But she didn't just follow her father's path toward nursing. She also followed his example in the civic arena, becoming active in Somerville life. She joined the PTA and volunteered for various political campaigns and community associations.

Her efforts did not go unnoticed. When Thomas Taylor was elected to the Somerville Board of Aldermen in the fall of 1986, he appointed Gay to fill the School Committee seat he had left open. The Board of Aldermen unanimously approved this appointment.

Ten months later, when the seat was up for election, Gay ran unopposed.

Gay was the first nurse and the first immigrant to serve on the school committee. But her entry into elected office was hardly expected.

"I was working full time as a nurse, and my son had just graduated from high school," Gay said. "I never intended to run; it was like I had my arm twisted."

But Gay soon took to her new position, and chose to serve three full terms.

"I found that I had a voice," she said.

In 1992, Gay decided that she wanted to move on from the School Committee, and sought election to the Governor's Council.