In Loving Memory of Lindsay Kefauver
SFDOG board member Lindsay Kefauver, a longtime dog advocate, has passed away after an illness. Lindsay was one of the core group of people who formed SFDOG and fought so hard in those early years for off-leash opportunities for people with dogs in city parks and the GGNRA.
Indeed, Lindsay was one of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the GGNRA filed in 2000 after GGNRA staff closed part of Fort Funston to dog walking without going through a public process. A judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, forcing the GGNRA to conduct a public notice and comment process over the closure. Unfortunately, after taking public comment that overwhelmingly preferred dog walking access, the GGNRA essentially ignored that comment and closed an even larger section than they had originally proposed. It was one of the first major skirmishes in our decades-long fight to preserve off-leash dog walking in the GGNRA -- a fight we ultimately won -- and Lindsay was a major part of it all.
Lindsay remained on the board of SFDOG, continuing to plan and participate in marches, rallies, and other projects, only pulling back after her recent diagnosis. She was also a founder of Dolores Park DOG. She organized park clean-ups there and participated in meetings with Rec and Park staff about issues in the park, including a major park renovation a decade ago. Lindsay worked tirelessly to ensure continued access for people with dogs in Dolores.
Lindsay retained a great interest in politics throughout her life. She was the daughter of Estes Kefauver, the senator from Tennessee who led a much-publicized senate investigation into organized crime in the early 1950s. He was also nominated to be Adlai Stevenson's running mate in the presidential election of 1956, ultimately losing to the Eisenhower-Nixon ticket.
Lindsay loved dogs, including Sully, the latest in a long string of her beloved springer spaniels.
Next time you walk with your dog off-leash in Dolores Park, Stern Grove, or Fort Funston -- or really any off-leash area in San Francisco and the GGNRA -- think of Lindsay and thank her. We might have lost that access if not for her steadfast and passionate devotion and advocacy for dogs and people with dogs.
Lindsay and Sully