San Marcos, CA – In honor of Public Service Recognition Week, the Vallecitos Water District (VWD) is announcing an event to honor former Board Member Margaret E. “Betty” Ferguson and the 1946 Jeep (Willys) CJ-2A she enjoyed driving. The event will take place on Wednesday June 21, 2023, at 4:00 pm at the VWD Office located at 201 Vallecitos de Oro in San Marcos and will also include an unveiling of the Jeep.
Betty served VWD for 35 years as a member of the Board of Directors, beginning with her election in 1978. Betty had a special place in the hearts of District employees as she was always their champion. Betty fostered a great relationship between the Board and the employees and made it her goal to always show her appreciation for their work.
Betty passed away peacefully on December 14, 2022. She enlisted in the Women’s U.S. Marine Corps on February 2, 1950, and was discharged as a Corporal on March 14, 1952, at Camp Pendleton. After serving in the Marine Corps, Betty had a special connection to the District’s 1946 Jeep.
The Jeep worked for many years bringing pipe, tools, and an air compressor (to run a jackhammer) to job sites. The Jeep was later used as a survey vehicle to get to difficult to reach locations within the District’s service area. In the early 2000s the Jeep was refurbished and repainted to work as a parade vehicle, driven by Board members at community events. Once the Jeep was retired and moved into Vallecitos’ lobby, it was named after Margaret E. “Betty” Ferguson and is affectionately known as “Betty.”
About Vallecitos Water District: As an independent, special district, Vallecitos is dedicated to providing water, wastewater, and reclamation services to over 105,000 people in a 45-square-mile area that includes San Marcos; the community of Lake San Marcos; portions of Carlsbad, Escondido, and Vista; and other
surrounding unincorporated areas.
