Cat Steele

Cat Steele Catherine Steele Saxton—or Cat Heron Steele, as she came to call herself, died at her home in Santa Cruz on April 4, 2019. A retired librarian, she was an active and generous participant in community life in Santa Cruz, an avid traveler, outrigger canoe paddler, bicyclist, environmentalist, and supporter of many social justice causes. Catherine Saxton was born on September 11, 1942 in NY. Her father, Alexander Saxton, a novelist, was serving in the merchant marine, and her mother Gertrude was in New York at the time with Cat’s grandparents. At the end of the War, Gertrude took Cat to the West Coast, where they reunited with Alex. In November of 1945, Christine, Cat’s younger sister was born. The family lived in Sausalito. In the 1950s, Cat’s parents, who were communists, worked to integrate the public schools in Marin County, a project that made them the targets of some local anger. The girls had a principled but not always easy childhood. Cat’s parents were among the first members of the Sierra Club, and the family hiked and camped in California’s mountains, valleys, and deserts from the girls’ early childhood. One summer, the Sierra Club decided that a climbing party should reach to top of Mt. Olympus. Later in the day, they called off the climb, but Alex decided that he and his two young daughters would go ahead. They made their way up while the others turned back. The climb was longer than Alex anticipated, but the got to the summit. They were late but immensely proud to return to camp. AS a friend recalls, “the memory of this shared adventure became a landmark and a talisman in their lives.” Needless to say, both girls grew up adventurous, once taking a rowboat out into the Bay and drifting very far from shore. In time, a large sailboat came by and rescued them. In 1959, when Catherine was about sixteen the family moved to Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico for a year, and the girls went to Jalapa High School. Cat did not enjoy school so, thanks to a family friend, Dolores DiCarli, she joined the American Friends Volunteer Work Camp in a small village, Janteleco, Matamoros. She gathered some books and started the village’s first library. Catherine eventually decided to earn a degree in Library Science at U.C.L.A. She worked for a time in Las Vegas, New Mexico before spending ten years in Modesto. There she started the community’s first bookmobile, using an old surplus Navy bus to travel to farm labor camps. She persuaded her library to purchase books in Spanish for children and grown ups. When she began working at the Santa Cruz library she started a bookmobile service using an old police car, journeying to five farm labor camps. She also organized book services for jails and juvenile facilities, and increased services to the elderly and disabled who could not get to the library. Cat knew from her experience with farm workers how much knowledge and pleasure access to books provides. That helped motivate her to go to Cuba in 2007 with Pastors for Peace, delivering a bookmobile filled with books. Her devotion to educational outreach contributed to her decision to provide a substantial grant to the historian, Jonathan McCleod, to create an archive documenting the history of San Diego Mesa College. The junior college, like many in the state, offers education and direction to people who can’t afford more prestigious institutions. The history of junior colleges is largely unwritten, and because of Cat’s support, this unique archive will track its educational and labor history. During her years in Santa Cruz, Cat joined Outrigger Santa Cruz, paddling in tough races: the Monterey Bay Crossing (26 miles), the Catalina Crossing (41 mi), and racing around Alcatraz. Cat also paddled in Hawaii. She supported the children’s outrigger program in Santa Cruz and eventually learned to steer the canoe. She participated vigorously in the Club’s many community service activities. For many years, Cat sang in the Threshold Choir, where the members welcomed her as a “revered elder.” They recognized and respected her great desire be of service. Kate Munger of the Choir wrote, “She joined with not much confidence in her voice, but grateful that she could be a part of our family. She was smart enough to always manage to sit next to a strong singer and gradually her singing voice and confidence both strengthened.” Cat supported all forms of social justice. As one friend wrote, “it seemed like Cat’s way of dealing with health challenges was to engage in as many social justice issues as she possibly could.” She identified passionately with women and worked for their wellbeing and empowerment. Among her greatest concerns were the health and strength of the LBGTQ community. She was moved and happy when a surprising number of gay and lesbian people were elected to the Santa Cruz City Council in 2018. She enthusiastically participated in Sister Share, which offered outreach to women in need, particularly trafficked women. A core focus of Cat’s life was enjoying and protecting the environment. As Kate Munger wrote, “[Cat] often reminded us of our ongoing responsibility to the Earth and, most especially, the Oceans and creatures of the sea.” Gerry Bill, her longtime friend, remembered that Cat was “always highly conscious of how her journey on this planet was affecting the welfare of all life forms.” She biked everywhere she could—as long as it was possible--- even to her distant medical appointments. She rarely turned on the heat—wearing warm clothes instead. She never used the air conditioning in her car. She turned her car into a camper and traveled (sometimes with her cat, Tsuku) visiting family, friends, hiking, and exploring. She and her father Alex together bought property enlarging the Windtree Retreat in the mountains overlooking Santa Cruz. It will be preserved undeveloped in perpetuity. As Gerry Bill, her friend and