Legacy Award - SOHO PIP 2024

Judy Swink is a lifelong activist endowed with the highest integrity and preservation values. Focused on protecting and enhancing San Diego’s historic and natural treasures, her multifaceted work includes safeguarding such remarkable gems as the 1925 Mission Beach Giant Dipper roller coaster, Mission Bay Park, and Balboa Park.

As president of the Save the Coaster Committee, she worked with an active board of directors and many volunteers to ensure preservation and restoration of the wooden Giant Dipper. Designated a City of San Diego Historic Site in 1973 the amusement park favorite was later listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On the ride’s 75th anniversary, it gained even more prestige with its elevation to National Historic Landmark status, making it the first roller coaster to grace two national historic registries. In 1990, the restored Dipper was at last running again, and the Save the Coaster Committee set up the Giant Dipper Historic Preservation Fund with proceeds to fund local grants to small, private historic restoration projects.

Another of her deep passions is Mission Bay Park, which, as you know, is a complex ecological resource with many competing users. She began shaping its future in 1989 in her role as Citizens Coordinate for Century 3’s representative during the park’s master plan update process from 1991 to 1994. She also served on the City’s Mission Bay Park Committee for 18 years, until 2012. Her studious and fair-minded approach to advocacy has been instrumental in protecting and restoring the park while fostering accessibility for all—from school groups to nesting birds and aquatic wildlife.

A fearless champion of causes she believes in, no matter how controversial, this civic leader was a steadfast and clear voice of reason during the contentious public debates about Balboa Park’s failed Plaza de Panama Parking Structure project. In 2011, she argued eloquently to preserve the park’s historic essence at its 1915 core. Her principled stand, and staunch commitment to “the people’s park” reflect her dual spirit of grassroots activism and civic responsibility.

Intertwined with her effectiveness as a community leader is her long career in library science, marked by meticulous research and scholarly pursuits. Moreover, her persuasiveness and profound work ethic have cemented her enduring legacy as a dedicated guardian of San Diego’s cultural and natural heritage.

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Western entrance to Balboa Park by way of the Cabrillo Bridge

Plaza de Panama

Giant Dipper roller coaster

Mission Bay Park. All photos by Sandé Lollis

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