Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Bob Aldrich

LG Lions Club challenges 49ers in court game

THERE may be a David-and-Goliath element involved when members of the Los Gatos Lions Club play some of the San Francisco 49ers in a charity basketball game scheduled for June 1 at 7 p.m.at Los Gatos High School. Should be interesting to see how the football pros do when they're pivoting, dribbling and shooting baskets instead of hitting the line. Not to mention how the Lions manage. Says Lion Chris Morris in the club newsletter: "Since our basketball team would have trouble with the Little Sisters of the Poor, wonder how we'll do with the 49ers." Anyway, it'll all be for Lions charities, says Lion Rick Miller, who's organizing chairman. Names of the 49ers playing were not yet available. Tickets, by the way, will be $10.

SO Lion Rick Miller stepped up to the number-six tee at a Pajaro golf course for a March 22 match between the Lions and Rotary clubs and aimed his drive for the 98-yard par 3 hole. And where did his ball go? Right into the cup for the first and only hole-in-one of his life, so far. Miller took home a new set of golf clubs, courtesy of sponsor Moore Buick. The Lions, incidentally, won the match.

RUNNING away with the circus used to be every youngster's dream. Robin Stevens of Los Gatos did a lot better. She connected with Cirque San Jose after attending Taylor's Acro-Gymnastics summer circus camp in 1992. Since then she's been a member of Taylor's performance group, which last year expanded to form Cirque San Jose, patterned after Cirque du Soleil. When Cirque San Jose opens its new "Spaced Out" show April 26, Robin will be a featured gymnast. Performances at 634 N. Eighth St., San Jose, are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through June 1, excluding May 24-25. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 children. Phone 295-ACRO for information.

A PLACE For Teens, dubbed The Outhouse by the teenage crowd, is in need of new adult board members to replace those rotating off the board after several years' service. Give a call to co-president Sue Donnelly at 395-5277, or Gladie Rabitz at 354-7375, if you can help with general board decisions or in any of these areas: newsletters and publicity, teen programming, computer-study room equipment, snack bar and supplies, grant applications, mailing lists, fundraising events or minutes-taking. The Outhouse is a supervised place for teens to meet with friends, study and hold meetings and social occasions.

LOS GATOS Yacht Club members watched a video and heard a talk April 9 by Al Parker about sailing with friends to Baja, Mexico. Parker and his sailing partner, Frank Schwarb of the yacht club, have also sailed to Puget Sound on their 40-foot Valiant, Amazing Grace. The sailing club, which meets monthly at Los Gatos Lodge, has its cruising schedule set, beginning with a sail to Jack London Square, Oakland, on April 27.

AN award-winning program called The Better Part, produced by Cupertino Senior Television Productions for community-access TV, is now on Los Gatos' KCAT (Channel 6) Thursdays at 6 p.m. Subjects of interest to seniors and their families include health issues, community agencies, interesting seniors and local points of interest. Dorothy Stevens is producer. The April 11 show featured DeAnza College's jazz singers, Vocal Flight. "How to extend life and productivity" is the topic on April 18. Cupertino Senior TV Productions have presented community access programs for 13 years.

WHEN Los Gatan Vicke Johnson saw a need for an organized team among her coworkers at Applied Materials to take part in the April 14 MS Walk for Multiple Sclerosis, she applied herself by taking on the role of corporation team captain and signed up 40 people for the fundraising nine-mile walk from the Pruneyard Shopping Center to Los Gatos High School where walkers, including Johnson, enjoyed Round Table pizza. Last year Johnson raised $1,590 from sponsors.

CELEBRATING its third anniversary is Up to Date gallery, 7 N. Santa Cruz Ave., with a wine-and-hors d'oeuvres evening April 26 from 6 o 10 p.m. Nature photographer Beth Kahn will be present. Phone 354-4283.

AS STATED here, the first "official" Los Gatos High School graduation was in 1896, according to a 1902 copy of the Wildcat in the collection of Los Gatos historian Bill Wulf. Wulf also has rare programs from a June 22, 1888 Los Gatos graduation when there were seven students in a new high school class associated with the University Avenue grammar school. Only one student, Anna Jessie Mason, was graduated that year, before any high school was built.

Wulf also has the "first annual commencement" of June 11, 1896. Five students were graduated from a "Latin scientific" course and five more from a "scientific" course. A. E. Shumate was the principal and Gertrude H. Lewis was valedictorian.

The 1902 Wildcat has a "historical sketch," summarized here: "The Los Gatos High School was organized in 1893. On Oct. 14 of that year, the contract for the building was let to C.C. Christensen for $5,919 and the work was commenced. (A high school wing was added to the University Avenue Grammar School.). The building was finished in 1894 and occupied that fall.

"The first class graduated in 1896. The following principals have served: A. E. Shumate, A.M. Kelley, L K. Webb, G. C. Russell, and W.W. Wilson."

Says Wulf: "By providing this information, I hope that the Los Gatos High School Class of 1996 will enjoy the recognition that they are indeed the 100th graduating class."

A 1988 Los Gatos High School Centennial was based on the 1888 graduation exercise.