Lois Gaston (born 1937) is a former Mayor and City Councilmember for City of Duarte, California. Biography Gaston was born in Arkansas in 1937. She was an only child and she and her mother moved to Monrovia, California in 1949. She is a graduate of Monrovia High School. Gaston became a member of the Duarte City Council in 2003 and was elected as the mayor on November 28, 2006. She is the first African American woman to hold the mayoral position in the city's 50-year history. In March 2009 she was named the 44th Assembly District Woman of the Year by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino. Some of her notable accomplishments are membership of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and the Southern California Association of Governments, as well as serving as the State Recruitment Coordinator for AARP in California. Gaston enjoyed a career with AT&T for 32 years before retiring in 1989 as a District Manager of Human Resources. She is a mother of four children and a grandmother of eight. of Governments, as well as serving as the State Recruitment Coordinator for AARP in California. References External links Official Duarte website profile Living people People from Duarte, California Mayors of places in California Women mayors of places in California California city council members Women city councillors in California 1937 births 21st-century American women African-American mayors in California