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Main Street
Local woman finds willing participants for gathering
By Mary Ann Cook
HEARTWARMING: Layne Hackett has had a number of heartwarming experiences in putting together the multi-religion, multicultural gathering scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Los Gatos History Club. She's been contacting Middle Eastern and Indian people and groups to alert them to the meeting.
One such group is the American-Afghan Congress of Silicon Valley. Another is a Sikh, originally from India, who owns an East San Jose liquor store and has been harassed. He offered his support and his wife will attend the gathering. Hackett has been meeting people she wouldn't ordinarily encounter.
Jahan Hill, for one, who owns a dress shop in the Opera House, was enthused about becoming involved. "We probably never would have met under normal circumstances," says Hackett, who dropped by the shop on impulse. Having tended her horse, she was dressed in shorts and felt considerably out of place, talking to the stately Hill.
"But we found a connection," Hackett says, which is, of course, the point of the Oct. 11 gathering. "We're going to talk about our hopes and concerns and go forward from here. If each of us does something, we can impact a change."
Carpooling is strongly advised because of limited parking in the area.
BAKE SALE: A Los Gatos neighborhood bake sale to benefit the New York firefighters raised $1,700 in one afternoon. The LaBombarda family organized the sale with help from the Granato, San Juan, Highstreet, Lee and Ingle families.
DONATION: Lakeside Elementary, a one-school district of 134 students, raised $2,017 in donations for the Red Cross, including more than 20,000 pennies. The fourth-graders coordinated the drive, first initiated by Nathan and Deanna Devlin.
GOOD SCOUTS: Los Gatos Girl Scout Troop #269 voted to donate $600 of their proceeds from the 2001 cookie sales to the American Red Cross for disaster relief. Scouts involved are Gwynnie Vernon, Whitney Cameron, Natalie McDonald, Sarah Jones, Jennifer Genetti, Jennifer Anzalone, Brianna Trotter, Kayla Kirkpatrick, Christine Reed and Sarah Safir.
LEXINGTON: At Lexington School each classroom made a Banner of Love. The banners first hung in the school cafeteria and now hang in New York fire stations. Raf Strudley is the principal.
TEN MINUTES OF FAME: Riva Rubnitz won a Runner-Up Award in the Actors Theater of Santa Cruz 10-Minute Play Competition. Her play, Siren Song, will be presented in a staged reading early in 2002 at the Actor's Theater. Eight plays in the annual contest are chosen for full productions, and eight runners-up are given staged (with script) readings.
BALLERINA: Elizabeth Treese of Monte Sereno has been accepted at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, where she will work toward a BFA in ballet. She has been a summer student at American Ballet Theater in New York and scholarship summer student at both Joffrey Ballet and Cleveland-San Jose Ballet Schools. She is the daughter of Michael and Jonnie Treese.
SUMMER SCIENCE PROJECT: Chris Doherty-Gottschalk, a senior at Los Gatos High, was part of Operation Catapult this summer. The operation is a three-week summer program wherein students conduct scientific projects at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.
The Los Gatan's project was measuring heart function using the electrocardiogram. He is the son of Martha Doherty and Michael Gottschalk. Rose-Hulman has been ranked the top engineering college in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
NEW ROLE: Barbara Spector has been named hearing officer for the city of Saratoga. Spector, a lawyer, is a former member of the Los Gatos Planning Commission. In her new role, she will hold hearings and decide appeals from those challenging code and nuisance violations.
Saratoga may be the first to initiate such a position. Normally, folks have to take their complaints about being cited to the city council.
TEACHER APPRECIATION: The Santa Clara division of the California Retired Teachers Association is based in Saratoga, and Saratogan Lu Messimer is the community service spokesperson. She suggests people remember teachers who made an impact on their lives and call or write to tell them so.
"I guarantee it will make their week," she says. California Retired Teachers Week is Oct. 14-20, an appropriate time for such a tribute. Messimer's number is 408.253.3888.
CREEK CLEANUPS: Three area creeks were cleaned during the Coast Cleanup Day recently. At Lexington Reservoir 105 volunteers collected 2,580 pounds of trash and 1,740 pounds of recyclables. At Los Gatos Creek from Camden to Lark avenues, 78 people rounded up 400 pounds of garbage and 175 pounds of recyclables.
In Saratoga's Calabazos Creek at Prospect Avenue and Via Reoneola, 20 people picked up 350 pounds of trash and 80 pounds of recyclables. "You can make a difference in your environment," attests Sheila Tucker, manager of the West Valley Clean Water program. Enjoy nature and do something worthwhile at the same time.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
