Former Lakewood Mayor Wayne E. Piercy, who served 22 years on the City Council and was a principal at Long Beach Poly High School, has died at age 89, the city announced April 2.
Piercy’s served on the Lakewood City Council from 1972-76 and 1987- 2005. He served four terms as mayor.
Piercy’s accomplishments on the City Council included promoting recycling in the early 1990s, brokering a truce between Lakewood and Long Beach over the reuse of the Long Beach Naval Hospital (which bordered the two cities), and supporting the development of Boyar Park and Rynerson Park, in which Piercy led city negotiations with Southern California Edison Co. for one of the first uses of a power line right-of-way for a park.
Piercy was the first park director at Mayfair Park, then went into a career in education, working for many years in the Long Beach Unified School District, including as vice principal of Millikan High School.
Piercy received the California Educator Award in 1990 for an outstanding career in education and school administration.
Piercy graduated from Long Beach Poly High School in 1949, received a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara (which he attended on a track scholarship) and a master’s degree from what is now Cal State Long Beach.
Piercy will be remembered by Lakewood residents “for his distinctive `salt white’ crown of hair and for his many years of community work, not just with the City Council but as a passionate volunteer with the Rotary Club, Meals on Wheels and Project Shepherd,” Mayor Todd Rogers said.
Piercy is survived by his second wife Jere, children Robert, Cheryl, Judy and Rick and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife Pat.
Plans for a memorial service are pending.
