By Susan Motander
Kris Mariconda, longtime Monrovia resident, died during the night of Sept. 7, 2015, after a brief but valiant battle with cancer. She leaves behind not only a much beloved family, but a community that has been changed by her being a part of it.
Kris was the person you turned to when something needed to be done. As her good friend Joanne Spring said, “She knew what needed to be done and she did it. She was always at the hub of things, getting things accomplished.”
What she “got accomplished” was major. From 1973 through 1988 she volunteered time in classrooms at Bradoaks, Plymouth, and Mayflower elementary schools as well as Clifton Middle School. She helped to organize Red Ribbon Awareness Week at the middle schools. She was active in the PTAs of the those schools, a member of the district’s GATE advisory Board and the Wildcat Band Boosters, and helped to organize the United Parents for Students at Monrovia High School.
In 1977 she ran a write-in campaign for School Board and won, one of only four successful write-in campaigns in Los Angeles County history. She served on that Board through 1979, and was its President and Vice President as well as the liaison to the Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.
But her interests were not limited to the schools only. She was a founder of the Monrovia Chapter of the American Heart Association. She worked for the passage of bond measure to refurbish the police department, and later for another to update our schools. She was a member of the All-America City planning and presentation committees (both in Monrovia – an unsuccessful attempt in 1994 and a successful one 1995).
Kris was an active member of the Monrovia Guild of Children’s Hospital since 1982 and served as its president for two terms. She was also on the Library Board for 10 years, also serving as its president. In addition, she served on the board of Santa Anita Family Services. With all this, is it any wonder that she was named Volunteer of the Month in October of 1997 and that she was the recipient of the 1997 Iris Award as Monrovia’s Citizen of the Year?
She was a member of the city’s centennial celebration committee, co-chairing the Country Fair 1886 in Library Park, and chairing the Community Involvement Committee. Out of the centennial rose the Monrovia Historical Museum Foundation, of which she was a founding board member and a past president. As Steve Baker, current president of the Foundation and City Historian, explained, “Kris ran the fundraising campaign for the Museum. We called it Treasures in the Park. The goal was to convert the old plunge into a museum for the city, but we found our true treasure in Kris.”
The west wing of the museum is dedicated to Kris and her late husband Don Mariconda. A contractor, Don did much of the renovation on the museum building himself. He used to joke that he worked until he ran out of money and them he would send Kris out to raise some more. And she did.
Along with another dear friend, Linda Proctor, Kris established Oh Shoot! a company dedicated to bringing filming to Monrovia in a positive way. She and Linda, who was Monrovia’s City Clerk for many years, worked together on many projects (including the Centennial, the museum, their company, Chapter M of the PEO). “’Let’s get it done’ summed up her attitude toward accomplishing things,” Proctor said.
When Proctor nominated Kris for the Iris Award, she wrote: “Kris enjoys seeing the successful end result of a project. She sincerely volunteers to make the quality of life just a little bit better than it was, with no regard for personal recognition. Joining a committee or organization just for the sake of joining is not part of Kris’s character.”
In addition to all these volunteer activities, in1991, Kris actually found time to return to the work force as a secretary in the Instructions Services Department at Monrovia Unified School District. From 1996 until her death, she was the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools. As Chris Rich, a former member of the Board of Education, said, “Kris was the fount of all knowledge.” She knew what was happening in the schools and she made a lot of it happen herself.
Linda Monroe, one of her dearest friends, said simply, “She was unconditionally giving of her time and herself. She was remarkable in that way.” And this City will surely miss her.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations may be made in memory of Kris to Monrovia Historical Museum, 742 E. Lemon Avenue, Monrovia, or to Monrovia Reads, P.O. Box 1033,Monrovia, CA 91017. Service arrangements are pending and will be noted when they are complete.
Other tributes to Kris Mariconda:
Louise Taylor, former MUSD Superintendent of Schools: “Kris Mariconda. What a loss to Monrovia, Monrovia’s schools, her family, her friends … me. I was blessed to call Kris friend and colleague for over 20 years, and watch firsthand this caring, brilliant, dedicated lady at work. She championed and contributed monumentally to Monrovia, her home town; to Monrovia USD, her home schools; and to every person who came into her path. If you sought answers or action, caring or concern, history or help — Kris provided all. She grasped the vision, and still conquered the details. She did it all. She loved us all. We loved her in return, and carry wondrous memories in our hearts. She is deeply missed.”
Katherine Fundukian Thorossian: “Though never assigned to the classroom, in many ways Kris Mariconda was the finest teacher Monrovia Unified had to offer. She was an exquisite combination of expertise and insight upon which we relied. Her indefatigable drive inspired each of us privileged to have worked with her to redouble our efforts on behalf of Monrovia’s students.
“It’s no wonder her maiden name was Valentine. She was the heart of this district and we are now, simply, bereft.”
Ed Gilliland: “For years, Kris Mariconda has been one of the key people who make Monrovia Unified School District the special place it is. She served this community, our schools, administrators, the School Board, and our students with professionalism, enthusiasm, grace, and a cheerful demeanor. No detail was too small, no task left undone. Kris made an unbelievably difficult job look easy, tirelessly coordinating schedules, providing information and documents, and putting on the hat that was needed for the multitude of tasks that she did. I will never forget the many things Kris did to make our jobs easier. She will be sorely missed and never replaced. Rest in Peace, Kris Mariconda.”
Karen Sutherland: “Among all the wonderful accolades and tributes to Kris, I believe, the ones she would treasure most are regarding her deep love and commitment to her family and friends. Kris was a fantastic wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandma, sister, aunt and cherished friend.”
Terry Miller, Beacon Media News Editor: “Kris Mariconda was one of the friendliest people I ever spoke with in my years dealing with the School District … No matter the issue or how controversial, Kris was always the perfect conduit for accurate material and if she couldn’t supply said information she would help me get to the source. Always with a smile and charming disposition, Kris was a joy to work with and will be greatly missed.”
Charlotte Schamadan: “Briefly summing up 30 years of a loving friendship is a tough task. I’ll simply say that I’ll remember the warmth of Kris’s laughter after hours of good times together, the joy of sharing work on special projects to benefit others, and learning to follow her fine example of class and patience in the most of difficult times. I will also remember a favorite Proverb we both like: ‘She is clothed in Strength and Dignity and she laughs without fear of the future.’”