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That Was Then
Members of Sunnyvale's early orchard families remember a time when the valley was covered with blooming trees and a crop coming in during harvest time was a good enough excuse for students to skip school. OHPIE organizers sent out a form to these original residents, asking them to finish the phrase "I'll never forget ..."
I'll never forget ...
"When Sunnyvale was all farms. I remember the blossoms the most--and the beauty of all the orchards. The hardest work I ever did was picking prunes."
--James and Jenny Caviglia
"When all the blossoms were out and we drove down Highway 9. Everything looked beautiful. All the homes were an orchard apart, Highway 9 was a two-lane road, and there were very few subdivisions. There was very little traffic and everyone knew everybody."
--Marty Zankich
"The year our apricot crop was nil. So we picked them with a long pole with a can attached at the end. Every apricot saved was priceless."
--Ernest and Carmela Borello
"When the orchard was sold. Abundio (who died in 1995 at 101 years old) was so filled with anguish. A lifestyle of farming and an era was fading away. Progress into technology was taking over. He was sad to see this rich fertile soil be buried under concrete."
--Tino Rodriquez
"When Dad was offered $7,000 per acre in the early '60s. He thought he struck a 'gold mine.'
"... Summer workers setting up living facilities in orchards. Some had their own family tents with only outhouses, no showers, only cold water."
--Luka and Kate Pavlina
"When the neighborhood children used to play touch football and ride their bikes down the middle of Fair Oaks Avenue! Can you imagine anyone playing on Fair Oaks now? One is lucky to cross it and remain alive!"
--Barulich Family
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
