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Golf tourney honors community activist, raises money

By Mary Ann Cook

THRASHER TOURNAMENT: The golf tournament known as the Thrasher Memorial Youth Tournament will be held at San Jose Muni Aug. 17. Doug Thrasher was a community activist who died last year and was particularly involved in youth activities.

The tourney is a benefit for area young people, including scholarships. Last year, the first year of the event, netted $7,354. The format is "best ball scramble"; the cost is $125. The contact is Bill Ready at 408.265.8700. Checks should be made out to the Los Gatos Community Foundation.

Note that it's for the Doug Thrasher tourney on the check. Dinner and a raffle are part of the day's package, and the action begins at 10 a.m. Non-golfers can sign up for the dinner only.

Last year local lawyer Marion Whittaker joined the tourney on the spot when she was told it would be quite a while before she could tee off on her own. She had such a good time, she signed up again this year, reports Mike Fitzsimmons, one of the organizers of the event.

The field that the Union Little League practices on at Cinnabar School has been renamed the Doug Thrasher field. The company Doug and Janet founded, the Thrasher Termite Company, continues with Doug's widow, Janet, running the company. There are three Thrasher children--Lindsey, Garrett and Douglas.

PEAK PINOT: We always knew we were at the top of the culinary heap in this part of the world, but here's added proof: David Bruce's pinot noir was rated the best wine served at the dinner held at the Hotel Crillon in Paris earlier this summer. The chefs that night were Emile Mooser and Jim Stump.

Mooser is owner/chef of Emile's and Stump has a similar role at A.P. Stumps, both San Jose restaurants. All three--chefs and winemaker--have Los Gatos ties. Bruce and Mooser live in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And Stump is chef and one of the owners of the Los Gatos Brewing Company.

The celebratory dinner marked the first time American chefs have been allowed in the French hotel's kitchen. The San Jose area contingent was there to enhance U.S.-Franco relations and to commemorate the new American Airlines flight to France from San Jose.

Famed foodie Narsai David was the one who offered the rating for the Bruce wine.

SUMMER SYMPHONY: Peggy Conaway, library director, is just back from Burlington, Vt., where she visited her daughter and son-in-law. The threesome spent some delightful tourist time in Quebec. Conaway's son-in-law is director of the Burlington Youth Symphony and assistant conductor of the Burlington Symphony.

So some of the trip's focus was on music. The trio, swathed in hard hats, checked out an old stone barn in Burlington. The barn, once used as a horse stable, is being refurbished to become a good-sized concert hall. Hence the necessity for hard hats.

BALL BENEFICIARIES: Some 62 nonprofit organizations benefited from the $1.5 million raised at the Silicon Valley Charity Ball this spring. Proceeds from the ball didn't reflect the downturn in the economy as substantial checks were handed out to such agencies as Second Harvest, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Emergency Housing Consortium.

NEW PREZ: Former LGHS principal Ted Simonson is just back from Wichita, Kan., where he was installed as president of the WWII Rainbow Veteran's Association. This rainbow has nothing to do with color, but reflects the fact that the vets are from all over the United States.

DREAMSCAPES: A reception for artist Paul Nowicki will be held at the Los Gatos Art Museum Aug. 12, 1-4 p.m. Nowicki makes 3-D models, some of which make noise, appear to move, and have odors or tastes. He was a model maker for television, movies, commercials and toys.

His work will be on display until Sept. 29. Museum hours are Wed.-Sun., noon to 4 p.m. Tait and Main, the address.

VINTAGE CHAMBER: A group of Chamber of Commerce regulars has formed a social nucleus that meets a few times a year to reminisce and trade stories about life in Los Gatos--then and now. They call themselves the Vintage Chamber and vow to have home gatherings every few months.

Some of the stalwarts include Louise Hogan, Jan Morris, Kay Henry, Strat Guiliotis, Carol Musser, and Sue and Dennis Byron.

NEW THEATER: The Tabard Theatre Company is a new theater venture in these parts: it recently presented You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at the Family Life Center in south San Jose. Los Gatans were the mainstays of the music.

Judy Bingman, retired band director at LGHS, was music director and two of the five under her baton were Los Gatos High students: Audrey Harrison on flute and Thomas Hellaboid on sax and clarinet.

PORTRAIT DEMO: Artist Gerald Boyd will demonstrate his oil portraiture techniques at the Los Gatos Art Association meeting on Aug. 11 at 1 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church.

Boyd works in pastels and watercolor, as well as oils. He began his career as a painter of outdoor advertising. Now that that craft is virtually extinct, he has switched his focus to the fine arts.

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