About 51 years ago a Californian named George Harold Gilliland drafted the resolution to add "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. He was the second non-clergyman ever to serve as chaplain of the California American Legion. I knew him simply as "Uncle Bud."

Uncle Bud, as a young man, served in the United States Navy. He married, raised a family and for many years owned a printing business in Glendale.

Upon Uncle Bud's death, the Glendale News printed a tribute which said in part: "Mr. Gilliland's memory will live for all times in the hearts of his countrymen when they put their right hand over their hearts and say, 'One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.' It was through Mr. Gilliland's efforts that the words 'under God' were added to the Pledge of Allegiance."

The tribute went on to say, "In 1954 Mr. Gilliland drafted a resolution which was supported by the American Legion calling for the addition of 'under God' to the pledge. His effort won the support of service clubs and civic organizations throughout the nation and on June 4, 1954, President Eisenhower signed into law the new pledge. For his efforts he was honored by groups representing all faiths." The tribute went on to say: "Mr. Gilliland's contribution rises above monuments. It reaches to heaven."

A pledge at the end of the Declaration of Independence reads: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Abraham Lincoln in his "Gettysburg Address" said in part, "That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Larry Paulding

Los Gatos

Plaque recognizes
incorporation year

Willys Peck's recent Stereopticon article ("The year 1852 a little early for Paul Masson," Aug. 24) was delightful, as usual.

The 1852 plaque was put on the old facade of the Masson winery by Martin Ray after he reconstructed the interior of the building, destroyed by fire in 1941. It was intended to announce not the age of the structure (which was c. 1906), but the registered incorporation year (with the state of California) of what became the Paul Masson Champagne Co.

Masson earlier had tracked it back from his winemaker father-in-law, Charles Lefranc (of Almaden), to Lefranc's winemaker father-in-law, Etienne Thee. Martin Ray, knowing that consumers respect both longevity and family legacy in a business, regarded himself, as proprietor of the corporation, its legitimate fourth-generation scion. He retained the Masson Corporation itself when he sold Masson in 1943 to Seagram but changed the corporate name to Martin Ray, Inc.

Thus in 1952 labels on Martin Ray's costly and pure varietal wines and champagnes proudly proclaimed the vintage date as the "Centennial Year."

Barbara Marinacci

Mt. Eden Road

Barbara Marinacci is Martin Ray's stepdaughter.

Prices to use school
facilities too high

Like most people in Saratoga, I believe that healthy schools are very important to a healthy community. I have watched with satisfaction the recent upgrades to the facilities at our elementary and middle schools, and especially Saratoga High School. The community has invested in the high school and the facilities are much improved.

I was completely shocked and dismayed to find out that the newly finished upgrades have inspired the school board to raise the use rates sky high! My morning exercise class will have to move: the cost of the track for one hour has changed from $12 per hour to $150 per hour. Checking the school board website at www.lgsuhsd.org showed me that the new rates charged at the school even for nonprofit activities like Girl Scouts and children's sports leagues, will make the high school unavailable to the community. What youth sports team can afford $75 per hour to use a field? What Girl Scout troop can afford $20 per hour to hold a meeting in an empty classroom?

I think the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union School District Board should be a little more generous with a community that has paid for all these upgrades. The school is not a commercial moneymaking entity; we, the community, paid for it.

Debbie Mathews

Canyon View Drive

Who wants a cell tower
that looks like a tree?

A cell tower that looks like a tree? As a resident of Saratoga on Terrence Avenue for 39 years, I can hardly believe that the planning commission of the city of Saratoga is considering the granting of a permit to Nextel for a 50-foot cell tower at Miller Avenue and Prospect Road at a church property in an area zoned for residential use only.

To disguise its appearance, the plan is for the 50-foot tower to "look like a redwood tree." Well, give me a break, a tower with green plastic covering the horizontal antenna rods is not going to make it look like a redwood tree (only God can make a redwood tree look like a redwood tree). And after a few heavy rains and winds on the plastic covering, I'm sure it will look even less like a redwood tree.

After a planning commission meeting recently where a number of local residents strenuously objected to the granting of the above structure due to its effect of an unsightly appearance and the decrease of their property values, the planning commission agreed to put the decision "on hold" (I wonder for how long?). Could the agreement of a $2,000 per month payment to the church for their good favor have anything to do with the planning commission's consideration in this matter (I wonder)? Come on, planning commissioners, what's wrong is wrong and what's illegal is illegal.

Ernest Gordon

Terrence Avenue

Put North Campus issue
up to vote of the people

I believe that Saratoga and its residents would benefit greatly from the creation of a community center at the property on Prospect Road, which has already been bought and paid for by the citizens of Saratoga in their taxes. I fully support the aims and aspirations of the group that sent me a letter recently.

It would seem, however, that the only thing that stands between development of this center by the city, and residents having to pay up yet again and/or lend their own money with a rather uncertain repayment future, is the vote/opinion of one council member. Isn't that rather out of proportion? If this one individual were persuaded to change his/her mind, would we get our community center without any more fuss?

Issues as important as this, involving thousands of dollars of taxpayers' money should not rest on the vote of one individual. What about putting the vote to the people who have already raised this money--us?

Jennifer Tero

Bellwood Drive