Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Main Street

Mary Ann Cook

Classmates finally get to know each other

FRANCOPHILES UNITED: Jay Druian of Los Gatos and John Couch of Saratoga both attended high school in Chateauroux, France, in 1962. So when Couch came into Druian's French Cellar wine shop at 32 E. Main St. a few months ago, the two began to compare notes on memories of things French.

Eventually a Chateauroux yearbook was produced and--voila!--the two were on the same page. Though they barely knew each other then, they had mutual friends and similar adventures in France and have since become good buds, relates Sallie Robbins-Druian, wife and partner of Jay.

Couch, one of the first vice presidents of Apple, retired at 36 and is now CEO of Pangea Systems in Oakland. Druian was vice president for a major international insurance broker. Now he's turned an avocation into a vocation. The French Cellar has been open since April 21 and sells antique French stemware as well as wine and biscuits designed to be dunked into champagne.

BEST YEAR: Los Gatos artist Betty Rogers is half of a two-person exhibit that opens at Gallery House in Palo Alto Aug. 25 and runs through Sept. 19. Rogers paints abstracts in watercolors. She likes to think of her work as fluid, passionate and immediate, the same qualities Ray Bradbury uses to describe his writings.

The other artist exhibiting is Saratogan Theresa Robinson. Her work is sculptural, using found objects, and rampant with humor, irony and wordplay. The two artists are close friends and have exhibited together several times.

Except for an eight-year hiatus, Rogers has been a member of Gallery House for 37 of its 40 years. An artist reception is scheduled for Aug. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery's historic building at 538 Ramona St.

Rogers turned 80 in March and calls this the best year of her life. She quotes an unknown poet: "When you're 80 people are surprised that you're alive; they're surprised that you can walk; and they're surprised that you reveal lucid intervals. At 70, people are mad at you for everything, but when you're 80, people forgive you anything."

"If Georgia O'Keefe could have a show at 90, I can certainly have one at 80," Rogers adds with customary zest. Memory, motion and energy are all evidenced in her work.

MODEL DINNER: Adu Bagley will host a dinner for the models who will participate in the Community Foundation fundraiser to be held Sept. 26 in the garden of Bill and Patti Hughes. Model escorts are all members of the Santa Clara County Fire Department and include Capt. Dennis DeMellopine, engineer Bob Olson and firefighter paramedics Aric Gilbrecht and Marc Martinez.

Husbands and wives modeling are Melissa and Tony Powell and Diane Sotir and Jeff Holland. Teri Hope is a model, and husband Jan Hutchins is the fashion show commentator. Other male models are Mike Jones, Brian Brackbill (also an SCC firefighter) and Steve Gubber.

Other female models: Bagley, Kathleen Barry, Cathleen Bruhn, Jan Morris, Joanna Rauh, Theresa Scagliotti, Susan Sedgley and Katie Giordano. The 561st U.S. Air Force Band will play at the Community Foundation gala. For tickets via Visa or Mastercard at $100 each, call the foundation at 792-3233.

RACE FOR RESEARCH: This fundraiser was founded by local race-car driver Mark Monico and is a benefit for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in St. Louis. Monico is a cancer survivor and wanted to give something back in gratitude. Research conducted at St. Jude's is used by Oakland and Stanford children's hospitals.

At each table of 10, a Northern California race-car driver played host. Race for Research has raised $170,000 in the four years the dinner/auction has existed.

VOTER ALERT: Los Gatos High school seniors Giselle Sylvester and Kierstin Bates helped register voters at the Los Gatos Farmer's Market with League of Women Voters members Sue Boyd and Jane Catalano. The experience opened the teens' eyes to the importance of knowing the candidates and issues in order to make intelligent choices, Boyd says. The league wants to encourage more high school volunteers.

NEW OFFICERS: Opera San José recently elected two Los Gatans as officers of its board. Frank Veloz, president of Comptech West, is vice president of finance; and Isobel Sturgeon is nominating committee vice president. Other Los Gatos board members include Sharon Blasgen, Michael Kalkstein, Anton Musladin, Margaret Slemmons and William Siegel.

CROWDED CALENDAR: The San Jose Symphony Gala will be held Sept. 26 starting at 5 p.m. in Discovery Meadow (near the Children's Discovery Museum) for cocktails and dinner, then moving on to the Center for Performing Arts for the 8 p.m. concert, a tribute to George Gershwin's 100th birthday.

Karen Krueger and Joan Hackworth of Saratoga are co-chairs of the gala. Other fundraisers vying for the spotlight that night are the Cattle Baron's Ball at Moffett Field and the Los Gatos Community Foundation dinner. Offers a delightful but difficult dilemma for a gala-goer, what?

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