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| Felton "Mac" Mailes |
| In Memory of |
| From the Dec. 25, 2000, Sacramento Bee: By Kevin Yamamura Bee Staff Writer Felton "Mac" Mailes died of lung cancer three days before Christmas, a holiday he sometimes celebrated in June. Mr. Mailes, 68. was a former Sacramento assistant city manager who loved government and found pleasure in a circle of friends he called the Procrastinator's Club. True to form, the group observed holidays a few months late. "He was really a fun guy, he had a wonderful sense of humor," said Darcy Betinis, his daughter. "They used to have Christmas parties in June. I recently asked when they were getting together again, and he said, 'Oh we'll get around to it sometime.'" If time constraints didn't apply to Mr. Mailes, neither did job descriptions. He was a professor, licensed pilot, musician, disc jockey, hunter and documentarian. But his true passion was local goverment. He ran the city's Planning and Development Department under longtime City Manager Walter Slipe and Mayors Phil Isenberg and Anne Rudin. He was executive officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission. And until two weeks ago, he had a part-time job as a hearing officer in the city's nuisance abatement department. "Mac's just always been involved with local goverment because I think he felt the state and federal goverments were hard to approach," said Bob Wall, a friend who served as deputy planning director under Mr. Mailes. "I think he felt he could make a difference," Wall added. "He felt he could establish systems that were more user-friendly. He was always looking for ways to serve the community and do a better job." During his tenure, Mr. Mailes helped plan the development of Natomas, an area of rapid growth in recent years, Wall said. Mr. Mailes was born in Hollywood and came to Sacramento in 1954 after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, and pursued a degree at McGeorge School of Law before opting for an analyst position with Sacramento County. He was program manager at KSFM from 1962 to 1963, when the station played classical music. He also taught a CSUS class called "Contemporary Local Goverment" from 1969-1977. Mr. Mailes was diagnosed with lung cancer a month ago. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, the former Sandra Lee Soderlund of Sacramento, and his daughters, Darcy Betinis of Sacramento and Vicki Mailes Leoni of Visalia. At Mr. Mailes' request, no memorial services were held. He requests that any contributions go to the League of Women Voters. |
| February 17, 1932 - December 22, 2000 |
| Welcome! This page is ... |
| Felton "Mac" Mailes, former city official |
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| My dad ... was a raconteur, an activist, a humorist, a philosopher, a really good cook. He expressly forbade us from holding a memorial service, but I think he'd appreciate a - hopefully - freewheeling and honest online tribute. I'd love to hear from those of you who knew him so that I may include your stories here. |
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| Things I'm sorry he missed ... 1. Lemony Snicket 2. DaVinci's Notebook 3. All Harry Potter media from the past three years. 4. Rush's drug bust Things I'm not sorry he missed ... 1. 9/11 2. The Bush presidency |