_{Thumbnail photo: DNUSD Trustee Area 1 representative Don McArthur (center) is flanked to the left by Charlaine Mazzei and Frank Magarino and to the right by Abbie Crist and Michael Greer. | Photo courtesy of DNUSD.org}

Before he bid Don McArthur a happy retirement, DNUSD Superintendent Jeff Harris gave him and his colleagues an idea of just how long he’d been on the School Board.

“We were talking at the graduation,” Harris said. “Every kid who walked across the stage, you were on the School Board when they were in kindergarten.”

Three of McArthur’s colleagues on the Board read and approved a resolution honoring his service. The resolution applauds McArthur’s “strong commitment to public education” and his “genuine desire to do what is best for students.”

Elected to represent about half of Crescent City in 2010, McArthur has helped DNUSD weather economic downturns, wildfires, tsunamis and the COVD-19 pandemic, Harris said. McArthur was also part of the Board of Trustees that brought Harris in as superintendent about 11 years ago.

“Don had to find the little school I was at and go visit it and talk with folks and we’ve had great conversations,” Harris said, adding that McArthur had announced his decision to resign in early June. 

McArthur’s Trustee Area 3 colleague Frank Magarino said he also enjoyed working with McArthur, admiring his knowledge, temperament and smarts.

“You brought some levelheadedness to the meetings,” Magarino said. “In all the years I’ve known you I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lose your mind or your temper.”

For his part, McArthur said he enjoyed his time on the school board even during controversies, calling them grist for the mill.

“It’s been my observation that happiness — and the reason I’m saying this is because people have asked me why I’ve done this — happiness and satisfaction really comes from being where you are and being present with the people you’re with,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re all just walking each other home in the dark. I don’t know who said that first, but you know, we’re trying to get through life and help each other get through life.”

McArthur’s departure leaves the Board of Trustees with a vacancy. According to a DNUSD press release, the Board will consider an appointment to fill the vacancy in August.