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Saratoga Sampler
Being a triplet as easy as one one-two-three for Battaglia
By Mary Ann Cook
SEEING TRIPLE: Barbara "Bobbi" Battaglia is one-third of the first surviving triplets to be born in San Francisco in the 20th century. The three girls were born three minutes apart on Jan. 31, 1936, to Olive and Emanuel Toupes. Bobbi is the middle one. The oldest triplet is Beverly, who lives in Vista, and she and Bobbi are identical.
The youngest was Carol, not identical, who died two years ago. Two other Toupes children followed to complete the family. The family lived within walking distance of Golden Gate Park, which Bobbi liked to call her big back yard. The threesome received a lot of press.
After all, this was the era of the Dionne quintuplets. Their mother made all their clothes and dressed them alike in preschool days. And the mayor of San Francisco asked to be a godparent, so Angelo and Grace Rossi were Bobbi's godparents.
As for tricking others, the only time they traded classrooms, it didn't pay off for Bobbi. She was the scholar, and she ended up with Beverly's disappointing biology grade. They did, however, play tricks on their dates, especially over the phone because their voices were so alike.
ESP is evidently at work between the identical twosome: They show up with the same type of glasses or hairstyle with no pre-consultation. When things go wrong for one, it affects the other. You can't understand why you are upset or blue that day until you learn what was going on with the other, Bobbi says.
In high school the three went on double and triple dates, a dictum from their parents. At one of these parlays Bobbi met her husband Bob. The Battaglias have two children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
MEN'S BOOK GROUP: Lo and behold--there's a men's book group, a very specialized group, and one of its members is Saratogan Byron Anderson. This is a group of Harvard Business School grads of 1970 who realized they had a West Coast contingent, enough for a book group.
They started with 10, are now down to five. Since they are from all over the Bay Area, they meet in SF to dine and discuss. In alphabetical order, one person chooses both the book and the restaurant. Most of the selections through its 35-year existence have been about history.
Here's a sampling: A Short History of the Byzantine Empire by John Norwich (short at 600 pages); World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester; Lexus and the Olive Tree by Tom Friedman.
Anderson is a retired senior vice president of Agilent. Now he's part of the Saratoga Community of Painters that paint on location. His watercolors grace the library walls today. He's looking forward to the Saratoga @50parade, where he'll drive a restored '34 pickup.
Wife Linda helped plan the 50-year anniversary doings.
BEST OF SHOW: Home winemakers Dick and Peggy Valentine were awarded Best of Show for their cabernet at the California State Fair this year. Last year the Valentines won Best of Show at the Orange County Fair.
In the past they've collected many silvers and golds.
The Valentines have been making wine for 15 years and still do most of the work themselves, except at harvest and bottling times, when they rope family and friends into the action. The winning wines were both reserve cabs, a wine that stays in the barrel for three years before being bottled.
Valentine wines can be sampled at the Saratoga Mustard Festival, which is fitting, since the festival is generally near Valentine's Day.
HATS OFF TO HATS: Women's hats have nearly gone the way of the dodo, so it's always a treat to see the toppers at the annual Saratoga Senior Center High Tea. Kay Martin was top prize winner for her yellow hat cascading with flowers, plus matching parasol. Runner-up was Betty Landin in pillbox with veil.
Also receiving plaudits were Ann Hootman in a 100-year-old hat belonging to her husband's grandmother; Marianne Saum in a red Christian Dior velour; and Senaida Farwell in a '30s era cloche. Chuck Page and Ann Marie Burger were the judges.
Raffle drawing, a weekend at Pajaro Dunes, was won by Sioux Dahlem of Huntington Beach, in town for her 45th high school reunion at LGHS--the last class before Saratoga High was built. Louise Webb won a Swarski crystal swan. Violinist Sara Kim and pianist Christine Yang, Westmont High juniors, supplied the music.
SISTER CITY DEMOS: Japanese Culture Alive in Saratoga will be celebrated at Saratoga Community Center on Sept. 23 starting at 11 a.m. with the Taiko players. It's part of Saratoga's 50th anniversary party and sponsored by Saratoga Sister City.
In charge are Don Morgan, Cathy Foscato and Peter Marra, aided by Joan Gomersall, Denny Alff, Diane and Lee McLaughlin and Art and Aki Okuno. Demonstrators include Marilyn Buckle, doll making; Lillian Morgan, ikebana; Reiko Iwanaga, Japanese dancing; and Aiko and John Tauchi, tea ceremony.
Visitors from Muko-shi, Saratoga's sister city, will enliven the proceedings with origami, calligraphy, and children's activities.
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