I chose to interview Lucia McKelvey regarding her involvement in politics throughout the years and how this led to being one of the original creators of our very own Eugene Weekly Newspaper. McKelvey’s story told itself, allowing me to easily cultivate an intricate and moving piece on her captivating life.

McKelvey’s Story: A Path Uniquely Paved

Bloodied protesters fell before her. Anti-draft chants rang in her ears while she bore the impact of pushes from the front-line National Guard. At that moment, Lucia McKelvey knew that this life wasn’t for her.

Now retired — living cozily in South Eugene and writing her insightful life memoirs — McKelvey is known for starting our very own Eugene Weekly newspaper with three of her closest friends, in 1982. For McKelvey, this particular path was nowhere in sight until later in her story.

McKelvey grew up with a “community mentality” in industrial Youngstown, Ohio; this persisted throughout her time at University of Colorado, Boulder. There, she found a community in her first major activism experience: the Young People’s Socialist club. When discussing this, McKelvey noted that“They were the radicals, they were people that thought: change the system, change the whole system.” 

Following the completion of her political science degree, McKelvey set off to Italy and New York. After embracing the iconoclastic “French New Wave” films, the divine Guggenheim Museum & Duomo architecture, and the cultural perspectives from University of Florence students, McKelvey felt a pull back to her roots in Boulder. Upon arrival, McKelvey found herself engaging in an entirely new wave of cultural change: the Psychedelic Movement, while political tensions were brewing over the Vietnam war. 

McKelvey, still dedicated to activism and exploring new cultures, arrived in San Francisco in 1967, the Summer of Love. In Oakland, it was the time of the infamous ‘Stop the Drafts Protest’ and attending this changed everything for her. “These armed men with rifles and shields,” McKelvey said, emphasizing the fear that still bubbles up when recollecting this experience, “the people getting bloodied, it blew my mind that our own army was hitting its citizens.” This moment marked a pivotal point: her participation in the back-to-the-land movement — a way of life that broke free of anti-war culture and embraced living off the land.

McKelvey flourished by paving her own circuitous path, letting no societal rules dictate her next step. Sonja Snyder — McKelvey’s friend of over 50 years — noted “I’ve known Lucia to live her principles fully, choosing to live simply and investing her energy and resources into the things that matter most to her.” McKelvey encourages young people today to “question their belief systems” and forge their own path. McKelvey’s story has influenced my perspective, encouraging me to trust myself and solidify my personal values before stepping onto the beaten path.