Gail Clyma, Light Pollution Opponent, Dead At 79

Those who knew Gail Clyma the best—on either a personal or professional level—say she lived every day of her life with passion.Whether she was advocating for family and friends, or pushing for more stringent regulations to battle light pollution in Southampton Town—Ms. Clyma fully committed herself to whatever cause she was pursuing, they said.

“I couldn’t think of an advocate that could be more effective than Gail,” Southampton Town Councilman Bridget Fleming said this week, referring to Ms. Clyma who, prior to dying on June 15 at the age of 79, served as chair of the Southampton Dark Sky Advisory Committee.

Survivors said Ms. Clyma, who was born and raised in Yonkers and moved to Westhampton following her retirement as director of market research for Fortune magazine, died after accidentally hitting her head in New York City.

It was during her retirement that Ms. Clyma became involved with the work of the International Dark-Sky Association, an international group that strives to reduce light pollution, working tirelessly over the years while pushing for stricter light pollution laws in Southampton Town.

In addition to being knowledgeable on the rules and legislation, Ms. Clyma always made sure to follow up on issues that affected communities on the East End, according to Ms. Fleming, who worked with Ms. Clyma for the past five years.

“It was a very shocking loss and a huge loss for the community,” Ms. Fleming said during Tuesday’s meeting of the Southampton Town Board. “I just wanted to note that we were really very, very blessed to have someone of her skill, dedication and intelligence working as hard as she did. I just wanted to express my sympathies to those of you that were her dear friends.”

Earlier this week, Ms. Fleming said from working with Ms. Clyma, it was clear that she was motivated to advocate against light pollution because of the negative effects it has on both wildlife and people, as well as to create a greater common understanding about how people can negatively impact the world.

Ms. Clyma lived in Manhattan for her entire adult life before buying a second house in Westhampton, according to Jane McGinnis, Ms. Clyma’s younger sister who lives with her husband, Bill McGinnis, in Amherst, Massachusetts.

“It’s so bright in Manhattan—no one expects to see the stars,” Ms. McGinnis said. “But when she moved out to the country she realized she still couldn’t see the stars … she realized that’s a problem.”

This realization prompted Ms. Clyma in her advocacy to educate locals about the dangers of light pollution. Friends and officials say she was instrumental in getting the town to create Dark Sky Week, an event held every April that encourages all people to conserve energy and do whatever else is in their power to educate others about the issue.

Ms. Clyma was one of the biggest “movers and shakers” in the town when advocating against light pollution, according to Mary O’Brien of East Quogue, who worked with Ms. Clyma for more than a dozen years with the International Dark-Sky Association.

“Gail is a dynamo,” Ms. O’Brien said. “She is focused on issues. She’s very smart—she’s very confident.”

When she was not pushing for tighter rules and regulations, Ms. Clyma was busy being a role model for her younger sister. Ms. Clyma, who never married and has no children of her own, was a devoted aunt to her nephews, Kim and Christopher Harwood, and her great-nephews, Kai, Luca, Galen, Jachym and Vincent Harwood.

“I never successfully became the well-organized businesswoman that she was but we all have our strengths,” said Ms. McGinnis, who works as a social worker for families caring for disabled adults in Massachusetts.

When looking back on her sister’s greatest accomplishments, Ms. McGinnis said she is most proud of her sibling’s feats in the business world and, later, as a vocal opponent against light pollution. And, of course, she was also the most devoted of aunts, taking her nephews to fancy restaurants and to see plays in Manhattan.

“She was very devoted to me and my children,” Ms. McGinnis said. “We were close. I always looked up to her as a role model.”

Ms. Clyma is survived by her sister, nephews and great-nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Edmund Ramon and Cecil Chase Clyma, and a sister, Nancy Clyma.

No funeral services were held for Ms. Clyma. Her family is planning a memorial at an undecided location in the Hamptons this September.