Museum exhibits 'Los Gatos at War'
By Shari Kaplan
It may be peacetime, but Los Gatos is at war!
Fortunately, the conflict is not a military one, but a historical one which is safely contained, not by front lines and armed troops, but by scrapbooks, picture frames and glass display cases.
The "war zone" is at Forbes Mill Regional History Museum in an exhibition, Los Gatos at War. The exhibition displays newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, telegrams, posters, weapons, uniforms, medals, pins, personal memoirs and other items to show how Los Gatos has been affected by wars over the last two centuries.
There is even a military "mess menu," listing a surprisingly varied amount of foods, snacks and desserts. A real Army pup tent is set up in a corner, as well as the weathered canvas doors that belonged to old military jeeps.
The Civil War, World War I (once called the Great War), World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War are all covered in the exhibit, as are the tenuous periods of peace between the conflicts.
"The main thing I tried to do was show a snapshot, not anywhere near a comprehensive survey, of the effect war has on people as seen through the experiences of our neighbors," explains Laura Bajuk, the Los Gatos Museum Association's executive director and curator of Los Gatos At War.
War changes people, families and countries forever, Bajuk adds, citing how couples often met and married as a result of military duty, while families, sometimes, were torn apart because of conflicting political ideals. Even the earliest wars taught the media about the power of propaganda. Governments and regimes constantly rose and fell based, in part, on their successes and failures in wars.
The exhibit displays items Bajuk gleaned from the museum's collection of aging artifacts and documents, and memorabilia on loan from Los Gatans and other local individuals with connections to one or more wars.
LGMA site manager Jane Holland contributed much to the exhibit, including old photographs and anecdotes of her and husband Carl during his days as a young sailor in World War II. The couple's son, Jeff, grew up to be a U.S. Marine in the Vietnam War, as evidenced by more photos and the shiny, flower necklace Holland wore in the 1960s as a member of "Another Mother for Peace." Although she supported her son, she was not fond of the war in which he fought. Holland's daughter Judy Wulfinger also lent a scrapbook she kept filled with souvenirs, telegrams, matchbooks, photos and other items from her first husband, who served in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy.
Also featured are photos, memoirs or souvenirs belonging to many past and present Los Gatans, including WWI veteran Henry C. Crall and WWII veterans Vic Collord, Ted Simonson, Charlie Stroeher and Leo Walker. There's also information about Civil War veteran Dexter L. Harlow of Saratoga, such as an honorable discharge certificate from the Grand Army of the Republic and some old daguerreotypes.
"Los Gatos at War" runs through the end of April. The Forbes Mill Regional History Museum, at 75 Church St., is open from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. For information, call 408.395.7375.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
