Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Main Street

Mary Ann Cook

Alta Vista student wins national contest

CREATIVE ONE: Nine-year-old Amanda Geannacopulos won a home-safety essay contest recently, beating out more than 300 entries from across the country. Her winning contribution was a 14-page book, complete with colored-pencil illustrations of home-safety warnings. Examples her mother Debbie gives: Amanda drew a picture of a toddler on a chair sticking a knife into a toaster. The warning underneath the illustration said, "Kids, don't put knives in the toaster"; another drawing showed a child about to step on toys left on a stairs. An accident is narrowly averted when an older sibling cries out a warning from down below.

Some of the warnings are directed toward parents, such as: "Mom, put locks on medicine cabinets." Amanda won the prize in the 9-12 age category--a $100 savings bond--Mrs. G. won a $500 gift certificate for Three-Day Blinds (the sponsor) and the whole family won a four-day trip to Disneyland that included transportation, a limo to and from the airport, a stay at Hotel Anaheim Marriott and four flex passes to Disneyland.

Three-Day Blinds offers this contest and free child-safety kits to help reduce accidents from the cords or chains used with window coverings. Young children have been known to strangle themselves with same.

Amanda's dad, Dean, was the one who suggested she enter the contest; the other member of the household is 6-year-old Sydney. Winning the contest convinced Amanda, a student at Alta Vista, that she is destined to be an illustrator for children's books, and she is currently at work on four different stories.

SURPRISE: Betty Seefurth thoroughly surprised her husband with a retirement party at the Plumed Horse the day after his last day at work. He hadn't a clue, she says. Some 26 of Tom Seefurth's tennis, golf and business friends paid tribute. Long-time friend Rick Becker, who has known Tom since they were 14 and were students at New Trier High School in Wilmette, Ill., spoke at the gathering.

He was the one who got the Seefurths to California in the first place, 31 years ago, by hiring Tom as sales manager in the company he then worked for. Later, Tom started the Arcus company and ran it for 26 years, weathering three sales. The Seefurths and Beckers met their mates at Northwestern. Margie is Mrs. Becker. The two couples live in close proximity in Los Gatos.

Tom Seefurth has no immediate plans, other than to regroup for a while. But since Betty Seefurth is a travel agent, that sounds like one possibility.

CUTTING THE COMMUTE: Here's someone who's conquered the commute problem: Carol Schrager, who works at the Travel Store and Martino's, journeys from her morning job to her afternoon job by crossing Santa Cruz Avenue. Before you get too envious, she regularly checks in with the travel agency she's associated with, and that's all the way in Almaden. Still, she's got most of us beat.

CENTENNIAL YEAR: This is the Los Gatos Library's centennial year, so plans are under way for some major celebrating. To show how popular the library is in our town, in this case among the young set, witness: The children's Christmas event drew 277 kids and parents, making it necessary for the show to be held at the Neighborhood Center. The idea of children's programming is to get kids acquainted with the library. Now that mission is being torpedoed by its own popularity. How can children become familiar with the library if they're not in the library? Such is the lament of Library Director Gloria Grimes.

CEDAR CREEK: Cedar Creek Care Center on National Avenue will care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients if admission criteria are met. These include medical confirmation that the proposed resident does indeed have Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, that the resident would be able to be compatible with the existing residents and that the resident is able to function in this setting. Short stays from five to 30 days are also available. The director is Suzanne Miller Rutland, and the number of the center is 356-5636.

AT THE FAIRMONT: Los Gatan Larry White, singer/songwriter and jazz pianist, is the featured performer at Mason's in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco through May, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7-11 p.m. His vocal style has been compared to Al Jarreau and Jose Feliciano; he was a member of The Sandpipers and has conducted and arranged for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers and Tom Jones.

AUTHOR, AUTHOR, AUTHOR: Three local authors will be featured at the AAUW luncheon fundraiser Jan. 29, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Saratoga Country Club. The three are Audry Lynch, author of With Steinbeck in the Sea of Cortez; Nona Mock Wyman, who wrote Chopstick Childhood in a Town of Silver Spoons; and Joseph McNamara, author of Fatal Command and Code 211 Blue. Wyman's book is about growing up as an orphan in Ming Quong. Audry Lynch is a Saratogan, and McNamara is a former San Jose police chief. For reservations at $42 per, call 867-1928.

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