Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4275
Registered: 1-27-2004
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Mood: Depends on which way the wind is blowing
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Unforgettable Personality
By Gil Sperry
"It has often been said that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. There is solid anecdotal evidence that hereditary bloodlines do seem to be a
reliable more-than-just-random-chance indicator of passed-along-to-the-next-generation excellence. Of course it can also work in the other direction
if the ancestry being traced was chock full of 'no-goodniks.' This unforgettable person might also have had environment play an equally pivotal role
to in the developmental equation but examining the family tree should probably come first.
If your father were God-fearing and educated, chances are that those two pillars of character would be passed along to the off-spring and, in this
case, they were. If both parents had a love of creativity...including literature and music...chances are you'd be in the middle of that milieu as you
grew. If the mama and papa taught their child well, chances are that the offspring would have respect for the value of a good education and might
even, as this one did, pursue education as a career path.
Communicating in clear language what the parents had taught the child would be yet another valuable skill that led to multiple collegiate degrees and
a long career that enriched the lives of others in every way. However, although being multi-talented led to more than one career path, music seemed to
be the one that was holding sway as the years passed. Music teaching and music performance were twin talents that fit together like Legos. A family
was started...with multiple children becoming part of the equation...and life was good.
And then, as happens to most of us, we lose loved ones...in this case, parents... and we come to the realization that the more we can do for others
the greater the tribute we pay to our family. But sometimes, other complications arise and we have to deal with something we didn't expect...the onset
of a potentially crippling disease. When this happens, many people give in to their fears and, in effect, their productive lives come to a screeching
halt. Some never regain the impetus to move forward and continue on a downward spiral leading to non-productive later years. A few others decide to
fight the grim forecast, reshuffle the deck, and move onto an incredible new phase of what may not be truly characterized as the golden years, but can
certainly still hold untold treasures for the intrepid explorer.
Ok, by now, reasonably adroit 'wordsmithing' has hopefully still kept you guessing as to the identity of the subject of this piece. Spoiler alert: the
identity of our mystery subject will now be revealed although many readers ( who are expatriates living in the Playas de Rosarito area) may already
have guessed it. The unforgettable and courageous role model is the multi-talented and supremely indefatigable Mavourneen O'Brien.
'Baja,' as she prefers to be called, is the daughter of the late great actor Pat O'Brien. Pat was a Milwaukee, WI native, an altar boy, and a graduate
of Marquette University. He appeared in over 100 Hollywood films. In nine of those, he co-starred with his life-long friend, James Cagney. Perhaps his
two most memorable roles were as the police detective in the original classic 'Some Like it Hot' (opposite George Raft) and as Notre Dame's legendary
football coach 'Knute Rockne' in the eponymous sports film. In the latter epic, he uttered the timeless lines of ' win just one for the Gipper,'
referring to (in the film) the Fighting Irish's recently deceased halfback, George Gipp. If you are old enough (or have seen the remastered 1940s
classic) you might recall that the actor who portrayed Gipp was none other than a young (very young) Ronald Reagan. In Pat's later years he became one
of the founders of the famed Del Mar Thoroughbred Racetrack in San Diego's North County.
Mavourneen relocated to the Rosarito area almost twenty years ago when she was Musical Director of The Diamond Chorale. She, herself, was formerly a
member of the world famous Roger Wagner Chorale and performed at international venues with them for almost a decade. Soon after moving
south-of-the-border, it was hard to discern that Multiple Sclerosis had already begun to exert its physical and mental hold on her capabilities. She
is truly unforgettable in how she sets an amazing example for all of those she influences.
The Women's International Center honored her with its Living Legacy Award in the year 2000. Here are some of her incredible accomplishments that they
mentioned then which have been recently updated : "O'Brien has dedicated her life to endeavors that enrich the lives of others through education, the
performing arts, writing, mentoring and her volunteer work with social and health organizations such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. As a
teacher of language arts for over forty years, she has passed on her passion for communicating through language and the arts that extends to her work
today that includes being an active volunteer member of the Flying Samaritans and a volunteer English & Music teacher. Her work with the National
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society has resulted in more funding for San Diego based programs, research, and a better understanding of the central nervous
system disease that she herself was diagnosed with several years ago. O'Brien is a top fundraiser for the San Diego Area Chapter of the National MS
Society, predominantly through her annual completion of the grueling '50 Mile Three-Day MS Walk.'
But for this unforgettable and courageous person the beat goes on...and gets stronger. She has volunteered for the past four years for the Annual
Rosarito Beach International Mariachi & Folklorico Festival, the major fundraiser put on by the Club de Ninos y Ninas Seccion Rosarito(The Boys
and Girls Club of Rosarito), She serves as the key person registering student attendees (this year 500 are expected to participate), sets up and
oversees the three-day workshops, and sees that every loose end is tied together. She will also be inducted onto the club's Board of Directors on
Friday, June 28th. And that's not even close to being all: she recently performed the 'Mexico Baila' choreography which was filmed on June 12th (after
an exhausting five hour stint of what she euphemistically calls 'sand dancing') and televised live on TV Azteca on June 22nd when somehow tiny (by
comparison) Rosarito...she told Rosy Torres, the President of the club that 'we were small but mighty'...made it though to the semi-finals. First
prize, by the way, is ONE MILLION PESOS! Oh, and one more thing: she was responsible for many of the text message votes cast (both in Rosarito and in
the U.S) on the Club's behalf, through her tireless 'get out the vote' efforts, and was there, in person, at the Pabellon Rosarito food court for
three long hours of the show's airing on the 22nd until the final result was announced that her beloved Baja California was the winner and moving on
to the semifinals.
Unforgettable? Without a doubt! A profile in courage? Indubitably!
Most people have heard the old axiom, 'you'll understand what they do if you just walk a mile in their shoes.'
Well, if all of Rosarito's boosters out there can emulate 'Baja's' energy level and, once TV Azteca releases the new TEXT MESSAGE and the date on
which the semi-finals votes will be accepted, it is possible that her leadership will make her rinconcito al mar's version of don Quixote's impossible
dream"
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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Kgryfon
Senior Nomad
Posts: 624
Registered: 1-27-2009
Location: East Bay, CA
Member Is Offline
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Very nice tribute!
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DocRey
Nomad
Posts: 180
Registered: 2-27-2013
Location: SADM, Playas de T.J./Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Cautiously Optimistic
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Thank you. Made my morning.
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Fang
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 12-22-2003
Location: Huntington Beach
Member Is Offline
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Never had the pleasure of meeting Mavourneen, but got to know her father, Pat O'Brien very well. I was a cop in Compton Calif. in the mid 1950's
& got a assignment to the Detective Division.
Our boss was Capt. Art Thomas, an ex USMC carrier pilot. In fact EVERY detective in the division was a ex pilot from WW2, that is except me! I had
made the Korean War, but as a grunt in the Army, not a pilot.
The 1st couple of weeks were tough, but things eventually worked out and I became "accepted" based on work product & not flying ability.
But I digress, Pat O'brien & Capt. Thomas were great friends & Pat dropped by every so often. to visit and up hit a cop bar after work. Long
story short, it was an education just to be there & listen to their storys. Pat was looking for ideas for screen plays & Capt. Thomas was
always pushing Pats to tell some of his favorite Irish tales. It was a hoot to just be there and listen.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64759
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Hi Earle, it is great to see you posting!
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