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2002 » Issue October 16 » Special Section

West Bay’s ‘Tosca’ is a tale of tyranny

Despite arguments that contemporary audiences have become too accustomed to violence in media, Puccini’s passionate opera “Tosca” will undoubtedly stand out - regardless of the generation gap - due to its depiction of corruption, torture and death.

“In Tosca we see a man stabbed to death on stage, but what happens offstage, that makes it a little bit difficult for a contemporary audience where you have movies … where violence is almost casual,” said Ken Tigar, stage director for West Bay Opera’s “Tosca,” which concludes this weekend at Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theater.

Anniversary

Jim and Norma Marshall of Mountain View celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Sept. 14 at Michael’s at Shoreline. Frank Vanderzwan, minister of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, officiated at a ceremony reaffirming their vows.

Their daughter and son-in-law Kathy and Bill Nichols of Healdsburg, son and daughter-in-law Tom and Lynn Marshall of San Jose, and son Bob Marshall of Castro Valley hosted the occasion. Over 100 friends and family attended, including Norma’s mother, Doris Rector, 94, of Menlo Park and their two grandchildren.

Weddings

Carrie Peters and John Lorton were married April 20 at St. Simon Church, Los Altos. A reception followed at the Peninsula Golf and Country Club, Burlingame. The bride is the daughter of Bob and Carol Peters of Los Altos. She attended St. Francis High School and graduated from Chico State University. She is employed as a community director with the March of Dimes.

The groom is the son of William Lorton Sr. of San Jose and Lia Lorton of Saratoga. He attended Saratoga High School and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He received a master’s degree in business administration from San Jose State University. He is employed at a startup company in Silicon Valley.

Engagement

Margaret Burt Binkley and David Francis Hulgrave have announced their engagement to be married Aug. 2, 2003, in Palo Alto.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Edward S. Binkley and Jane Ellen Binkley of Los Altos. She graduated from Los Altos High School and received a bachelor’s degree in nutritional science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Obituaries

Mass was held at Saint William Catholic Church on October 10, 2002. Arrangements were under the direction of The Los Altos Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries.

BARTLETT, Genevieve M., of North Falmouth, passed away in the JML Care Center on Wednesday, October 9, 2002. She was 82.

Seeing is believing

Los Altos senior volunteers assemble Braille materials

There are only six raised dots in a Braille cell pattern, numbered 1 through 6. The arrangement of the dots configures the alphabet. The letters are then raised to form the interactive Braille guide. They start in the upper left corner and read down.

Interesting information for seniors on the Web

Save in a 529 college-savings plan for a grandchild.

T. Rowe Price has a graph on its Web site that calculates whether you are saving enough to pay for college, based on hundreds of possibilities.

Seniors: Getting that flu shot is nothing to sneeze at

Flu shots for members of the Los Altos Senior Center will be offered 12:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at the Hillview Center.

The shots are free for senior center members, but a $5 donation is requested from nonmembers. No reservations will be accepted.

Los Altos retirees flock to SIR groups

Once a month a group of retired men meet for lunch and talk about old times.

Sons in Retirement is organized into 170 local branches, from Fresno to the Oregon border, and includes Mission Trail Branch 35, which has a large contingent from Los Altos and Mountain View.

Poll workers needed for election

You must be a U.S. citizen and a registered voter in Santa Clara County. Poll workers are paid a stipend of $85 to $115 for working Election Day. Bilingual workers who speak English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Tagalog are needed.

Hours are approximately 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Training is provided at sites throughout the county. To sign up or for information, call immediately, (408) 299-7655, or visit the Web site: www.sccvote.org.

What questions to ask when looking for quality care of Alzheimer’s patients

Many people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s live safely at home, even though they may need plenty of memory cues like lists and notes. Over time, Alzheimer’s causes memory loss and thinking problems that could make living at home dangerous. For example, Alzheimer’s patients who are in the mid- to late-stages of the disease have been known to leave appliances such as the stove or the coffee pot on, and wander to unsafe places such as a busy intersection or unfamiliar part of town.

When this happens, Alzheimer’s experts at Beverly Healthcare, a provider of eldercare services including Alzheimer’s care, advise that families look for a nursing home with a program or unit designed specifically for people with Alzheimer’s.

Just visiting

Name: Sukhraj Vyas

Family background: Wife, Gita; son, Vikram; and two grandchildren attending Los Altos High School, Vishnu Vyas, 16, and Shri Vyas, 12.

Looking to volunteer? This Web site could find you just the right match

What’s your excuse for not getting involved: Not enough time? No skills or experience you think could help anyone? Nothing nearby?

If you had information on thousands of non-profit agencies looking for volunteers anywhere nationwide, and also were able to choose how much time to spend, the type of cause you want to support, and set your own hours for volunteering. It would be hard to find a reason not to volunteer, wouldn’t it?

Stanford Lively Arts releases performance schedule

Stanford Lively Arts this month opened its 33rd season, running through May 10 in three different venues on the Stanford University campus.

The schedule includes:

Nova Vista Symphony opens its season with a salute to George Gershwin

Two major works by George Gershwin will be flanked by several of the composer’s most popular songs in a concert by the Nova Vista Symphony Orchestra at 2 p.m., Sunday, at Foothill College.

The concert begins the 37th season of the symphony and its second under the direction of Nuvi Mehta.