaurant in Kearny Mesa that Howard was born on the day that Harry S Truman defeated Thomas Dewey in 1948, and that Howard died on his seventy fifth birthday in 2023.
“He would take satisfaction that he was born and died on a day {that a} Democrat was within the White Home,” mentioned his youthful brother.
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Bob Wayne recalled one of many earliest campaigns wherein they each took half — within the early Nineteen Sixties when Murray Goodrich was operating for San Diego mayor unsuccessfully in opposition to Frank Curran.
The brothers handed out flyers on the Mission Valley mall till safety guards escorted them out. Discovering themselves with a stack of unused flyers, they put them beneath the windshield wipers of the automobiles within the parking zone.
A lot later in Howard’s life, his brother reported, a youngster at a Democratic membership assembly requested Howard: “‘Why ought to we take heed to outdated white males?’ And Howard stood up and mentioned, ‘You simply hit the trifecta — you’ve received ageism, racism and sexism.’”
Ed Millican, who preceded Howard as a president of the Younger Democratic Membership at San Diego State College, later ran for Metropolis Council and enlisted Howard to function the marketing campaign treasurer.
“My marketing campaign acquired a test from a person who I cannot identify as a result of he should be round and have entry to hit males, however we would have liked the cash and Howard requested me what lets do with this.
“I mentioned ‘Maintain it, we want it.’ He checked out me quizzically. A couple of weeks later, he informed me ‘By the best way, I need you to know I tore the test up.’”
Millican mentioned he responded, “In the event you did it, Howard, you most likely had been proper.”
Former state Sen. Dede Alpert (D-San Diego) whom Howard has succeeded within the Meeting, commented: “When individuals wished really to grasp what a invoice did, and what it mentioned, they went over to Howard’s desk to ask as a result of he learn every part, he knew every part, he understood every part, and so he actually was the individual that all of us turned to. What a distinction that Howard made for presidency right here within the State of California!”
Moreover Alpert, different former and current Democratic legislators, members of Congress and Metropolis Council members readily available had been Denise Ducheny, Christine Kehoe, Lynn Schenk, Susan Davis, Lori Saldaña and Chris Ward.
Mike Schaefer, a member of the state Board of Equalization — and at 86, the oldest state constitutional officer in California — additionally attended.
Additionally acknowledged within the viewers had been Wealthy Leib, chairman of the College of California Board of Regents; former Superior Courtroom Decide Susan Finlay; San Diego Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell, and former San Diego college board member Sue Braun.
Ward, now a state assemblyman, recalled that when he served on the San Diego Metropolis Council, once in a while he would see Howard sitting within the entrance row of the viewers “with binders in his lap.”
Howard “at all times did his homework,” Ward mentioned. “A few of these had been difficult points, however Howard was at all times proper on the positions he was taking.”
When the state Legislature reconvenes after the Thanksgiving break, he mentioned, he’ll make it some extent to honor Wayne by requesting {that a} session of the Meeting be adjourned in his reminiscence.
Pat Libby commented that she and Wayne co-taught a category about legislative advocacy on the College of San Diego (the place Howard years earlier than had graduated from legislation college).
Howard known as her Ms. Exterior whereas he as a former legislator was Mr. Inside. She mentioned that they assigned their college students the duty of getting a invoice via the California Legislature — a job that college students thought was effectively past their capabilities.
“As a result of Howard was such an important professor, our college students handed many vital legal guidelines,” she mentioned.
Whereas Wayne was a member of the Jewish neighborhood, he wasn’t very vocal about it, prompting Jim Grant to remark: “Howard was very affected person with me. I might clarify to him issues about my religion, and at last he mentioned ‘Jim, you realize I’m Jewish too.’ I mentioned ‘Effectively, I do know that now.’ Howard was a mensch and I’ll say kaddish for him.”
Grant’s anecdote prompted my recollection that when Wayne was first operating for workplace, I used to be then editor of the now defunct San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage. I requested Howard what connections he had with the Jewish neighborhood. He responded, ‘Effectively let me suppose. … My mother and pa are Jewish.”
Ken Cohen emceed the occasion and lawyer Jim Spievak served as Cohen’s co-chair, each on the request of Howard’s spouse, Mary Lundberg.
Spievak recalled that Howard overcame stuttering so effectively that he was capable of win a speech competitors sponsored by the Jaycees, a company that admitted solely male members till Spievak and Howard teamed to confess the membership’s first feminine member over the objections of the nationwide group.
The co-chairman of the Celebration of Life additionally reported that Howard “cherished the legislation and the U.S. Structure. He studied and noticed the Roberts Guidelines of Order and parliamentary process.
“What number of of you right here have the U.S. Structure and Roberts Guidelines of Order in your properties, and know the place they’re? Howard did!”
Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. A model of this story first appeared on San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego On-line Information Affiliation.
