1968

scmintern@scu.edu

On Dec. 15, 2016, a warm and peaceful evening with a stunning moonrise, Maggie Wittenburg ’68 passed away from pancreatic cancer at home, surrounded by a handful of friends. As a former CBS News producer, it seemed as if she’d staged her final segment. Those who knew Maggie know she wove many amazing adventures into her 69 years. She had a career in television in New York and Los Angeles, California, but the place she considered home was in the Owens Valley, where she lived in an amazing home with a view of Mount Whitney. She lovingly dubbed it “Rancho Remorseless.” She held several local jobs before coming to Manzanar, including a stint at the Eastern California Museum. Maggie dedicated herself to Manzanar for more than 13 years, first as a volunteer for Manzanar History Association, then as a sales associate, and ultimately as the executive director, a title she held for the past decade. She oversaw development and publication of the award-winning book Children of Manzanar, and was collaborating on a follow-up book, Journeys from Manzanar. She oversaw the creation of www.ManzanarStore.com as well as bookstore items like the water bottle, patch, and—perhaps coolest of all—the Manzanar baseball. Maggie loved co-hosting the annual Henry Fukuhara Art Show and sale and other special events, and served as a stage manager for the Ball State University/National Baseball Hall of Fame “Electronic Field Trip” in 2007. She was totally in her element behind the cameras and lights! It’s not possible to list all of the programs and projects in which Maggie took part. She loved interacting with visitors and helping to connect them to the site, to its history, and to the Owens Valley. She touched more lives that she—and we—may ever know.

08 Nov 2018