Judith Gould, former mayor of Dunedin, Fla.

WHEN the Toronto Blue Jays picked Dunedin, Fla., as its new spring training site in 1977, the mayor was supposed to throw out the first pitch.

Along came a woman, carrying a baseball.

Someone called to her that the mayor would throw out the ceremonial ball, thank you very much.

"Excuse me, I am the mayor," said the woman.

Judith Caplan Gould, a native Philadelphian who grew up in Elkins Park, was the first female mayor of the Pinellas County city.

Even when Judy was throwing the ball, which she had to do four times to please a photographer, a team official tried to wrest the baseball from her so that they "could give the honor to the mayor."

Apparently, Major League Baseball was slow to catch on to the feminist movement.

Judy then attended the Blue Jays' season-opener in Toronto. It was snowing, causing her to remark, "There's nothing like a ballgame in the snow."

She also was honored by riding in a parade with the Blue Jays' then-manager, Roy Hartsfield.

But Judy's contribution to Dunedin was not limited to its baseball legacy. She presided over the city's growth and other civic developments during her two years in office.

She died Jan. 8 of a blood disease at age 77.

Judy was born in Philadelphia to the late Albert Joseph Caplan and the former Sylvia Bayuk. She grew up in Elkins Park and graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1951.

She earned a degree in political science from Goucher College, in Baltimore, in 1955, and later earned a master's in urban management from the University of South Florida.

Judy became interested in politics in Montgomery County and was a member of the Montgomery County Young Republicans.

After moving to Florida, she joined the Clearwater Area League of Women Voters and became the chapter president. In 1972, she became a Dunedin city commissioner and was elected mayor in 1976.

She also served on the Pinellas Planning Council and as secretary of the Metropolitan Planning Commission.

She ran for the Florida state House in 1978, but failed in the Republican primary.

For many years, Judy was a court-appointed professional guardian, providing support to hundreds of Floridians, from children to seniors, representing them and administering their affairs.

"She served these people with concern, kindness and empathy," her family said. "When she entered the hospital in November, she worried that the people she had helped would struggle without her."

Dunedin's current mayor, Dave Eggers, said that Judy would be missed. "She was just an extremely giving person," he said.

After she left public office, Judy became involved with service organizations. She was president of her Rotary chapter, and visited sister city Dunedin, New Zealand, to focus on the expanding global economy.

She also was past president and treasurer of the Pinellas chapter of Zonta, an organization to advance the status of women. She was active in its campaign to stop human trafficking.

She is survived by two daughters, Julia Bayuk Gould and Gwen Alexander; two brothers, Jerome and Stephen Caplan; and a grandson.

Services: A memorial service was being planned in Florida.