James Doherty: Former El Cerrito Mayor, BART President, 1919-2012

Former El Cerrito Mayor James "Jim" Doherty, who also played an influential role in BART's expansion when he served as the transit agency's second president, died Thursday at age 92.

Mr. Doherty and his wife of 67 years, Norma, raised their family in El Cerrito, where he was long associated with El Cerrito Mill and Lumber Company, according to an obituary distributed by Lafferty & Smith Colonial Chapel of Santa Rosa, which is handling funeral arrangements. He was general manager of the lumber firm.

Mr. Doherty served also as president of the , and after he and his wife retired to Oakmont in 1983, he was president of the Oakmont Golf Course.

"Jim is credited in our mind with bringing the BART Board into the modern era of governance, the transition experienced by cities of this area beginning in 1970," said Rich Bartke, who also, along with his wife Jane, are former El Cerrito mayors and City Councilmembers.

"I shared the stage with Jim at the ribbon-cutting for the Richmond BART line (on Jan. 29, 1973), held at the Plaza BART station." (A photo of Doherty speaking at the ceremony is attached to this article.)

Mr. Dougherty served on the El Cerrito City Council from 1962-66. "He served at a time when it was common for local business figures to be elected to our council, and he served with honesty and frankness, but with a politeness often lacking in politics," Bartke said.

El Cerrito resident Dorothy Coakley, who knew of the family largely through Jim and Norma's daughter Mary, a babysitter for Coakley's children, said, "Mary mentioned how much her dad was enjoying the process of building BART and how much he enjoyed being active in EC politics. I do remember him as being a fair and honest mayor."

"I remember being pleased that he recommended the use of the 'old' railway tracks, now Ohlone Greenway, and that the 'new' Plaza station would be walkable from our house," she said.

Bartke recalled knowing him also as general manager of El Cerrito Mill and Lumber: "He was always most gracious in fulfilling our needs for specialty wood craft, and his retail counter was unfailingly accommodating."

Mr. Doherty was "one of this community's finest gentlemen," Bartke said. "We miss him."  

According to the obituary, he was born Dec. 4, 1919, in Oakland, son of Patrick Doherty and Catherine Gallagher of Donegal, Ireland.

He served four years in the Army in World War II, where he was a first sergeant training recruits for overseas duty. In 1945, he married Norma Dye, whom he met at a U.S.O. dance, at St. Patrick's Church in Watsonville.

He was on the original BART board, serving two terms as president, according to the obituary.

The obituary also described him as the "loving father of Kitty (Barry) Doherty-Knobles, Jim Doherty, the late Joan (Ron) Pisani, Bill Doherty, Mary Doherty and Joe (Patti) Doherty. He also leaves nine grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cherished friends, his sisters’-in-law; Margaret Doherty of San Leandro, CA and Grace Dye of Medford, OR. He is predeceased by his daughter Joan, two brothers, Ben and Joe and brother-in-law Bill Dye and sister-in-law Annabeth Doherty."

"Family and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 11:00 A.M. at the Star of the Valley Catholic Church (545 White Oak Drive, Santa Rosa [Oakmont], CA, 95409)," the obituary said. "Private inurnment; Calvary Catholic Cemetery-Santa Rosa, CA. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions in Jim's memory are preferred to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (2141 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA, 90245) or Hospice by the Bay (190 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95776)."