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News Briefs
Hit-and-run victim was hard-working good guy
By Sam Scott
Jaine O'Connor remembers Jim Hower the way a lot of people do--as a guy rarely without a smile on his face. "The guy was never down," she says. "He wore the uniform prouder than anybody I know."
Last summer, O'Connor and Hower started working at the Fremont Fire Department within weeks of each other. O'Connor says Hower's positive nature made him an instant pleasure to work with. "Our working relationship really turned quickly warm," she says. "He was a teacher to me. He was teacher to a lot of people."
Hower, 35, who was a Sunnyvale resident, was killed last Sunday in a hit-and-run accident on Fremont Avenue. That he should be remembered as a teacher is a powerful testament of character for someone who struggled mightily to be a good student.
"This is a young man who overcame an awful lot," his mother, Catherine Hower, says of his journey to adulthood. "It was a hard, hard road." A sufferer of four learning disabilities, Hower completed a major in environmental studies and a minor in chemistry from San Jose State. His mother is especially proud of him for taking on the mysteries and complexities of organic chemistry.
"He needs a monument, especially for people who have kids like this to know they can overcome it," she says.
The Fremont Fire Department planted a tree in his honor in Fremont Central Park during a memorial service on Wednesday.
Despite the challenges of his youth and education, Ms. Hower says, her son had put the hard times behind him. "He was a wonderful young man. He was doing exactly what he wanted to do. If anything, you could say he died really happy."
Fremont fire Chief Dan Lydon, whose office was 25 feet from Hower's, says Hower loved his work. "He would have done the job for nothing. He wanted to be here."
Brooke was born on March 15, 1964. He died on Sept. 19, 1999. A funeral service was held last Friday. The family asks that any donations be sent to the Santa Clara Humane Society, 2065 Martin Ave., Santa Clara, 95050. Hower is remembered for his love of animals.
Hower is survived by fiancée Kirstie Thomson of Sunnyvale, parents Paul and Catherine of Santa Clara, brothers Fred and John, and sister Ann.
Arrested in the case was 37-year-old Cupertino resident Nora Jean Hara. She was found after an intensive search by the Sunnyvale Public Safety traffic department. An antenna left at the scene proved to be the key in narrowing the type of vehicle down to a gray van.
"I feel really sorry for her," Ms. Hower says. "She didn't know that she killed him. This is going to have an echo effect."
Hara was arraigned on Sept. 30 on charges of hit and run with great bodily injury. The charge carries a two- to four-year sentence in state prison. The district attorney's office is investigating to see if a charge of manslaughter will be added, Deputy District Attorney Denise Raabe says.
Sunnyvale players sing into new season
The Sunnyvale Community Players launched its 30th anniversary season this month with its West Side Story production playing in the community center theater. The play runs through Oct. 3; call 408.733.6611 for tickets.
Their next performance, Into the Woods, plays Oct. 29 through Nov. 21. Grease opens in February, followed by Man of La Mancha in April. All shows will be at the community center theater at 550 E. Remington Drive.
Tim Harris, president of the organization, said the group wants to grow.
"We want to keep doing bigger and better things."
Local teachers saluted by Santa Clara County
This past Monday, Santa Clara's office of education honored two Sunnyvale teachers as being among the county's best. Chris Kenison of Fremont High School, and Shirley Stevens of San Miguel School, were two of the 26 teachers chosen for "Teacher Recognition Day."
Kenison has been a teacher for 29 years, all of which have been spent with the Fremont Union High School District. Stevens has been a teacher for 32 years, 31 of which have been with the Sunnyvale School District.
The district also named Stevens teacher of the year.
The county held its awards ceremony on Sept. 27 at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts. County superintendent Colleen Wilcox hosted the event, which San Jose Mercury News columnist Leigh Weimers emceed.
Teacher Recognition Day has been spotlighting the county's best teachers since 1970.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
