Remembering Judy

On September 5, 2011, Ramsey Hill lost a founding mother. Judy McLaughlin, one of the great heroes of Ramsey Hill, passed on to party once again with other notable neighborhood pioneers and activists—Mike Hoffman, MaryAnn O’Brien, Pam Gru, Rick Raiter, Jim Czarniecki, Tom Segar, , and her husband, Mike and son, William.

Judy and Mike McLaughlin, with toddler, David, purchased the derelict mansion at 275 Summit Avenue for a vision and a song in the early seventies. Long active in politics on the state and federal level, the McLaughlins recognized the need for hospitality venue that could host political events, especially those with DFL ties, as well as young couples celebrating their wedding day. This was a bold move. Summit Avenue was tarnished—the old families were fleeing to suburban split-levels, the once stately homes were deteriorating into boarding houses, pleasure seeking johns were cruising the side streets in search of cheap thrills, and gun shots in the night were not uncommon as buyers argued with dealers.

Fortunately Ramsey Hill homes had good bones and young, urban pioneers (yuppies as they became known across the nation), had the chutzpah, if not the cash to recognize real value in behind the crumbling brick and flaking paint. It was a time when it was easy to meet the neighbors—everyone had to take a break from the plaster dust and toxic fumes. You didn’t have to walk far to find neighbors working at the same pace you were. Judy was a walker, for several years behind a stroller, and a talker and she knew who the real housewives of Ramsey Hill were long before there was reality TV.

Not incidentally, those strolls and informal sidewalk get-togethers also prompted the formation of the Ramsey Hill Association (RHA) -- and more formal way to promote the unparalleled qualities of owning a distinctive address. The house tour was originally conceived to encourage prospective homebuyers to consider the possibilities inherent in historic properties. The Progressive Dinner was an opportunity to meet new neighbors after a long Minnesota winter indoors and to share renovation horror stories and advice on where to find the best wood stripper, historic wallpaper, and cheap labor.

Swapping tales about the fate of neighborhood properties—which ones had enthusiastic new owners and which ones the city had slated for demolition and suburban style redevelopment probably prompted Judy’s passionate efforts to establish the Historic Hill District through the state legislative process. Was it fortuitous that Judy was an insider at the capital—Speaker Fred Norton’s Chief of Staff?

From this early start, Judy became an active force in the neighborhood, in leadership positions on the RHA Board, as well as behind the scenes. She first manned walkie-talkies as part of the two person crime watch teams patrolling the neighborhood in the early years searching out evil-doers and activity at the after-hours joints and then built on those skills by supervising the House Tour Sanitation Coordinating Committee. Judy was always ready to step up and volunteer for anything that would make her neighborhood a better place.

By the nineties, Ramsey Hill had turned around and the painted ladies on the streets were now homes—not working girls. Former yuppies would exclaim that there was no way they could afford to buy a home in Ramsey Hill today—it had been completely transformed into one of the premier residential locations in the Twin Cities. BUT, there was still just one more eyesore that needed attention—that awful patch of dirt and straw at the top of Ramsey Hill. Judy vowed that she’d see that piece of city-owned property renewed if it was the last thing she’d ever do.

Despite numerous capital improvement proposals, STAR grant requests, golf tournaments (the upscale equivalent of bake sales) and just about anything else to generate interest in park improvements, it was to no avail. There never was a plan that RHA, the U Club, neighbors and the city could agree on and “those people” thought that Ramsey Hill was wealthy and didn’t warrant public help, and besides, it was good enough for the croquet squad!

About the turn of this new century, 100 years after the city had purchased and sat on the property, the Ramsey Hill Association agreed to assume leadership for renovating the park in a manner worthy of placement of the historic St. Gaudens New York Life Eagle.
Judy was involved in all aspects of the transformation—from design detail to construction management to assuring that the inscriptions on the hundreds of pavers were spelled correctly. Ultimately, though, it was Judy’s long and wide range of political friendships and her well-honed persuasion skills that brought the cash to complete the job on the project that never seems to end. With her passing, one last brick will be added to the paver carpet.

In recent weeks, too many people to mention have shared Judy stories. The constant theme has been, “She encouraged me to get involved!” And she did. Whether participation in neighborhood activities, through traditional political action, or simply by voicing thoughtful concern, Judy’s influence has been vast and truly memorable.

At the Oakland Cemetery graveside service, Mayor Chris Coleman, state it best when he noted that Judy McLaughlin was taking her rightful place among the City’s movers and shakers—Alexander Ramsey, Henry Sibley, Amherst Wilder and Harriet Bishop. There was little in Saint Paul’s recent history that wasn’t touched by Judy’s hand. We’ll miss her!

(guest posy by Denise Beigbeder)