Susan Hammer, Former San Jose Mayor, Dies At 81
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Susan Hammer, San Jose's mayor from 1991 until 1999, died Saturday night, family members announced Sunday afternoon. She was 81.
Hammer, who had battled Alzheimer's disease, was surrounded by family and friends when she passed at her San Jose home, they said.
Current San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo reflected on Hammer's "lasting impression" and her work to make San Jose a diverse city.
"Susan was an extraordinary role model for me and entire generations of aspiring leaders. She was a study in contrasts—she had a deep commitment to underserved communities, a steadfast civility in the face of heated disagreement, and a genuine humility despite her tremendous professional and personal accomplishment. I'll remember forever the bookends of my life experiences with Susan: we first met when I was a young candidate for city council, and I drove to her and Phil's house. She magnanimously shared time, advice, and encouragement with me, just before my Chrysler broke down in her driveway. She didn't bat an eye—she helped me get a ride, and let the car sit at her house until I could get it towed the next day. Yesterday, I was blessed to share a few moments with her and her loving family in her final hours. Susan made San José a place for compassionate action, for artistic celebration, and for youthful aspiration. I know I'm not alone in saying that I will miss her tremendously."
Cindy Chavez, a former San Jose City Council member and current Santa Clara County Supervisor, said Hammer was a role model for the entire San Jose community.
"Susan demonstrated bold and inclusive leadership forming the Mayor's Gang Task Force and building the arts," Chavez said Sunday on Twitter. "Her legacy of accomplishment will be heralded."
Added Richard Nguyen, a member of the Campbell Unified School District board, "San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer showed me what it meant to be a good, kind and thoughtful leader. We have lost a remarkable person, but her legacy and impact will live on."
A San Jose City Council member from 1983 until 1990, Hammer - as mayor - was a leader in fundraising for the former San Jose Repertory Theatre building (now the San Jose State University Hammer Theatre Center) and oversaw the construction of the San Jose Arena, now known as SAP Center, and affectionately as the Shark Tank, as the home of hockey's San Jose Sharks, which opened in 2003.
Shortly after her mayoral stint ended, Hammer was appointed by then-Gov. Gray Davis in February 1999 to the state Board of Education.
Hammer also was instrumental in the city's partnership with San Jose State University to build the Martin Luther King Library downtown. That library now hosts a collection of documents -- administrative files, press and publicity, awards, photographs, videotapes, correspondence, and other memorabilia --from Hammer's two terms as mayor known collectively as the "Susan Hammer Papers," highlighting Hammer's involvement in San Jose community and economic development.
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