Morgan Hill’s first female mayor was well respected by community leaders
Published in the July 8-21, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
A woman leader of note died last month. Long-time Morgan Hill resident and a six-year mayor of the city Virginia Mae Days died in her sleep Tuesday June 9 at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose. She was 80. Born June 25, 1934 in San Jose she served in the U.S. Navy WAVES during the Korean War, earning both the National Defense Service Ribbon and the Good Conduct Medal. After receiving an honorable discharge, she attended U C Berkeley, where she received her BA in Political Science in 1960. She enrolled in Boalt Hall School of Law, U C Berkeley and received her bachelor of law degree in June 1963.
She held public service terms on Santa Clara County’s drug abuse commission, regional criminal justice planning board and human relations commissions as well as director of the California Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1981, she was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown as the first Latina on the bench of the Santa Clara County Superior Court where she served for more than 20 years.
In March 2000 at a dinner honoring the groundbreaking women jurists of Santa Clara County, she said: “The more the bench reflects the community, the fairer the process.”
Days was a long-time resident of Morgan Hill. She moved here with her family in 1947. She graduated from Live Oak High School in 1952.
After passing the bar, she had her own law practice in San Jose from January 1964 to June 1975. She was on the Morgan Hill Planning Commission from September 1969 until she was elected to the Morgan Hill City Council in May 1970, appointed mayor in April 1972 and was re-elected in 1974, retaining her position until March 1978. She was an active member of many community, legal, medical, educational, church and organizations. She received awards including the 1983 Morgan Hill Citizen of the Year, 1976 Melvin T. Dixon National Veteran Service Award, 1975 Justice Byrl Salsman Award from the Santa Clara County Bar Association and 1973 San Jose Mercury/News Professional Achievement Award.
Days proved herself an example of female civic leadership during a time when Morgan Hill was evolving from a small farm town to a Silicon Valley community, said Morgan Hill City Councilmember Marilyn Librers.
“Virginia Mae Days was a great example of women in politics long before it was a popular career choice,” she said. “As Morgan Hill’s mayor, she helped formulate the great city we have today. She has always had my upmost respect for her leadership and strong ethics.”
