Pauline Dwyer, 74, activist and an advocate for women

PAULINE DWYER

Pauline (Glynn) Dwyer, a pioneering Massachusetts activist who reached out to victims of domestic violence, died April 14 of cancer at her home in Hampton, N.H. She was 74.

In the 1970s, Mrs. Dwyer helped found RESPOND Inc. in Somerville, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a safe haven for those fleeing physical and emotional abuse.

In a video documenting the organization's evolution, Mrs. Dwyer offered her thoughts on the overarching necessity of such groups: "It's about respect for women."

Her daughter, Shelley Dwyer-Murphy of Revere, recalled an even starker message from her mother: "Don't ever give your power away."

Sitting around kitchen tables throughout Somerville in the late 1960s and early '70s, Mrs. Dwyer and a handful of other women crafted a plan that seemed revolutionary at the time: creating a secret location where women and their children could escape to when they felt they were in imminent danger.

At that time, the subject of what went on behind closed doors was almost taboo, friends, and colleagues said.

"These women knew it was happening, but nobody was talking about it," said Daniele Levine, director of development for RESPOND. "There was nothing out there, nowhere you could come, nowhere you could go."

The kitchen table discussions evolved into the early stages of what would become one of the region's first shelters for women and their children who suffered from abuse.

"It was really pioneering what these women were doing," Levine said.

RESPOND, incorporated in 1975, later expanded into 10 other Massachusetts communities.

In Somerville political circles, Mrs. Dwyer was known for her hands-on, down-to-earth approach to community organizing.

"She was very inspiring to me in her personal life and in her political life," said state Senator Patricia Jehlen, who worked with Mrs. Dwyer decades ago to elect candidates with what Jehlen described as more progressive views.

Levine said: "You automatically feel that she's done these amazing things; she's incredible. She had an amazing sense of humor and a very positive energy."

In her own life, her family said, Mrs. Dwyer had seen abuse in her home while growing up. That experience lent her a sense of empathy in dealing with the women who came to the organization's doorstep.

"She made sure that it wasn't going to happen to her, and she didn't want that to happen to anyone," said Marie Siraco, a former RESPOND staff member. "She wanted to share her knowledge of not accepting abuse. In case abuse did happen, she wanted them to know there was a place to take care of her."

Mrs. Dwyer grew up in Cambridge. She married Robert Dwyer just after graduating from Cambridge High and Latin School in 1951 and moved to Somerville, where she quickly got to know the political players. "She knew who to go to get these things done," Siraco said.

As likeminded organizers pushed their candidates onto the political scene, Mrs. Dwyer often worked behind the scenes to make sure that they had the support they needed.

As her attention shifted to domestic abuse, she knew that safety for women and their children was paramount to the success of RESPOND.

"Women feel it's the first time in a long time they feel safe," she said in the video.

When the organization could not immediately find a bed for an abuse victim, it worked with local hotels to provide emergency housing.

The organization continued to grow, starting out as a place for victims from mostly Somerville and Cambridge and with an annual budget of about $2,500.

To raise money Mrs. Dwyer and others organized rummage sales, dances, and sought private donations.

Life was not always easy for Mrs. Dwyer, relatives said.

Her first marriage ended in divorce, and she spent many years as a single mother, working at times as a waitress, at an insurance company, and for Raytheon Corp.

In the 1980s, she took a job with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, working as an office engineer on projects such as the expansion of the Red Line to Porter Square and other construction projects in Cambridge and Boston.

"She just always worked and worked and worked," her daughter said.

She retired from that post about seven years ago. After remarrying, she moved to Hampton, N.H., and quickly got involved in local politics.

In whatever she did, colleagues said, Mrs. Dwyer's compassion shined through.

"She connected with people in a very unique way," Levine said. "She was a tough cookie, and she'd tell you what she thinks. She was very honest and frank. But somehow even when she was doing that, she had this loving aura about her."

In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Dwyer leaves her husband, Robert Boyle of Hampton, N.H.; two sons, Michael of Hingham and John of Lynn; a brother, Kenneth P. Glynn of Flemington, N.J.; a sister, Eleanor Sullivan of Waterford, Mich.; and two grandchildren.

Services have been held.