Lucile ‘Lu’ Fleiss Wake; Politician, Social Worker, Activist

Lucile “Lu” Fleiss Wake, 75, social worker, politician and equal rights advocate. A frequent guest on Southern California radio talk shows, Wake was active throughout her life in the League of Women Voters. She served as chairwoman of the Brentwood and Baldwin Hills chapters, and president of the Los Angeles and Bakersfield groups. A resident of Bakersfield since the 1960s, Wake managed several political campaigns for local officeholders there and was herself elected to the school board. She served on the board from 1971 to 1977 and was elected president. In the 1980s she was a member of the Kern County Grand Jury. For the past 17 years, Wake was senior field supervisor of the U.S. Census Bureau, traveling around California and Hawaii. Born in San Diego, she was educated at San Diego State and was a social worker until her marriage to geographer William H. Wake III. Because of his work, the couple lived in India for several years. On Saturday in Bakersfield after a stroke.