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Driving with Mel Melvin B. Lane, a consummate conservationist and friend to all who knew him, died July 29, 2007, at age 85. Mel’s personal style of humility, friendliness, and civility were essential qualities that enabled him to lead the successful efforts to protect two irreplaceable treasures of the Bay Area and California — San Francisco Bay and the California coastline. I had the great good fortune to serve with Mel on the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Advisory Commission from 1994 until it “sunsetted” in 2002. The meetings of the Commission were held monthly at Fort Mason in San Francisco. These evening events often extended late into the night, as we heard from the public about thorny or mundane topics ranging from off-leash dog-walking to mushroom gathering. Whether contentious or boring, our meetings were immeasurably enhanced by a special mode of transportation I was privileged to enjoy — driving with Mel. The sale of Sunset Magazine and Books (co-owned by Mel) in 1990 included a provision of a driver for him. Somehow I had the good fortune to be invited to car-pool with Mel in low-key but comfortable style. Instead of braving the rush hour traffic each month, with the collateral frazzling of nerves, I would slip into the back seat of the car, start chatting with Mel, and virtually ignore the stream of vehicles outside. Had we run out of topics, there were several daily newspapers and periodicals we could peruse, including the S.F. Chronicle, the New York Times, the L.A. Times, and of course Sunset Magazine. We discussed the upcoming topics for our meeting agenda, the state of the world, the country and local politics. Mel's observations were not only well informed, but often included wry observations about the shortcomings of our leaders. There was only one topic — the Stanford trail — where we had to agree to disagree, but always with respect for each other’s point of view. We invariably arrived at the meeting fresh and relaxed, ready to hear from the diverse park constituents. We were the “eyes and ears of Congress” as our Charter stated. I was always glad that Mel’s wisdom was added to our collective eyes and ears. As each meeting ended and we emerged into the usually foggy night, we would see a pair of headlights light up in the parking lot and circle over to the curb to pick us up. Relaxing again in the comfort of the back seat, we enjoyed some light refreshments. Instead of arriving home tense and bleary-eyed, I was relaxed and warmed inside and out by our conversation. Mel’s modesty, wisdom and wry humor in these conversations were qualities I shall never forget. Besides his steadfast work to preserve so many places for future generations, Mel’s personal gift to friends of “being Mel” will long be remembered. Published Fall 2007 in Green Footnotes. Page last updated December 15, 2007. |
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