On April 4, 2015, several Committee for Green Foothills board and staff members, along with Ollie Mayer’s family, the San Mateo County Parks Department, the California Coastal Conservancy, Caltrans, San Mateo County Supervisors Carole Groom, Don Horsley, and Dave Pine, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and many other local leaders, came together at Devil’s Slide to pay tribute to the late Ollie Mayer. In memory of Ollie, an activist and local environmental leader, the county parks department dedicated the northernmost vista point of the new Devil’s Slide Trail “The Ollie Mayer Vista Point.” The parks department also unveiled a plaque (see image below) commemorating Ollie and the work she did to protect this piece of the coast.
Brad O’Brien, Ollie’s son-in-law of, spoke on behalf of the 
Mayer family. He reminded everyone that “Ollie Mayer was a force of nature, a visionary, and a tireless advocate for the causes she believed in.” And in addition to the environment, “she championed many causes over the course of her life: world peace, free speech, civil rights, women’s rights, to name a few.” It was fitting to remember her at Devil’s Slide, “the site of one of her greatest victories,” where she played a critical role in stopping Caltrans from building their freeway bypass of Devil’s Slide and instead helped make the Tom Lantos Tunnel a reality.
Brad also spoke about how Ollie knew “the environment is never saved, only in the process of being saved; it’s a never-ending battle, and it requires each generation to pick up where the other left off.” In that tradition, “Ollie mentored many women to follow in her footsteps,” including our very own Lennie Roberts.
Brad ended by saying that “although I’ve had better cooking than Ollie’s, I couldn’t ask for a better example of what one person can accomplish in life; she’s a hero to me and my family, an inspiration to us all.”
Our Legislative Advocate and longtime friend of Ollie’s, Lennie Roberts, also shared a few words about the late environmental hero. Lennie began by saying that it was “entirely fitting that this magnificent Devil’s Slide Trail Overlook be dedicated to Ollie Mayer, who spent her entire life dedicated to protection of the beauty and wonders of nature. She introduced children and adults to the joys of hiking, and inspired people of all ages to work for the protection and enjoyment of San Mateo’s natural beauty.”
Lennie also recognized and gave a shout out to all of the other “Tunnelistas” who worked with Ollie to achieve this great win for the environment, and asked everyone to remember and honor them as well. These folks included many who were there to take part in the dedication, as well as four Tunnelistas who aren’t with us any more, Kit Dove, Mary Hobbs, Nancy Maule, Paul Perkovic, and Bill Vanderwerf.
Lennie ended by reminding everyone that someday people will be able to hike the entire length of the California coast away from highways on the Coastal Trail. “Ollie’s contributions to this grand vision are a fabulous legacy for future generations to enjoy.”
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