Margaret "Midge" Costanzo was the daughter of Philip Joseph and Concetta (Granata) Costanzo.
Obituary
Staff Writer: John Marlius
The San Diego Union-Tribune
March 24, 2010
Page B1, Col. 1, Page 5, Cols. 1-4
CONSTANZO.--Midge Costanzo, once the top woman in President Jimmy Carter's White House and a fixture in San Diego Democratic politics for 20 years, died yesterday. Ms. Constanzo, surrounded by her family and friends, died after a long battle with cancer at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest. She was 77. "Midge was just a wonder - effervescent, irreverent, revered and adored by so many people," said San Diego County District Attorney, Bonnie Dumanis, for whom Ms. Costanzo had worked as a public-affairs officer since 2005. "I'm just beginning to see how many people she has touched through the students she has worked with, politicians she has worked with, attorneys she has worked with. It's such a big loss to all of us." Ms. Costanzo, a scrappy crusader for women's rights and gay rights, settled in San Diego in 1990 and worked on a number of Democratic campaigns including those of U.S. Sen Barbara Boxer, 1994 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Kathleen Brown and former Rep. Lynn Schenk. "I'm the first woman DA in San Diego because Midge paved the way," said Dumanis, a former judge. "She helped me in my judicial races. "that's how we met." In 2003, Ms Costanzo founded the Midge Costanzo Institute for the Study of Politics and Public Policy, affiliated with the women's studies department at San Diego State University. Ms. Costanzo and women's studies professor Doreen Mattingly taught a course together on "sex, power and politics" in 2004. Mattingly who was helping Ms. Costanzo write her autobiobraphy, said she was a favorite of students. "Every student said her coming to guest-speak was the highlight of their college career," Mattingly said. Margaret "Midge" Costanzo was born Nov. 28, 1932, in Le Roy, New York, to Philip and Concetta Constanzo. The family moved to Rochester, New York when she was 5. Ms. Constanzo worked for a Rochester construction and real estate development company for 26 years as she became increasingly active in Democratic Party politics. She entered politics in 1959 as a member of the executive committee of the 22nd Ward in Rochester and managed Robert F. Kennedy's 1964 U.S. Senate campaign in Monroe County. Ms. Constanzo was elected to the Rochester City Council in 1973 and met then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter a year later, when he campaigned for her in an unsuccessful run for Congress. The two struck up a friendship, and Ms Constanzo became state co-chairwoman of Carter's campaign in New York when he ran for president in 1976. Ms. Constanzo joined the Carter administration as assistant to the president for public liason. Her sharp tongue and irreverent sense of humor made the 5-foot-tall Ms. Constanzo a popular speaker and a favorite of White House reporters and columnists. Those same qualities did not endear her to the more straight-laced members of the Carter inner circle, nor did her outspoken advocacy of gay and women's rights. The knives were out for her after an off-hand comment to a local television reporter that embattled budget director Bert Lance should resign. Unwilling to be blamed for jeopardizing Carter's re-election chances, Ms. Costanzo quit after 20 colorful, if contentious, months. Although Ms. Costanzo did not leave the White House on good terms, Dumanis said Carter called his former aide last week. After leaving Washington, Ms. Costanzo headed for Los Angeles, where she managed Shirley MacLaine's "Higher Self" seminars and worked behind the scenes on television shows. In 1990, she moved to San Diego, where she plunged into local Democratic politics and directed training seminars for aspiring candidates for public office. From 2000 to 2003, she was a special assistant to Gov. Gray Davis, serving as a liason to women's groups. Ms. Constanzo is survived by her brother, Anthony Costanzo, and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held in April in San Diego. A private family service will be conducted in Rochester. The family requests that donations be made to the Midge Costanzo Institute for Politics and Policy, P.O. Box 15523, San Diego, CA 92175.
Obituary
Staff Writer: John Marlius
The San Diego Union-Tribune
March 24, 2010
Page B1, Col. 1, Page 5, Cols. 1-4
CONSTANZO.--Midge Costanzo, once the top woman in President Jimmy Carter's White House and a fixture in San Diego Democratic politics for 20 years, died yesterday. Ms. Constanzo, surrounded by her family and friends, died after a long battle with cancer at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest. She was 77. "Midge was just a wonder - effervescent, irreverent, revered and adored by so many people," said San Diego County District Attorney, Bonnie Dumanis, for whom Ms. Costanzo had worked as a public-affairs officer since 2005. "I'm just beginning to see how many people she has touched through the students she has worked with, politicians she has worked with, attorneys she has worked with. It's such a big loss to all of us." Ms. Costanzo, a scrappy crusader for women's rights and gay rights, settled in San Diego in 1990 and worked on a number of Democratic campaigns including those of U.S. Sen Barbara Boxer, 1994 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Kathleen Brown and former Rep. Lynn Schenk. "I'm the first woman DA in San Diego because Midge paved the way," said Dumanis, a former judge. "She helped me in my judicial races. "that's how we met." In 2003, Ms Costanzo founded the Midge Costanzo Institute for the Study of Politics and Public Policy, affiliated with the women's studies department at San Diego State University. Ms. Costanzo and women's studies professor Doreen Mattingly taught a course together on "sex, power and politics" in 2004. Mattingly who was helping Ms. Costanzo write her autobiobraphy, said she was a favorite of students. "Every student said her coming to guest-speak was the highlight of their college career," Mattingly said. Margaret "Midge" Costanzo was born Nov. 28, 1932, in Le Roy, New York, to Philip and Concetta Constanzo. The family moved to Rochester, New York when she was 5. Ms. Constanzo worked for a Rochester construction and real estate development company for 26 years as she became increasingly active in Democratic Party politics. She entered politics in 1959 as a member of the executive committee of the 22nd Ward in Rochester and managed Robert F. Kennedy's 1964 U.S. Senate campaign in Monroe County. Ms. Constanzo was elected to the Rochester City Council in 1973 and met then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter a year later, when he campaigned for her in an unsuccessful run for Congress. The two struck up a friendship, and Ms Constanzo became state co-chairwoman of Carter's campaign in New York when he ran for president in 1976. Ms. Constanzo joined the Carter administration as assistant to the president for public liason. Her sharp tongue and irreverent sense of humor made the 5-foot-tall Ms. Constanzo a popular speaker and a favorite of White House reporters and columnists. Those same qualities did not endear her to the more straight-laced members of the Carter inner circle, nor did her outspoken advocacy of gay and women's rights. The knives were out for her after an off-hand comment to a local television reporter that embattled budget director Bert Lance should resign. Unwilling to be blamed for jeopardizing Carter's re-election chances, Ms. Costanzo quit after 20 colorful, if contentious, months. Although Ms. Costanzo did not leave the White House on good terms, Dumanis said Carter called his former aide last week. After leaving Washington, Ms. Costanzo headed for Los Angeles, where she managed Shirley MacLaine's "Higher Self" seminars and worked behind the scenes on television shows. In 1990, she moved to San Diego, where she plunged into local Democratic politics and directed training seminars for aspiring candidates for public office. From 2000 to 2003, she was a special assistant to Gov. Gray Davis, serving as a liason to women's groups. Ms. Constanzo is survived by her brother, Anthony Costanzo, and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held in April in San Diego. A private family service will be conducted in Rochester. The family requests that donations be made to the Midge Costanzo Institute for Politics and Policy, P.O. Box 15523, San Diego, CA 92175.
Margaret "Midge" Costanzo was the daughter of Philip Joseph and Concetta (Granata) Costanzo.
Obituary
Staff Writer: John Marlius
The San Diego Union-Tribune
March 24, 2010
Page B1, Col. 1, Page 5, Cols. 1-4
CONSTANZO.--Midge Costanzo, once the top woman in President Jimmy Carter's White House and a fixture in San Diego Democratic politics for 20 years, died yesterday. Ms. Constanzo, surrounded by her family and friends, died after a long battle with cancer at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest. She was 77. "Midge was just a wonder - effervescent, irreverent, revered and adored by so many people," said San Diego County District Attorney, Bonnie Dumanis, for whom Ms. Costanzo had worked as a public-affairs officer since 2005. "I'm just beginning to see how many people she has touched through the students she has worked with, politicians she has worked with, attorneys she has worked with. It's such a big loss to all of us." Ms. Costanzo, a scrappy crusader for women's rights and gay rights, settled in San Diego in 1990 and worked on a number of Democratic campaigns including those of U.S. Sen Barbara Boxer, 1994 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Kathleen Brown and former Rep. Lynn Schenk. "I'm the first woman DA in San Diego because Midge paved the way," said Dumanis, a former judge. "She helped me in my judicial races. "that's how we met." In 2003, Ms Costanzo founded the Midge Costanzo Institute for the Study of Politics and Public Policy, affiliated with the women's studies department at San Diego State University. Ms. Costanzo and women's studies professor Doreen Mattingly taught a course together on "sex, power and politics" in 2004. Mattingly who was helping Ms. Costanzo write her autobiobraphy, said she was a favorite of students. "Every student said her coming to guest-speak was the highlight of their college career," Mattingly said. Margaret "Midge" Costanzo was born Nov. 28, 1932, in Le Roy, New York, to Philip and Concetta Constanzo. The family moved to Rochester, New York when she was 5. Ms. Constanzo worked for a Rochester construction and real estate development company for 26 years as she became increasingly active in Democratic Party politics. She entered politics in 1959 as a member of the executive committee of the 22nd Ward in Rochester and managed Robert F. Kennedy's 1964 U.S. Senate campaign in Monroe County. Ms. Constanzo was elected to the Rochester City Council in 1973 and met then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter a year later, when he campaigned for her in an unsuccessful run for Congress. The two struck up a friendship, and Ms Constanzo became state co-chairwoman of Carter's campaign in New York when he ran for president in 1976. Ms. Constanzo joined the Carter administration as assistant to the president for public liason. Her sharp tongue and irreverent sense of humor made the 5-foot-tall Ms. Constanzo a popular speaker and a favorite of White House reporters and columnists. Those same qualities did not endear her to the more straight-laced members of the Carter inner circle, nor did her outspoken advocacy of gay and women's rights. The knives were out for her after an off-hand comment to a local television reporter that embattled budget director Bert Lance should resign. Unwilling to be blamed for jeopardizing Carter's re-election chances, Ms. Costanzo quit after 20 colorful, if contentious, months. Although Ms. Costanzo did not leave the White House on good terms, Dumanis said Carter called his former aide last week. After leaving Washington, Ms. Costanzo headed for Los Angeles, where she managed Shirley MacLaine's "Higher Self" seminars and worked behind the scenes on television shows. In 1990, she moved to San Diego, where she plunged into local Democratic politics and directed training seminars for aspiring candidates for public office. From 2000 to 2003, she was a special assistant to Gov. Gray Davis, serving as a liason to women's groups. Ms. Constanzo is survived by her brother, Anthony Costanzo, and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held in April in San Diego. A private family service will be conducted in Rochester. The family requests that donations be made to the Midge Costanzo Institute for Politics and Policy, P.O. Box 15523, San Diego, CA 92175.
Obituary
Staff Writer: John Marlius
The San Diego Union-Tribune
March 24, 2010
Page B1, Col. 1, Page 5, Cols. 1-4
CONSTANZO.--Midge Costanzo, once the top woman in President Jimmy Carter's White House and a fixture in San Diego Democratic politics for 20 years, died yesterday. Ms. Constanzo, surrounded by her family and friends, died after a long battle with cancer at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest. She was 77. "Midge was just a wonder - effervescent, irreverent, revered and adored by so many people," said San Diego County District Attorney, Bonnie Dumanis, for whom Ms. Costanzo had worked as a public-affairs officer since 2005. "I'm just beginning to see how many people she has touched through the students she has worked with, politicians she has worked with, attorneys she has worked with. It's such a big loss to all of us." Ms. Costanzo, a scrappy crusader for women's rights and gay rights, settled in San Diego in 1990 and worked on a number of Democratic campaigns including those of U.S. Sen Barbara Boxer, 1994 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Kathleen Brown and former Rep. Lynn Schenk. "I'm the first woman DA in San Diego because Midge paved the way," said Dumanis, a former judge. "She helped me in my judicial races. "that's how we met." In 2003, Ms Costanzo founded the Midge Costanzo Institute for the Study of Politics and Public Policy, affiliated with the women's studies department at San Diego State University. Ms. Costanzo and women's studies professor Doreen Mattingly taught a course together on "sex, power and politics" in 2004. Mattingly who was helping Ms. Costanzo write her autobiobraphy, said she was a favorite of students. "Every student said her coming to guest-speak was the highlight of their college career," Mattingly said. Margaret "Midge" Costanzo was born Nov. 28, 1932, in Le Roy, New York, to Philip and Concetta Constanzo. The family moved to Rochester, New York when she was 5. Ms. Constanzo worked for a Rochester construction and real estate development company for 26 years as she became increasingly active in Democratic Party politics. She entered politics in 1959 as a member of the executive committee of the 22nd Ward in Rochester and managed Robert F. Kennedy's 1964 U.S. Senate campaign in Monroe County. Ms. Constanzo was elected to the Rochester City Council in 1973 and met then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter a year later, when he campaigned for her in an unsuccessful run for Congress. The two struck up a friendship, and Ms Constanzo became state co-chairwoman of Carter's campaign in New York when he ran for president in 1976. Ms. Constanzo joined the Carter administration as assistant to the president for public liason. Her sharp tongue and irreverent sense of humor made the 5-foot-tall Ms. Constanzo a popular speaker and a favorite of White House reporters and columnists. Those same qualities did not endear her to the more straight-laced members of the Carter inner circle, nor did her outspoken advocacy of gay and women's rights. The knives were out for her after an off-hand comment to a local television reporter that embattled budget director Bert Lance should resign. Unwilling to be blamed for jeopardizing Carter's re-election chances, Ms. Costanzo quit after 20 colorful, if contentious, months. Although Ms. Costanzo did not leave the White House on good terms, Dumanis said Carter called his former aide last week. After leaving Washington, Ms. Costanzo headed for Los Angeles, where she managed Shirley MacLaine's "Higher Self" seminars and worked behind the scenes on television shows. In 1990, she moved to San Diego, where she plunged into local Democratic politics and directed training seminars for aspiring candidates for public office. From 2000 to 2003, she was a special assistant to Gov. Gray Davis, serving as a liason to women's groups. Ms. Constanzo is survived by her brother, Anthony Costanzo, and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held in April in San Diego. A private family service will be conducted in Rochester. The family requests that donations be made to the Midge Costanzo Institute for Politics and Policy, P.O. Box 15523, San Diego, CA 92175.
