Jeanne McAlister was on a dark and self-destructive path. But something happened on Nov. 23, 1956, sending her off in a different direction that eventually helped many thousands of San Diegans.
Born in 1932, McAlister was raised in San Diego.
As early as she can remember, she was repeatedly physically abused, often bloodied and injured.
“Even today sometimes I go back to that little girl who was beaten and scared,” she said. “I have to pick her up and love her.”
As a child, her reaction to the trauma was defiance and rebellion.
She first got drunk at 10 when she invited soldiers to her home while her parents were away.
At 12, she left home, finding her way to Long Beach, where she lived on the streets.
After fighting off a sexual attack, McAlister returned at 14 to San Diego, where she was caught stealing and sent to a girl’s correctional facility for a year.
At 15, she was released from custody and married an 18-year-old man. It lasted six months.
At 16, she became a single mother when her daughter Sandy was born.