On July 26 Carole Star, long time Republican activist in San Diego and Imperial Counties, passed away. When I was assigned to Imperial County by the California Republican Party in 1996 Carole, who at the time I believe worked for Congressman Duncan Hunter, helped me learn the county. She was a regular at California Republican Conventions, and a friend to many. RIP, Carole. DDD
This obituary was submitted by Joel Jacklich:
Five foot nothing with long auburn hair she usually wore in a pony tail, Carole Starr had the energy of a whirlwind. She prided herself on her ability to meet any challenge. Whether she was putting together a fundraiser for a political campaign at last minute’s notice; shopping; or traveling abroad and spending full days visiting museums, attending the theater, and sightseeing, Carole seemed tireless. From her college days as President of Alpha Phi sorority, Carole liked to be at the center of social and political activities.
She was born Carole Janet Oswald in
Chicago, Illinois , in 1939, to Louise Tubach Oswald and William Oswald, who died when she was six. Carole moved to
San Diego at age seven when her mother remarried. Her stepfather, Martin Formanek, although never formally adopting Carole, raised her as his own; and she took his family name. She graduated from
Lincoln
High School in
San Diego (1957) and UC Santa Barbara (1961) with a BS in Zoology. She interned for two years at Scripp’s Hospital in
San Diego as a Lab Tech, and kept her license current throughout her life, advancing to the highest level, Clinical Laboratory Scientist II. Carole married Alan Starr in 1963, and moved to
El Centro . She worked with the Blood Bank of San Diego and was instrumental in bringing it to the
Imperial Valley where she chaired Blood Drives.
Carole served as the first woman on the Planning Commission in the early 70’s. From 1978 to 1983, she worked for Representative Dave Kelly as his field representative. From 1983 to 2002, Carole worked as Congressman Duncan Hunter’s field representative in the
Imperial Valley , where she established a reputation among government agencies and Valley constituents as “the lady who could get problems solved.” She was a member of the California Republican Party and served on the Proxie/Credentials Committee through several national campaign cycles until her death. Carole attended the National Republican Conventions as a guest in 1992, 1996, and 2000; and at the 2004 convention, she was a voting delegate.
A Renaissance woman, Carole was an avid tourist and a lover of the arts. She searched for bargains in ’s open markets, toured the Three Gorges before flooded them with the dam construction, taxied ’s coast into the Arctic Circle, and ventured to . Wherever she went, however busy she was, she was always up for more. Any time her itinerary read “free time,” Carole would head for the museums. She knew her way around the Smithsonian, the Louvre, and the
British
Museum , and had visited the Hermitage, the Uffizi and many others. A musical theater aficionado, Carole could sing the lyrics to almost any Broadway show at the drop of a hat. As a patron of the arts, she served as the founding President of the Imperial Valley Symphony Association and continued to serve for many years. Under her watchful eye, the local orchestra grew to symphony status and established a scholarship program. More than once her contributions sustained the orchestra through its season.
Carole died July 26,after a long battle with cancer. During her treatment, Carole had highest regard for the care and expertise of her doctors and nurses at the
Imperial Valley
Cancer
Center . She is survived by her sons, Larry Gray Starr of El Centro and Marc Gray Starr of Huntington Beach; her sister Marlou Everson, her nephew Erik Thomas Everson and niece Julie Louise Everson, of Carpinteria; and her goddaughter, Barbara Jacklich of
San Diego . She was a long time patron of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (Church Street Station, P.O. Box 780, New York, NY
10008-0780) and the Imperial Valley Symphony Association, (P.O. Box 713, El Centro, CA
92244-0713).
This entry was posted
on Sunday, July 27th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.
July 27th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Carol proudly represented Congressman Duncan Hunter in Imperial County for many, many years.
From the first day I was elected to represent Imperial in the Assembly – to when the county was redistricted out of Senate district, Carol was wonderful to deal with. She was always a class act and well respected.
I’m so sorry to hear she lost her fight.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Duane, thanks for posting this. One could always count on Carole. Often she was seemingly the lone “go to” person in Imperial County, always making the time to find a way to help. She will truly be missed.