Mary Astrid Bergan

Mary lobbied me. She was better than her peers in education advocacy because her big stick was always a compelling logical argument that she made in a calm, understandable manner. And that slight smile, beneath big glasses that magnified unblinking eyes, conveyed the unsettling truth: she knew what you were thinking. Mary was the best. Patrick Johnston Legislator 1980-2000

Mary was a member of UC Berkeley's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute since 2009. As a premium member for almost 13 years she took many courses each term and was a dedicated participant in many of the speaker events at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley and in the past several years online. Always engaged in the political discussions, I experienced her as knowledgeable, a great listener, and well reasoned. My first memory of her was in the summer of 2009 when she became involved in a short...