About Penny Paine

"In my next life I think I will be flying big jets or perhaps framing houses... or possibly redesigning vacuum cleaners and car interiors. Truth is, I enjoy thinking big and being inspired and making things come together." -- Penny Paine

Penny was born and raised in London, attended Goldsmith’s College, University of London, in the early ‘60s and was one of first seventeen women to receive a degree specializing in fine art embroidery, which led, of all places, to a job with one of London’s largest and most prestigious stockbrokers!

The following years can only be described as colorful. In 1972, she met her late husband John who persuaded her to join him in California. They had a long and eventful life together and Penny owes much of her success to him, not to mention a big family. She has three stepchildren (two sons and a daughter) and three sons, as well as three stepgrandsons, one granddaughter and an English Springer Spaniel, Reilly, who lives in style in Santa Fe. Today Penny divides her time between Santa Barbara and London. When not involved in one of the various pursuits below, she loves tending to her garden, admiring good architecture, or art in any form, writing, decorating and sharing time with friends and family.

Penny writes children’s books when she comes up with an idea! To her credit, she has 12 titles in print.

With To Press and Beyond she helps many other authors bring their books (of all genres, including children’s books) to the marketplace.

Penny trains teachers throughout the country to use wonderful curricula materials like Career Choices and address the need for Freshman Transition programming. She also helps many other mostly California teachers find great resources for working with girls and women, as well as other special populations. Much of this work is supporting nontraditional occupations.

Although officially retired after over 30 years with Girls Incorporated, Penny occasionally trains and supports the magnificent and needed gender equity work for girls provided by Girls Inc. Over the years she served in many capacities and it was through the publishing work at Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara that she first found her own writing opportunities. You could say she is an accidental author because she was really there to help run programs, teach art and organize softball.

Lastly, and as a culmination of all the above, Penny had an idea about nine years ago to start a niche business producing products for kids at weddings! It worked -- and her company, Paper Posie, as well as www.kidsatweddings.com is thriving. Yes, not an obvious gender equity effort but when you review the products and the books you will see the little hidden prompts and presentations that provide a positive angle to these “special day” items in a child’s life, a small token on her part but she believes every little bit helps.

by Hilda Zacarias

Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” When I read these inspiring words, I am reminded that I have known but a few individuals who have dedicated their lives so completely to creating these “ripples of hope.” My dearest friend John Paine was one of those individuals. John died suddenly on July 12 in Santa Barbara. The Paine family resided in the Santa Barbara and Carpinteria communities for more than 30 years.

Those of us who knew him well would rarely describe his actions as “ripples.” Most of us would use words such as “forceful,” “determined,” “powerful,” “opinionated,” and “unfailing in his advocacy for others.” Whether he was rebuilding La Casa de la Raza or providing health services to indigenous communities in Brazil and Mexico, he amazed everyone around him with his ability to secure just about any tool, medication, piece of machinery, or supply needed for any project. The only thing that was more amazing was his ability to get others to act. His energy was simultaneously exasperating and inspiring.

John was born in East Los Angeles. One hundred years earlier, his grandfather, an Irishman, led a wagon train from Iowa to San Bernardino, where he married Feliciana Avila, who was born in the now-famous Avila Adobe in L.A. John’s father — also named John — married Concepción Gonzalez of Sonora, Mexico, a widow with three children who had fled the Mexican Revolution. Young John was a total troublemaker. He was kicked out of every school he attended — more than 20! But just as he would later encourage generations of young Latinos to get an education, he was encouraged by a high school counselor to stay in school. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served as an air traffic controller for four years.

A psychologist once told John that he’d make either a good bank robber or a good social worker. John liked to say that “social work chose me.” After a career working with Santa Barbara County Mental Health, the Rehabilitation Institute, and the Visiting Nurse Service, he officially retired, although he continued his social work with other organizations, including Hospice of Santa Barbara. John never ended his career as a social worker — the morning of the day he died he was taking care of others. Just like so many other days, he was spending his afternoon playing handball with his buddies. It was there on the court that his larger-than-life heart failed him, so quickly that there was no long goodbye.

John Paine was adviser, counselor, friend, critic, cheerleader, and mentor to me and to hundreds of others. His unending pursuit of justice was an extension of his early work with civil rights and the Watts riots in L.A., the Farmworker Movement with César Chávez, and the Quaker Peace program. He never stopped working for justice; he just moved it from the streets to the boardrooms of nonprofits and community organizations. As a Rotarian, he was honored three times as a Paul Harris Fellow for his volunteer work around the world. He served as chairperson of Community Action Commission, where he volunteered for 20 years. He also offered his services to Family Service Agency, PUEBLO, the Carpinteria Community Services Board, the Anti-Defamation League, La Casa de la Raza, Human Services Association, Latinos for a Better Government, Planned Parenthood, and the list goes on and on.

This was the public John. The private John was the beloved husband of Penny Paine and father of Danny, Johnny, Diane, Oliver, and Miles; in an almost miraculous turn of events, his English stepson, Philip, had also recently come into his life. He was grandfather to Karly, Tony, Carson, Clay, and little baby Rosemary, born just one week before his untimely death. John’s eyes would sparkle when he shared a story about his kids, or the newest grandchild, or his beautiful Penny and her many incredible accomplishments. He was a great friend to many. And his laugh! We will miss that laugh, dear John — so hearty and full.

I had just returned from a year in Boston when I called John and Penny in early July to begin to plot our next adventures. We met July 7 at Red Robin (John’s favorite Santa Barbara restaurant — really!) and discussed politics, our children, and his work in New Orleans. I had spent part of last year in Boston, analyzing the government response to Katrina, while John spent most of his last year being a part of the solution — using his amazing skills to find resources for displaced families.

John Paine lived a full life in seven decades. He had many friends, former clients, and colleagues. Yet, no one will ever know just how many hundreds of people he helped. Nor will we know how many he inspired. But of one thing I am sure: He created a million ripples of energy and daring, and helped to sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. And for that, John, we are forever grateful.

Where do I come from?
From the edges of middle class
With secrets to hide
Hushed and shocking like the white carpet upstairs

I’m coming from strong hands
Brown and rough
Through the cloud of smoke and a green visor
That held jewels, women, poems and memories

This is where I come from
A long gritty history of bitter cherries
Points of beauty hidden beneath the nettles
At the end of the lane

From wild spirits and gentle souls I come
With loon pants, green fingernails
Blue walls, cold floors and free love
Playing to a heady vision, stylish daring and defiant

But I also come from a yearning
Sublime, perfect and calm
Matching, patterned, so smooth
Designed

I like to think I come from the best looking
The leader, the one who knew how to
To be the one who cried and bled for love, elusive
Shamed, yet defiant, a restless traveler of our times

I come from the washing hanging in the garden
Summer evenings, proms on the radio
Mother ironing cat purring father writing
The air sweet smelling hope for the future

I come from loss, ages of loss
Brothers, mothers, innocence
Money, homes, babies, livelihoods
Friends, freedom and country

I come from brilliance and talent
When shared snippets emerge, proud like the shining silver
That is in my eyes resilient
Like the English oak still alive today

- Penelope C. Paine, 2005

Site by Kate McMillan