Eileen Tracy “History of the Saviers Family”

If you ever wondered how Saviers Road got its name, you might have assumed that the early pioneers were reverent, religious folk. Even today, many Ventura County residents are unaware that the street is named after one of Hueneme and Oxnard’s earliest settlers, an industrious, pacesetting Ohio man—James Young Saviers (1824 – 1904), commonly known as “JY.”

Throughout his 81 years, Jim wore many hats but not as many as his wife Martha—the focus of this presentation.

Eileen Tracy has also collected a number of charming hats as well. As the second of six children and oldest daughter, Eileen was expected to care for her younger and disabled siblings. Breaks from the drudgery came when her parents would bring the family to local museums, a free and educational outing for a working-class family.

Years later, as the divorced mother of three sons, Eileen found herself turning to her passion for computer programming and system design to put food on the table. Her career as an IT professional began modestly as a keypunch operator, but within ten years, Eileen had become a consultant to such leading companies as Xerox, General Electric Information Systems, Southern California Edison, the Pentagon, American Express, Blue Cross, and numerous banks.

After her sons were grown and gone, Eileen’s career brought her to one city or another, and she delighted in exploring local history during her leisure moments. When she arrived in Ventura County, Eileen would volunteer as a docent at Heritage Square, the Stagecoach Inn and the Dudley House. She also found researching at the Ventura County Historical Museum library “relaxing,” and eventually focused her brainpower into answering two questions: 1) “Why did the city of Oxnard develop in the middle of nowhere?” and 2) “What roles did the multi-talented JY Saviers and his entrepreneurial wife Martha play?” Come to the Museum to discover what Eileen learned.