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Archives » 2000 » Volume 53 , Issue 13, Published on Wednesday, March 29, 2000NewsDedication spanning 3 decades
Art and music docents enrich student life in Los Altos schools With test scores and performance rankings dominating talk of today’s schools, local teachers and administrators have been receiving praise and recognition from all corners of the community. But two core groups of parent volunteers have been taking their children’s education into their own hands for the past three decades. Children thank mom, veteran docent with endowment fundAs a founding art docent who served as the docent coordinator for 12 years, Marston devoted much of her time and energy to providing arts education for children in Los Altos schools. Her children commemorated her efforts by creating the Nancy Marston Endowment to benefit the art docent program. “This endowment is an ideal and fitting recognition for Nancy,” said Nancy Barnoski, the current art docent coordinator. Con men posing as bank representatives targeting Los Altos seniors, police sayMen posing as a bank employees almost got away with conning two Los Altos senior citizens out of more than $5,000 each in two separate incidents March 13. In the first incident, a man who identified himself as Ritchie Baker from Wells Fargo Bank called a Los Altos resident and told her that the bank’s computer system had experienced problems that resulted in some errors in customer bank balances, police said. He asked the woman purchase a money order for $5,400 and meet him at the Wells Fargo branch located on Fremont and Mary avenues in Sunnyvale. He said the exchange would help the bank straighten out any errors in her balance. Los Altos ‘ new notification ordinanceThe ordinance expands the area, the timing and mode of neighborhood notification currently required as part of the design review process for home remodels. Under the ordinance, the city could notify up to 17 neighbors, four neighbors on each side of a proposed home-remodel site. Development of Main and First could be years awayLong-term leases could stall city aspirations lans to develop the city-owned property at the corner of Main and First streets into a western gateway to downtown Los Altos could be put on hold for seven years if the current tenants decide to stay put until their leases expire. News BriefsAfter 62 years in Los Altos, Mac’s American Grill will close its doors Friday night. It will be the passing of an old-time institution which opened in 1938 as a bar with a lunch counter. Foothill-De Anza board, classified employees remain at impasse over ‘disparity in salaries’Classified employees, frustrated over salary negotiations with the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, have accused the board of dragging its feet and creating “a disparity in salaries.” Board members met in closed session on labor negotiations at their March 20 meeting before a public session opened in front of a packed house of disgruntled union members. State appeals court upholds variance granted for unusual Los Altos remodelLos Altos resident Bill Parkhurst said he never expected his home remodeling plans to be put on hold for two years. What began as a request for a modest home addition unfolded into an unusual tale that pitted one neighbor against Parkhurst’s family and the city of Los Altos in a battle that ended in the California State Court of Appeals this month. Los Altos residents David and Betty Lee, whose property borders the Parkhurst’s home, filed suit against Parkhurst and the city of Los Altos in 1998 in an attempt to overturn a variance the city granted to the Parkhurst family that would allow them to build within 10 feet of the property line. El Camino Hospital financial operations performing ’significantly below’ industry standards, report saysAfter a seven-month reporting period, the El Camino Hospital District’s financial operations are performing significantly below the industry median, but slightly above the year-to-date fixed budget. “Net operating margin is a primary indicator of profitability and defined as net operating income divided by total operating revenues. CommentLetters to the editorHave you anything in mind for those readers not enthralled by continuing blow-by-blow coverage of squabbling at the Los Altos Hills Town Council? Starved for ideas? Consider the following: OpinionEavesdropping on a cell phone conversationA Side of Clyde Fred, a real estate friend of mine, is always on the phone checking messages at work, calling his children at home or making appointments with his friends and associates. Save The DateCommunity Prayer Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., April 29, Hyatt Rickeys, Palo Alto. May 20 and 21 CommunityPolice ReportMarch 24, 11:05 a.m., 1000 block of Windimer Drive: A caller told police someone had stolen silverware and a camera, according to police. Disturbance Artist searches for the significance of joy and painAll About Art Isabel Brown paints images of death - her own. “I live one day at a time,” said Isabel Brown, a vibrant woman of Peruvian origin. Married to an American and mother of three grown children, Brown has worked from her private studio in Los Altos Hills for the past 20 years. Peninsula Volunteers hold ‘tropical’ gala“Let’s Fall In Love,” the Friday luncheon and fashion show, features local community leaders modeling fashions. Saturday’s dinner gala event, “Island Paradise,” themed by Rick Herns, will transport guests to a tropical paradise complete with Polynesian dancers and colorful entertainment. Smithwick named ‘citizen of the year’ for Los Altos HillsThe Los Altos Hills Civic Association has named Dr. Robert C. Smithwick as its citizen of the year, an award honoring outstanding citizens of Los Altos Hills. Smithwick was one of the original trustees of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and served continuously for 32 years. Foothill’s Smithwick Theater is named after him. He has been a member and trustee of the Fremont Union High School District. Speaker: Ethical challenges in store with human genome breakthroughThe mapping of the human genome, which is expected to be completed this year, will present complex ethical issues for society in the years to come, Ernle Young told the Morning Forum of Los Altos on March 21. Young, co-director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University School of Medicine, said that the breakthroughs of the genetic revolution with myriad benefits of genetic testing and therapies can bring potential harm to individuals and society as a whole. Psychologist takes practice outdoors for women’s groupJanine W. Reed, a Los Altos-based psychologist, is offering support group meetings for women that include opportunities to de-stress while exercising outdoors. Reed is offering two meetings a week, one in the office, and the other exercise-oriented, in the Stanford hills. Pages of the PastIn the news: Producer-director Billy Wilder won the Academy Award for his film “Sunset Boulevard.” In a Los Altos profile written about him, Bob Loftus, owner of Bob’s Shoe Service on State Street, said he still has the first dollar he ever made in Los Altos. In fact, he had it pasted up on the wall of his shop. For a long time, Bob and his wife wanted to locate here and open a shoe repair shop. To them, there was a bit of romance in the shoe repair business, because as they saw it, “A shoe tells the story of a person.” Bob and his wife met when they were 16 years old. Just a few months after they married, the war came and Bob joined the Army, serving as a corporal in the 533rd Engineers Boat and Shore Battalion. They had two children. Bob and a friend ran the new store. On their opening day , they offered a free repair of “Two Heels.” On their second day of business, while the two men were busy working in the shop, a slightly inebriated customer wandered in demanding to know, “Who are the two heels?” Bob pointed to his partner and responded, “We are!” The inquisitor hesitated a moment and then said with conviction, “You’re the only two honest gentlemen in town!” Playing at the Altos Theatre: “And Baby Makes Three” with Robert Young. HappeningsZYT Galerie, 923 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, is exhibiting works by Christina Romano through April 15, featuring landscapes of Stanford, Woodside and Los Altos Hills. The Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts features an exhibition of paintings by Janet Morris through April 17. The center is located at 500 Castro St. Seniors NewsFriday: 1 p.m., The Fifth Friday with “The Joys of Gardening and Other Myths.” The Readers Theatre brings Jan Dobson and Joe Greenan for a humorous look at gardening. April 6: 1 p.m., a new AARP chapter will be formed at the Los Altos Senior Center. Everyone is welcome to meet in room 12 at Hillview Community Center. Community BriefsThe Silicon Valley Association of Realtors is looking for someone who has given generously of their time, leadership, experience and heart to help those in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View during the past year. The Los Altos Board of Realtors established the Community Service Award in 1964 as an expression of appreciation for the many unsung volunteer heroes and heroines of the local community. Weimers: Inspiration, wild passion made Silicon Valley world leader in technologyAlthough he’s a longtime San Jose Rotary Club member, Leigh Weimers, the San Jose Mercury News’s famed man-about-town columnist, delighted the Los Altos Kiwanis Club last Tuesday with historical happenings in Silicon Valley. Weimers started his easygoing chat with an admonition “to every male member in the audience, be sure to get your PSA test.” Thanks to a PSA blood test (prostate specific antigen), Weimers’ prostate cancer was diagnosed early. After a short time away from work for treatment, he returned Jan. 3. Los Altos pupil and teacher set to perform at symphony auxiliary’s spring concertA passion for the music -that’s what brings two accomplished Los Altos musicians together for what promises to be an entertaining concert this Friday. That’s when the South Bay Guild of the Peninsula Symphony Auxiliary presents a “Spring Concert,” scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 505 East Charleston Road, Palo Alto. LAHS’ Main Street Singers bid ‘farewell’ to local fansThe Main Street Singers of Los Altos High School take a final bow before leaving for performances in Europe at their Farewell Concert at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, at the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto. The group, under the director of Mark Andrew Shaull, has performed concerts in 40 countries, including Israel, Russia, Australia, Brazil, China, Italy and France. In their 15-year history, they have visited six continents and performed works in 19 languages. NoteworthiesThe minimum grade point average for the honor is 3.4. Wakerly, a 1996 graduate of St. Francis High School, is a senior majoring in marketing and German. Schools BriefsLos Altos School District board members decided to postpone reopening Covington Elementary School until fall 2002 upon staff recommendations at the regular district meeting March 20. Delays in the construction timeline, most recently due to the proposed relocation of the district’s maintenance yard from its current location at the Covington School site to the city’s Municipal Service Center on Fremont Road, prompted the decision. SchoolsLA High celebrates diversity in assembly
Entertainment turned educational at Los Altos High School’s Multicultural Assembly March 17, where various clubs treated students to performances representing the different cultures on campus. The One Accord Club organized the event as part of schoolwide multicultural day, designated by school administrators to recognize diversity within the student body. LAHS robotics team deemed ‘most innovative’The Los Altos High School botball team programmed its robot to victory at the regional robotics competition March 18. The team took home a judge’s award for most innovative robot and placed eighth out of 27 teams in the overall competition, winning three of the five matches. Construction finally starts new phase on high school campusesThe sights and sounds of construction crews will be filling those big, empty spaces in front of Mountain View and Los Altos high schools in just a matter of weeks. At a special meeting March 20, the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School Board awarded bids for construction of the new library, multi-use room and quad at each school. Classroom artists display work at community centerThe annual student art show will hit the Hillview Community Center April 6-9, courtesy of the Los Altos Art Docents. Students showcase their pieces created in classes taught by the docents. Every child in kindergarten through the sixth grade will have a creation in the show. Many seventh- and eighth-graders will add their own selections as well. SportsSports On The SideGunn High’s annual Clash of the Titans sports fund-raiser is scheduled for 6 p.m., Saturday, in the school’s sports center. The event will include cafe dining, music and silent and live auctions (items up for bid include weekend getaways and special dinners). There also will be an air band competition between faculty and varsity teams. Admission is $8 adults, $2 for children and students. Gunn is located at 788 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto. For more information, call 856-1774. Canoe & kayak demo Fair helps national team capture cupThe U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, which features Los Altos High graduate Lorrie Fair, captured its first-ever Algarve Cup March 18 in Loule, Portugal. The U.S. defeated Norway 1-0 in the championship match on a penalty kick by World Cup hero Brandi Chastain in the ninth minute of the match. MV-based HearMe teams with ESPNSports Web site ESPN.com (www.espn.com) has added live voice capabilities created by Mountain View-based company HearMe™ to its NCAA basketball tournament section. The HearMe VoiceCREATOR™ communication product allows basketball fans from across the Internet to voice their opinions, meet other sports fans and learn more about basketball by participating in live voice conversations. Local junior basketball team wins sectional titleThe Palo Alto National Junior Basketball team, featuring players from Los Altos, claimed the Boys Division II South Bay Sectional championship with a 47-30 win over the West San Jose Timberwolves March 12 in San Jose. The team of fifth- and sixth-graders went undefeated, becoming the first Northern California National Junior Basketball team to finish the season at 14-0. New LAHS football coach has high hopesKen Green, hired last month as the new varsity football coach at Los Altos High, hopes to turn around a team that went 2-8 this past season. Green replaces Ron Moser, who stepped down after four years at the helm. When the team drags its feetYou have a great idea. It will be good for your organization. You know it will work. You are excited. You can’t wait to introduce this grand activity to the team. You do. The team sits there dead. A few eyes roll. Someone yawns. Nobody cheers. Your great idea bombed. Now what? Business BriefsThe 12th annual Los Altos Chamber of Commerce Business EXPO 2000 is scheduled for 4-7 p.m., April 27, in the Los Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio Road. EXPO 2000 showcases retailers, restaurants, professionals and service businesses from the Los Altos area. Vacant Sanwa Bank discussed at Rancho board meetingIt’s hard to find a parking place during busy times at Rancho Shopping Center, and that fact will influence the type of business that can go into the former Sanwa Bank Building. The 5,700-square-foot building is has been vacant for over a year on the north side of the shopping center. It was on the agenda of the Rancho Merchant Association Board at their monthly meeting last Tuesday at Clarke’s Charcoal Broiler. BusinessStocks go down, stocks go up in a volatile weekStock Report Wall Street finished the week on a happy note after big swings in stock prices and a short term interest rate by the Federal Reserve didn’t faze the market. Water Service Group reports record earningsThe California Water Service Group reported earnings of $1.53 per share on income of $19,919,000. The earnings were eight cents more than the previous year. Revenue was a record $206,440,000, a nine percent increase over 1998. The Group supplies Los Altos and portions of Los Altos Hills with its water supply. California Water Service Group tried to purchase Purissima Water District last year, but was spurned by Purissima. El Camino Hospital joins online age with new Web siteWant to know what registration information to have on hand when you check into El Camino Hospital? Need to look up a hospital physician’s phone number? Looking for a specific health-care class? Try the El Camino Hospital Web site at www.elcaminohospital.org. Becky Perkins, community relations Web site coordinator at the hospital, said that El Camino hospital has always been an approachable place. “The hospital already had its arms around the community, so the Web site was a natural extension for getting information out to the community,” Perkins said. Jean Newton Public Relations wins top international awardsJean Newton Public Relations, a Los Altos-based public relations and advertising firm, is a double-winner in the 2000 Summit Creative Awards, announced March 10. The local public relations firm won the Summit 2000 Bronze Award for a four-color brochure created for All Van Transportation, a Silicon Valley transportation, storage and distribution company. The agency received a Silver Award for the Web site it designed for Abraham & Aaron, a Pleasanton-based human resources consulting and employee services agency. ObituariesCarol Lordi died March 9 at her Los Altos home. A native of New Jersey, she was 55. Mrs. Lordi was a vice president at Hitachi Data Systems. Weddings & AnniversariesSara Polgar and Ayad Al-Shaikh were married Sept. 18,1999, at Tilden Park in Berkeley. The bride is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Leslie Polgar of Lafayette. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Stanford University and is employed at GeneMachines in Redwood City. PYT presenting ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ this weekThe Peninsula Youth Theater presents “Bye Bye Birdie,” the nostalgic rock ‘n roll musical, Thursday through Sunday at the Cubberley Community Theater, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Performances are set for 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday; and 2 and 6 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $5-$14. Pianist Chiu to play CSMA MondayThe Community School of Music and Arts presents Frederic Chiu, pianist, at 7 p.m., Monday at CSMA’s campus at 253 Martens Ave., off Grant Road, Mountain View. The presentation is part of CSMA’s free Concert in Conversation Series of educational residencies, in collaboration with Stanford Lively Arts. The program with Chiu offers the public the opportunity to meet the artist, hear excerpts from his upcoming concert at Stanford University and learn about his career and ideas on music in an informal, up-close setting. Stepping OutJoel Grey to perform this Saturday at TheatreWorks’ anniversary galaTheatreWorks, the Peninsula’s professional theater company, celebrates its 30th anniversary with a gala event featuring entertainer Joel Grey this Saturday at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Grey is a Broadway song and dancer performer perhaps best known for his Tony Award-winning portrayal of the emcee in the stage and film musical “Cabaret.” Western Ballet does justice to ‘Rhapsodia’Ballet review “Rhapsodia,” the world premiere of Mark Foehringer’s new ballet was brilliant in concept, choreography and execution by Western Ballet at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts on March 17-19. NY’s Ensemble to play StanfordNew York’s Ensemble for Early Music will play dance-like melodies of “Apostolic Mass for Saint Martial” at 8 p.m., Friday, at Stanford University’s Memorial Church. Discovered in 1996 by musicologist James Grier, the piece reveals what music and life were like around 1029 in western Europe. It is the first composition ever to be attributed to a named composer: Benedictine monk Ademar de Chabannes. TravelTravelers take in America’s Cup action in friendly, affordable New Zealand
Travel Talk “Kia Ora,” is the way New Zealanders greet you. In late January, I led a group of sailing enthusiasts from St. Francis Yacht Club, my best friend Jim Pattison, who is a Los Altos resident, his son and my two best buddies and sons, Doug and Brian, to Auckland to cheer on AmericaOne. Special SectionOffices come alive with fresh garden flowersOne of the most satisfying things you can do as a gardener is take your own flowers to your office or workplace. Nothing beats a home-grown vase of roses or lilies for improving the atmosphere. People stop and reminisce about their grandmother’s garden or ask the names of flowers and foliage. And you have the pleasure of sharing the fruits of your labor with a much larger audience than usual. Try a tiny bouquet composed of a few geranium stems, a wand or two of lavender, and maybe a few red plum leaves - it will last for five days and on Friday you can give the geranium stems to a co-worker, who can then use them to start new plants. (Place the stems in a glass of water in front of a window, and when they grow fine white roots, plant in a container of potting soil.) Home BriefsFoothill College ornamental horticulture students won six gold medals and one silver medal at this month’s annual San Francisco Flower and Garden Show at the Cow Palace. The students’ design for their IKB opens on Main Street Conner Park blooms with gifts from Camellia SocietyTake a walk in Conner Park this week to admire the blooming rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas, located under the pine trees next to the Parc Regent entrance driveway. The partially-shaded area was planted last year as a gift from the Peninsula Camellia Society. Thanks to 30 cubic yards of free planting mix from Lyngso Garden Materials Inc. in Redwood City and free fertilizer from the residents of the neighboring Parc Regent retirement condominiums, the new plants are enjoying a surprisingly fertile first spring in Los Altos. Improve deck maintenance with the ‘Trex’ of the tradeBusiness Profile As a third generation co-owner of Bruce Bauer Lumber and Supply in Mountain View, David Thom is a very traditional lumber salesman - but he loves a new lumber/polymer composite called Trex. Go down a garden path made of the right stuffIt’s fun to lead friends down the garden path - especially if the path complements your home and the style of your garden. Professor Daniel K. Svenson, director of the Ornamental Horticulture program at Foothill College and a licensed landscape architect, has spent years considering the pros and cons of different path materials, formerly as a consultant to an architectural firm in San Francisco and now as a teacher of future landscaping professionals. 50 rooms with a view: Maryknoll Residence
Los Altos home for priests retired from foreign missions With its curving blue tile roofs Maryknoll Residence is the jewel of Highway 280, located in Santa Clara County with a Los Altos address. Set on 35 acres of rolling hills, it is home to 32 retired Maryknoll priests and lay brothers, a beautiful and distinctive local landmark since 1926. Originally built as a seminary to train priests for missionary service, it now provides a bucolic haven for missioners who have completed their careers. |
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