Mary Amelia 'Polly' O'Meara comes from a long line of pioneers. She was born on August 8, 1867, in Idaho to Frances Louisa 'Fannie' Davidson and James 'Jimmy' O'Meara. Her father was one of the best-known pioneer editors and newspaper writers on the Pacific Coast, contributing to almost every newspaper of any prominence, including the Portland Oregonian and the Portland News and Bulletin, the San Francisco Examiner, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Her mother was born in Iowa and, in 1847, came with the family on the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Pioneer Index remarks that Frances’ mother (Mary Ament Davidson) was the first lady to drive her own family carriage across the plains, and brought with her in a featherbed the first china dinner service to the Willamette Valley. Polly and the O’Meara family moved to California by 1876 and finally settled in Santa Rosa by the spring of 1881.
Polly O’Meara married Frank Pierce Doyle on November 25, 1903, in Santa Rosa, California. They had one child during their marriage, Frank O’Meara ‘Frankie’ Doyle, born in 1907. Polly and her husband were very active in community clubs and events, identifying with the city’s social welfare and educational work. They were interested in the goodness of humanity, in making a difference in their community, and, most importantly, in the value of education.
In 1911, when California became the sixth state in which women could vote on equal terms with men, Polly registered to vote in the 1912 general election. By 1917, Polly and a group of 14 women who comprised the Federated Home and School Association - wives of leading professionals and businessmen in the community - agreed that a junior college for Santa Rosa was an idea worth exploring and a matter of some urgency. Less than one year later, in the spring of 1918, Santa Rosa Junior College was officially established with a student body of 19.
As early as 1920, Polly O’Meara Doyle was also a member of the Saturday Afternoon Club, whose mission was community service, charitable giving, and educational enrichment.
Polly’s only child, Frankie, died in 1921 at age 13 from complications during a tonsillectomy surgery. In 1923, Frank P. (and Polly O'Meara) Doyle purchased the land known as ‘Hoen’s Island’ for Doyle Community Park as a memorial to their son. Luther Burbank donated $5,000 to help develop the playground.
Together, Polly O’Meara and Frank P. Doyle remained active in the community through their many club memberships and involvement in community events. But most of all, they will be remembered for their most generous gift to the community - the Doyle Trust. Before his death in 1948, Frank Doyle directed that dividends earned on his trust’s Exchange Bank stock be paid to charitable beneficiaries in perpetuity, with the vast majority going to SRJC to fund scholarships. The first Frank P. Doyle and Polly O’Meara Doyle Scholarships were awarded in 1950, and over the decades, more than 140,000 students have benefited.
Santa Rosa Junior College honored Polly’s legacy as a founder of the College and a champion of educational opportunity by naming its student housing facility Polly O’Meara Doyle Hall in 2023, affectionately known as Polly Hall. Choosing to recognize her by the name she was known by, rather than her given name, reflects the limited agency afforded to women of her era while intentionally honoring her identity and leadership. The name also underscores her deep connection to organizations that believed education and community life were inseparable - values that continue to shape SRJC and support generations of students today.