2024. Monrovia Area Partnership's Neighborhood Treasures Monument Dedication Event Honoring Pat Ostrye. (City of Monrovia photo) By Oliver Beckwith
On June 15th, 2024 a group of Monrovians came together at the corner of Alta Vista and Hillcrest to remember a woman who made a positive impact on the City of Monrovia. A Neighborhood Treasure Monument had been erected there in honor of Mary Patricia “Pat” Ostrye. Pat Ostrye (1924-2018) spent the majority of her life working to make Monrovia a better place. She is the only person ever elected to all four of Monrovia’s elective offices. In her political career Pat served on the City Council, as Mayor, as City Clerk, and as City Treasurer. In addition she participated in many committees and groups to make things better for all people in the city. Pat Ostrye wore many hats in her life, and this is her story.
On June 15th, 2024 a group of Monrovians came together at the corner of Alta Vista and Hillcrest to remember a woman who made a positive impact on the City of Monrovia. A Neighborhood Treasure Monument had been erected there in honor of Mary Patricia “Pat” Ostrye. Pat Ostrye (1924-2018) spent the majority of her life working to make Monrovia a better place. She is the only person ever elected to all four of Monrovia’s elective offices. In her political career Pat served on the City Council, as Mayor, as City Clerk, and as City Treasurer. In addition she participated in many committees and groups to make things better for all people in the city. Pat Ostrye wore many hats in her life, and this is her story.
Pat O'Brien shown here in her First Communion attire; this dress is on display at the Monrovia Historical Museum. (MHM Archives) Mary Patricia O'Brien was born in 1924 to William and Cecilia Obrien in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In her life Pat witnessed and experienced great changes. Sixteen Presidents, the “Roaring Twenties,” the Great Depression, World War II, the Postwar Baby Boom, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement. These were followed by the Economic and Political Transitions of the Seventies and Eighties, the Information Age, the Post 9-11 War on Terror, and the Digital Age. Pat witnessed all the changes that living in ten decades can bring.
Pat O’Brien was the eldest of five children in her family. Both parents worked; her father William worked at the Diamond Iron Works, which produced heavy industrial equipment and tractors in Minneapolis. By World War II he became a general manager. Her mother Cecilia worked as an operator for the Lindsay Brothers, a local distributor for farm hardware and supplies.
Pat O’Brien attended St. Margaret’s Academy in Downtown Minneapolis. Interested in the technology of the day, she aspired to work in radio, and after high school she worked for radio station KYSM. According to Pat’s daughter Madonna, “She did a woman’s program in the morning, read news at noon and interviewed notable people in the afternoon. In addition, she wrote commercials and organized their music library.” These jobs required diligence and a broad range of talents, and were activities which developed Pat’s interpersonal skills.
Pat O’Brien was the eldest of five children in her family. Both parents worked; her father William worked at the Diamond Iron Works, which produced heavy industrial equipment and tractors in Minneapolis. By World War II he became a general manager. Her mother Cecilia worked as an operator for the Lindsay Brothers, a local distributor for farm hardware and supplies.
Pat O’Brien attended St. Margaret’s Academy in Downtown Minneapolis. Interested in the technology of the day, she aspired to work in radio, and after high school she worked for radio station KYSM. According to Pat’s daughter Madonna, “She did a woman’s program in the morning, read news at noon and interviewed notable people in the afternoon. In addition, she wrote commercials and organized their music library.” These jobs required diligence and a broad range of talents, and were activities which developed Pat’s interpersonal skills.
Pat Ostrye in the 1970s (MHM archives) The big news in these years was the war. In 1944 Pat O’Brien became part of what television journalist Tom Brokaw called, “The Greatest Generation.” That year she joined the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), becoming one of 350,000 women in the military during World War II. Women had always been involved in our wars, beginning with the American Revolution. After completing Basic Training she was stationed in Pasco, Washington, and then in Seattle. Her next assignment was as a telegraph operator in San Diego, where she was responsible for communicating flight plans for various air stations there.
Pat had an aunt named Irene Gretton who lived in Monrovia. Irene played the organ for Immaculate Conception Church, and during a visit there Pat met Peter Ostrye, who was renting a room from Aunt Irene. Peter also had a family member living in Monrovia. His cousin Sister Mary Ellen was the Superior at the Maryknoll Sanitarium on Norumbega.
Peter Ostrye (1914-1988) hailed from Cleveland, Ohio, had a Political Science degree from Western Reserve University, and he had some law school experience. When the war broke out he tried to enlist in the military but was rejected because of hearing impairment. So Peter came out West to help fulfill the need for more than half a million wartime industrial workers in Southern California. He worked at Lockheed Aircraft Company during and volunteered for the USO.
Pat and Peter fell in love and they were married in June of 1945. The war ended, and between 1946 and 1959 the Ostryes were blessed with seven children. This didn’t stop Pat from continuing her education at San Jose State College, courtesy of the G.I. Bill. In addition to raising all those kids during the Cold War, Pat found time to volunteer for Immaculate Conception School and the Church. Pete spent some time working for the Post Office, and then as a teacher at Monrovia High School.
In 1958 Peter had a successful run for City Council. He served in that position until 1968, but he often found himself outvoted by the White Protestant Conservative majority on the council. At the time the country was experiencing change. The people of the United States had elected John F. Kennedy, a practicing Catholic, as President in 1960. Pat and Peter were both delegates to the 1960 Democratic National Convention, held at the then new Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in mid-July of that year.
Sometime around 1964 Peter Ostrye had a heart attack. Pat went back to work to help their large family, first as a switchboard operator for Sears in Pasadena, and then she worked for Conrac, a Duarte based electronics company. Her volunteer activities continued.
These were the years of the Civil Rights Movement, and the practice of segregation in Monrovia had caused much discord in the community. Businesses on Myrtle began closing and were not being replaced. For example, McBratney's clothing store closed its doors in 1969 after six decades on Myrtle Avenue. Fights were happening at the high school, and other local events increased tensions.
Pat had an aunt named Irene Gretton who lived in Monrovia. Irene played the organ for Immaculate Conception Church, and during a visit there Pat met Peter Ostrye, who was renting a room from Aunt Irene. Peter also had a family member living in Monrovia. His cousin Sister Mary Ellen was the Superior at the Maryknoll Sanitarium on Norumbega.
Peter Ostrye (1914-1988) hailed from Cleveland, Ohio, had a Political Science degree from Western Reserve University, and he had some law school experience. When the war broke out he tried to enlist in the military but was rejected because of hearing impairment. So Peter came out West to help fulfill the need for more than half a million wartime industrial workers in Southern California. He worked at Lockheed Aircraft Company during and volunteered for the USO.
Pat and Peter fell in love and they were married in June of 1945. The war ended, and between 1946 and 1959 the Ostryes were blessed with seven children. This didn’t stop Pat from continuing her education at San Jose State College, courtesy of the G.I. Bill. In addition to raising all those kids during the Cold War, Pat found time to volunteer for Immaculate Conception School and the Church. Pete spent some time working for the Post Office, and then as a teacher at Monrovia High School.
In 1958 Peter had a successful run for City Council. He served in that position until 1968, but he often found himself outvoted by the White Protestant Conservative majority on the council. At the time the country was experiencing change. The people of the United States had elected John F. Kennedy, a practicing Catholic, as President in 1960. Pat and Peter were both delegates to the 1960 Democratic National Convention, held at the then new Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in mid-July of that year.
Sometime around 1964 Peter Ostrye had a heart attack. Pat went back to work to help their large family, first as a switchboard operator for Sears in Pasadena, and then she worked for Conrac, a Duarte based electronics company. Her volunteer activities continued.
These were the years of the Civil Rights Movement, and the practice of segregation in Monrovia had caused much discord in the community. Businesses on Myrtle began closing and were not being replaced. For example, McBratney's clothing store closed its doors in 1969 after six decades on Myrtle Avenue. Fights were happening at the high school, and other local events increased tensions.
1974 Monrovia City Council - Pat Ostrye (left) with Bob Bartlett (center), et al. (MHM Archives) By the 1970’s America was suffering from the effects of the end of the postwar economic boom. Gas shortages, job losses, and political crises at the national level created big problems for cities at the local level like Monrovia. Decay had begun to set in and the current slate of city leaders were unable to keep pace with the changes.
In 1974, the same year that President Richard Nixon resigned from office, Pat Ostrye joined with Bob Bartlett (1939-2015) and Eric Faith (1944-2021) to run for the Monrovia City Council; they had new ideas for needed change, and on April 9th they were elected. The three like minded council members appealed to a broad coalition of voters from different backgrounds.
Three votes on the council was a majority, and soon Eric Faith became the youngest Mayor in California, being appointed at age 29. Bob Bartlett became the first African American Mayor in Monrovia two years later. In 1978 the system changed into making the Mayor a separate elected position, and Pat Ostrye became both the first elected mayor and first woman mayor of Monrovia.
What changes were made? The group created a redevelopment agency to improve the business areas on Huntington Drive and Myrtle Avenue. A number of industrial complexes were created on East Huntington. The nine story Howard Johnson Hotel, on Huntington next to the 210 Freeway, opened in 1980. 1985 saw the opening of both the Foothill Park Plaza and the Huntington Oaks Shopping Center. I remember being at that opening because I was an employee of Ole’s Home Centers back then, and the Monrovia store was a showpiece. The city’s image began to improve.
Monrovia City Historian Steve Baker called this group a "triumvirate," and described the changes. “It was a turning point in Monrovia’s history… they found Monrovia in decline and stagnation and carefully engineered a Renaissance that left Monrovia attractive and revitalized.”
In 1974, the same year that President Richard Nixon resigned from office, Pat Ostrye joined with Bob Bartlett (1939-2015) and Eric Faith (1944-2021) to run for the Monrovia City Council; they had new ideas for needed change, and on April 9th they were elected. The three like minded council members appealed to a broad coalition of voters from different backgrounds.
Three votes on the council was a majority, and soon Eric Faith became the youngest Mayor in California, being appointed at age 29. Bob Bartlett became the first African American Mayor in Monrovia two years later. In 1978 the system changed into making the Mayor a separate elected position, and Pat Ostrye became both the first elected mayor and first woman mayor of Monrovia.
What changes were made? The group created a redevelopment agency to improve the business areas on Huntington Drive and Myrtle Avenue. A number of industrial complexes were created on East Huntington. The nine story Howard Johnson Hotel, on Huntington next to the 210 Freeway, opened in 1980. 1985 saw the opening of both the Foothill Park Plaza and the Huntington Oaks Shopping Center. I remember being at that opening because I was an employee of Ole’s Home Centers back then, and the Monrovia store was a showpiece. The city’s image began to improve.
Monrovia City Historian Steve Baker called this group a "triumvirate," and described the changes. “It was a turning point in Monrovia’s history… they found Monrovia in decline and stagnation and carefully engineered a Renaissance that left Monrovia attractive and revitalized.”
Circa 2000, Pat Ostrye (Monrovia Now) Mayor Pat Ostrye worked for the betterment of all Monrovians. Some of her programs included Meals-on-Wheels, Dial-a-Ride, a senior lunch program, acquiring the building now used as the Monrovia Community Center, and starting the New Horizons Senior Club. I have given history presentations to that group and Pat Ostrye is well remembered there.
Pat Ostrye’s term of office as Mayor ended in 1980. At that time she opted to run for City Clerk and was elected. She retired from that position in 1986 to spend time with Peter, who had just completed his book Monrovia: Centennial Review for the 100 year anniversary of the Gem City. Peter passed away in 1988, and in 1992 she returned to political office, being elected as City Treasurer. Thus we have the only person in Monrovia history elected to all four elective offices. She retired from the post in 2004.
Pat Ostrye’s term of office as Mayor ended in 1980. At that time she opted to run for City Clerk and was elected. She retired from that position in 1986 to spend time with Peter, who had just completed his book Monrovia: Centennial Review for the 100 year anniversary of the Gem City. Peter passed away in 1988, and in 1992 she returned to political office, being elected as City Treasurer. Thus we have the only person in Monrovia history elected to all four elective offices. She retired from the post in 2004.
Pat Ostrye in 2011 (Monrovia Patch) In 1995 Pat was on the delegation that earned Monrovia its first All America City designation from the National Civic League. That impressed President Bill Clinton enough to visit our high school, expressing that Monrovia’s model of cooperation between the city, schools, and chamber of commerce was a good example for the nation.
Pat Ostrye passed away in 2018, but there is so much more to her story. She participated and led many groups and was recognized for her contributions during her lifetime. I am including some sources I used to write this below. I hope they inspire you as it has inspired me.
Sources & Links:
Pat Ostrye passed away in 2018, but there is so much more to her story. She participated and led many groups and was recognized for her contributions during her lifetime. I am including some sources I used to write this below. I hope they inspire you as it has inspired me.
Sources & Links:
- Renaissance Years: A History of Modern Monrovia. Monrovia, CA, Richard Singer, 2024.
- “Pat Ostrye Shares Memories of Monrovia.” Patch News 4-8-11.
- “Mary Patricia Ostrye, First Woman Mayor.” Madonna Ostrye Tyler (excerpt by Susie Ling), 2024.
- "Art Installation Saturday to Honor Former Mayor Pat Ostrye.” Brad Haugaard, Monrovia Now. 6-14-24.
- “Remarks for Eric Faith." Steve Baker, 2012
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