Clyde Bland was active in politics and the arts during his more than 40 years in Tracy. Press staff report

Former Tracy Mayor Clyde L. Bland, 81, died Thursday afternoon at a hospice medical facility in Hughson, Stanislaus County, ending a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Services are pending at Fry Memorial Chapel in Tracy.

A native of Rogers, Ark., Bland had been a Tracy resident since 1963 and was Tracy’s mayor from 1990 to 1994. Before serving as mayor, he was a member of the Tracy City Council for five years.

While a member of the council and as mayor, Bland helped create planning and financing for Tracy’s growth through the development of Residential and Industrial Specific Plans and the city’s Growth Management Ordinance.

As the city’s representative on the San Joaquin Rail Commission, he was involved in the original planning for the Altamont Commuter Express passenger rail service.

Bland, a State Farm Insurance Agent for 27 years in Tracy, did not seek re-election as mayor in 1994, but he continued to be active in the community.

As a member of the West Side Pioneer Association, he worked to save and restore the old one-room Lammersville School, which was eventually moved to Clyde Bland Park.

Mr. Bland was co-chairman of the Arts Leadership Alliance campaign to raise private funds for the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts project and served as ALA liaison with the city of Tracy.

Several years ago, Mr. Bland encountered problems with muscle control and last year was diagnosed with ALS, a motor-neutron disorder for which there is no cure.

He remained in his Tracy home under care of his wife, Ina, until Feb. 20, when he was taken to the Alexander Cohen Hospice in Hughson.