In Memoriam: Midge Costanza
Margaret “Midge” Costanza was an activist.
As President Jimmy Carter’s assistant for public liaison, she called herself the “window to the nation,” bringing the voices of many to the president’s inner circle.
She was the first woman to hold the position or as she would prefer to say: “I’m not a woman who just happens to be an assistant to the president…I’m an assistant to the president who just happens to be a woman.”
Connected to SDSU
Also an adjunct professor at San Diego State University, Costanza passed away on March 23, after a battle with cancer.
The Midge Costanza Institute for the Study of Politics and Public Policy, affiliated with SDSU, was created in 2003. Costanza co-taught a class with Doreen Mattingly, professor of women’s studies at SDSU on sex, power and politics. Costanza also co-taught a course on political communication.
“So many students say hearing her speak was their best day of college,” said Mattingly, who is organizing Costanza’s papers from her time in the White House and has been writing her biography.
“She had a way of motivating people. When she spoke to you, she made you feel like what you were doing was vital to the success of this country.”
Long-standing policy legacy
Costanza served 20 months as President Carter’s assistant, but her policy legacy has been felt for generations since. She held a groundbreaking meeting with the National Gay Task Force; until then, no LGBT group had ever been invited to the White House. She also contributed to President Carter’s decision to halt production of the B1 Bomber.
“Midge believed that the White House should be for the people and she made that happen for at least 20 months,” Mattingly said.
Throughout her career, she was active in the Democratic Party, ultimately serving as a member of the Democratic National Committee. In 1964, she managed the senatorial campaign in Monroe County for Sen. Robert Kennedy.
In 1992, she did the same in San Diego County for Sen. Barbara Boxer.
Advocate for human dignity
One of her core beliefs was that “human dignity is a right, not a privilege, a right inherited at birth.” She once said, “The goal of all governments should be to create a social environment in which every person can reach their full potential.”
She spent a lifetime passing on that message and being a true agent of change. Her legacy encourages others to hold strong in their beliefs so that our democracy can live up to its true potential.
Most recently, Costanza served as a public affairs officer for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and on the board of directors for San Diego National Bank. She remained active in the Democratic Party and a wide range of progressive organizations and initiatives at the local, state and national levels.
A memorial service in San Diego will be held April 24 at 2 p.m. at the Town and Country Hotel in Mission Valley. The event will be open to the public. A private family service will be conducted in Rochester, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Midge Costanza Institute for Politics and Public Policy. Checks can be made out to the “Midge Costanza Institute,” P.O. Box 15523, San Diego, CA 92175.
