History Happening Now
Joan MacDonald Appointed to HRC
By IdaRose Sylvester MVHA Membership Chair ( Acting )
Giants with MV Roots
By Pamela Baird MVHA President
For maybe the �irst time ever , two members of a professional sports team have their roots here . Both veteran Brandon Crawford ( January 21 , 1987 ) and newly acquired Mitch Haniger ( December 23 , 1990 ) were born in Mountain View . As small boys both had dreams of someday playing for the SF Giants .
Brandon Crawford lived with his family in Menlo Park as a small child . The family then moved to Pleasanton where he grew up . A skilled athlete at Foothill High School , he participated in three sports . He played baseball at UCLA . In 2008 he was drafted by the SF Giants and played in their minor Brandon Crawford leagues for three years .
Crawford made his major league debut on May 27 , 2011 . His �irst MLB hit was a grand slam home run , only the sixth MLB player to do so . Crawford is one of the premier
Joan MacDonald , 93 years old , and a 63 year resident of the Monta Loma neighborhood of Mountain View , just joined the Mountain View Human Relations Commission ( HRC ). She is believed to be the oldest resident to take public appointed of�ice in the city . As the chair of the HRC , and MVHA board member , I sat her down to discuss this historic moment
Joan MacDonald Question : Joan , you ’ ve been continually involved in advocating for housing issues since 1960 . You served as an elected trustee for 13 years on the Mountain View Whisman School District , and then 9 years as an elected trustee to the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District board . You have walked precincts for candidates and measures in every election but one . You still serve on the board of CHAC , a local non-pro�it mental health agency , which you have done since its founding in 1973 . You regularly attend council meetings , advisory body meetings , and community events , from protests , to musical concerts to support your favorite musicians . Others might choose to rest , why don ’ t you ?
Answer : Age doesn ’ t diminish need and capacity to help with positive projects and growth ! I ’ m lucky I still have the bandwidth to add something meaningful to my endeavors . I guess because I was raised in a family that was communityminded and involved , it ’ s in my DNA ! I enjoy the fruits of my labor when something I ’ ve worked for or on comes to fruition . I cherish working on issues that can affect people of all walks of life and needs in our community .
Question : Well , how did you choose the HRC to use some of that bandwidth ? How did they get so lucky ?
Answer : I feel that HRC is the advisory body that reaches out directly to our community to work with everyone on critical issues . If you want to make an impact , you need to work directly in the community . I ’ m particularly hopeful that I can support work on mental health , which the HRC is currently doing . Today , the need for mental health services has never been as great and fortunately the stigma about those services has begun to diminish . Perhaps I can help with diminishing the stigma even more !
Question : What advice do you have for other seniors who want to be involved ?
Answer : It ’ s simple ! Find a passion that you cherish and a way to nurture it , especially working with others . Seniors have a lifetime of experience that is invaluable !
shortstops playing today , having won the Golden Glove four times . Crawford is currently the longest tenured member of the Giants .
Mitch Haniger grew up with his family in Santa Clara , where he attended Archbishop Mitty High School . He was a two sport athlete . As a baseball player at Cal Poly , he was named an All- American in 2012 .
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Mitch in 2012 as an out�ielder . He then spent the next two years on their minor league teams before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014 . Haniger was called up to their major league team in 2016 , before being traded to the Seattle Mariners . Over the past six years he has had several injuries , in spite of having his best career year in 2021 . The
Mitch Haniger Giants acquired Mitch in December 2022 .
Go Giants ! 8