FRIENDS of the Bear Creek Redwoods, a volunteer organization that rallied to halt plans by Hong Kong Realty to cut trees on the former Alma College property and that opposes Pete Denevi's revised application for a golf course, held a meeting March 26 at Lakeside School on Black Road. The meeting, chaired by Camas Hubenthal of the Committee for Green Foothills and Julia Bott of Loma Prieta Sierra Club, named four "action committees" on administration, finance, research, and outreach and publicity. The group, which hopes for more volunteers, seeks to prevent home-building on the property and to keep it in its natural state.
According to an article by Jim Crowley and Bott, the group's focus is the permanent preservation of the lands surrounding Bear Creek. "We're not just fighting golf courses and developments. We are working to ensure the preservation of this beautiful area in its natural state," said Gail Marinelli, a member of the group's steering committee. For information phone Jim Crowley, 395-5999, or Celia Thompson-Taupin, 354-2963.
ERICH Pichler, the young Marine who suffered severe brain damage in an auto accident last October, is slowly recovering, his parents, Arthur and Josette Pichler of Redwood Estates, say. "Erich can now stand for five minutes and more at a time," they report. "He can almost pick himself up from a wheelchair. He can wave his hand and express opinions through his facial expressions. His right arm still doesn't move but is expected to heal in time. Doctors and therapists expect him to walk within three to four months; complete rehabilitation could take two to three years."
SENIOR citizens who are 65 on or before June 30, 1998, and reside on property within the Los Gatos Union School District, are eligible for exemption from the district property tax for 1997-98. They're invited to come to the district office, 15766 Poppy Lane, before May 30 (between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.) to fill out an application. Or they can can call 395-5570 for instructions.
THE Board of Directors of A Place for Teens invites the public to its third annual Blue Jeans Ball, this year titled "Blue Jeans Ball Goes to the Orient." The dinner will be held Saturday, April 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Outhouse (A Place for Teens) behind Los Gatos High School. (Blue jeans, black tie or Oriental dress, optional.) The fundraiser is $50 per person. A pre-dinner cocktail party, at $25 per person, will be held at the home of Dru and Jim Barth, 18237 Constitution Drive (off Daves Avenue), from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Eileen Barnes, 358-8032, has information.
AT an open town meeting April 18, at 2 p.m., at The Terraces of Los Gatos, Congressman Tom Campbell will discuss his position on health care, a balanced budget and other current issues. A question-and-answer session will follow his talk. Re-elected in November, Campbell said he encourages community participation to give him a better idea of what direction to take. Campbell serves on the House banking and financial services and international relations committees.
LAURA Taylor Moore, owner of Interior Services of Los Gatos, 14 N. Santa Cruz Ave., moved into her present quarters from next door after the Loma Prieta earthquake. She is celebrating her 10th anniversary April 15. The interior designer specializes in making home interiors look beautiful.
LOS GATOS Yacht Club members plan to greet Opening Day on the Bay April 27 with a cruise April 26-27 to the San Rafael Yacht Club. Larry Brown and Jeff Zarwell are cruise chairmen. A "mystery cruise" the weekend of May 17-18 will test the yachters' navigation skills as they follow way-points that will guide them to their destination.
HEALTH risk screening and wellness education will be offered April 26, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Los Gatos Athletic Club, 285 E. Main St. Among the practitioners available to help people with their lifestyle choices will be a dermatologist, an optometrist, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, and a nutritionist. Pathology labs will offer cholesterol checks ($25) and full blood-chemistry analysis ($60). Information about fitness and stress management and instruction in tai chi and yoga by Karen and Lee Holden will be available; and the athletic club's fitness staff will offer free testing for body fat, blood pressure, etc. Phone 354-5808 to reserve a time for cholesterol or risk-factor analysis.
THE 29TH annual Photography Contest for Junior Photographers, open to ages 18 and under, sponsored by the Photographic Guild of Los Gatos, invites young lens buffs to submit their prints by May 8 before noon. Los Gatos Camera Center, 421 N. Santa Cruz Ave., will accept entries, as will Discount Photo Supply, 451 S. 4th St., San Jose. Entries must be mounted on 11 x 14 inch boards only, according to Jack Parsons of the guild. Prints may be entered in five categories: the world around us (black & white); studio photography (b&w); the world of color; special techniques (manipulation of images); and senior portfolio, a selection of six mounted prints from a high school senior. An awards evening is scheduled for May 22 at the Los Gatos High School gym, with parents and public invited. For information call Parsons, 356-8784.
JOE PERZYNSKI and Peter Henriksen talked with members of the Los Gatos Kiwanis Club about preparing for home emergencies. Both are members of DART (Disaster Aid Response Team), which provided services to Los Gatos during the Lexington fire and the Loma Prieta earthquake. The organization was founded in 1982. Both Perzynski and Henriksen helped search for bodies after the Oakland fire storm and also participated in a search for a missing boy at Lake Tahoe in 1994 as part of their volunteer efforts with DART.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, April 16, 1997.
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