Mrs. Meri Jaye is one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. I met her 20 or more years ago at the Big 4 Restaurant where I work on Nob Hill in San Francisco. From the moment we met, we were kindred spirits. Mrs. Jaye was a designer and builder of ships. She launched nearly two dozen ocean going vessels during her career. In the past few years, she has bequeathed priceless rare books to the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, a painting by Marc Chagall to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, two large commissioned wall sculptures "The Door" and "The Brotherhood of Man" to Grace Cathedral, and her beloved Mother's Faberge jewelry to the Legion of Honor Museum. But now, this beautiful redwood tree means the most to her. She is hoping that by having this healthy, stately, majestic tree designated a landmark, it and all the life that interact with it, will be her most lasting legacy along with her husband and sons. By having landmark status, the neighbors will not be able to cut it down to improve their window view when she is gone.
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