Stardust And Spurs: Exploring Santa Clarita’s Walk Of Western Stars – Jo Anne Darcy

Posted by: Dani Gallegos in Arts and Entertainment, Santa Clarita Latest News October 17, 2024 - 1:22 pm 0 1,028 Views

Saddle up for a trip through Old Town Newhall history with a weekly highlight from Santa Clarita’s Walk of Western Stars! This week, local politician Jo Anne Darcy.

Jo Anne Hall was born May 2, 1931, in San Angelo, Texas. Her mother brought her to California as a child, stopping in San Francisco before landing for good in Los Angeles County, where Jo Anne met her husband, Curtis Darcy, and raised four children — Gary, Darrell, Richard and the youngest, Joleen.

Living in Culver City, Darcy was an administrative assistant at TRW while Curtis drove a beer truck until 1965, when he suffered a major heart attack.

Before his death, Curtis was described as a man who “knew somebody who knew somebody,” and by 1967, Darcy had moved to Acton, where they reopened the Acton ’49er saloon with Darcy as “chief cook and bottle washer,” in her words.

It wasn’t meant to last, and in the early 1970s, the family moved to Saugus, where Darcy took a job as assistant manager of the Newhall-Saugus-Valencia Chamber of Commerce.

In between, Darcy ran the biggest-ever Newhall Fourth of July Parade in 1976 with approximately 150 entries from across the valley; a year later, she oversaw the chamber’s move from a cramped office in the Plaza Posada shopping center to the historic Pardee House, which stood where the city’s Veterans Historic Plaza is today.

In no time at all, Darcy was running the chamber and grew its membership three-fold by the time she left in 1980 to serve as the Santa Clarita Valley field deputy to the 5th District’s newly elected supervisor, Michael D. Antonovich.

Darcy chaired the chamber’s public affairs and legislative committee at a time in Santa Clarita history when the area’s population was growing rapidly and the chamber was the closest thing that Santa Clarita had to local government.

It was a place where local business and community leaders met and communicated regularly with county, state and federal government representatives to deal with the issues of the day, mostly relating to growth.

Not only was Darcy responsible for coordinating all of that, but she also had become active in local Republican Party circles and when Mike Antonovich came to town looking for a field deputy, she was the natural fit.

Darcy didn’t shed any of her volunteer responsibilities, and if anything, she took on more, according To officials.

She helped launch the local Friends of the Libraries group, started the Newhall Walk of Western Stars in 1981 and served as president of Zonta.

By the time the city was incorporated in 1987, Darcy had been named Santa Clarita Valley Woman of the Year (1984), “Outstanding Woman” by the Soroptimists (1986) and Founders Award recipient by Zonta (1986).

In 1990, Darcy was the first woman to be named Citizen of the Year by the Santa Clarita Elks Lodge, added officials.

The city of Santa Clarita was created by local residents who wanted to control their political destiny.

Santa Clarita was a tiny piece of a huge county, and the seat of county government was 35 miles away.

Plus, residents of Santa Clarita were paying millions more in taxes every year than they were getting back in services.

While serving as a council member and mayor, Darcy started or helped start the Domestic Violence Center, the annual Wine Auction for the Senior Center and the Celebrity Waiter dinner for the American Heart Association.

In 2001, the county of Los Angeles emblazoned her name on the Jo Anne Darcy Canyon Country Library, and the city memorialized her in the sidewalk on the Newhall Walk of Western Stars.

Jo Anne Darcy died on October 29, 2017, at the age of 86, after she was housebound in Saugus for more than a decade.

Where is Jo Anne Darcy’s Plaque on the Walk of Western Stars?

In 2001, Darcy was honored with a plaque on the Walk of Western Stars. The plaque is on the east side of Main Street in front of the Canyon Theatre Guild.

To view last week’s feature, click here.