The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association took a long, hard, honest look at its Lincoln Avenue business district, which many consider the heart of the community, and a determined group of Lincoln Avenue merchants, in conjunction with the city of San Jose, helped reorganize and refocus the association's efforts.

The holiday season was festive, with decorations—lights, lanterns, garlands—strolling carolers, horse and carriage rides and Santa.

The association also sponsored a successful Dancin' on the Avenue event, which drew more than 35,000 people, and launched a website that posts the latest information about avenue businesses and events.

Several Lincoln Avenue merchants had anniversaries. Willow Glen Books turned 10. The Thrift Box, which raises funds for the San Jose Auxiliary to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, celebrated its 60th anniversary.

New stores also became part of the community—Barbarella and Gypsy Girlz added flair to the avenue, while Longs Drugs, which opened in November, brought convenience to many.

Other businesses, like the Wherehouse, the Willow Glen Kosher Market and Rose Mille, closed their doors.

Founders' Day, a longstanding tradition that epitomizes what Willow Glen is about—community and camaraderie—returned to celebrate its 75th anniversary. The event was cancelled in 2001.

It was also a year of community involvement, as residents living in the Greater Gardner area saw their Strong Neighborhoods Initiative become a reality.

The community saw new parks created—Lincoln Glen and Hummingbird parks—from small parcels of land.

But traffic issues still remain a hot button in Willow Glen even after the city installed neon-yellow pedestrian signs in the middle of Lincoln Avenue crosswalks.

It was also a year to say goodbye to familiar faces—Roula Tsagaris, owner of Tina's Restaurant, Jeff Michel, former owner of the White Dove Cafe, and James "Old Deep" Thatcher, whose family built sandcastles in their driveway. All passed away after battling long illnesses.

Willow Glen schools saw high schoolers graduate, teachers retire and a special visit from California Gov. Gray Davis to Willow Glen High School, where he congratulated the students who received $1,000 scholarships for scoring in the top percentage of the state's standardized tests. But by year's end school administrators were scratching their heads over the governor's proposed midyear budget cuts.

And there were other school milestones. Presentation High School's jazz choir performed at New York City's Carnegie Hall. The school completed its new media-arts complex and celebrated its 40th anniversary.

For a community that considers itself a unique neighborhood in San Jose, 2002 lay the groundwork for many positive changes that should continue in 2003.

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Kids' Fun: San Jose's first playground designed for children both with and without disabilities opened May 18 at Willow Glen's Lincoln Glen Park. Participants from the left Stacey Santa Maria, 15 months, Hannah Noelle Smith, 2, and Hannah Barness, 3, discover how much fun they can have at the park.

Against the wishes of nearby residents, the San Jose Planning Department approved an increase in the number of occupants at a rehabilitation home in southern Willow Glen. The planning director signed a permit allowing up to 17 residents at Rainbow Recovery's Kilo Avenue home. Neighbors in the home's vicinity challenged the increase in accommodation. They were not opposed to the home's current occupancy limit of six people but said the house should be located in a commercial zone to legally accommodate the increase in residents.

The San Jose City Council approved a new city standard to install ornamental street lighting in the city's conservation areas and historic districts. The city has three conservation areas, including Willow Glen's Palm Haven neighborhood. During the past year, District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager worked to change the city's policy regarding street lighting in historic areas.

The construction of a new Longs Drugs at the northwest corner of Lincoln and Brace avenues was started. The San Jose Public Works Department required Longs to contribute streetscape and streetlights and replace curbs, gutters and sidewalks surrounding the drugstore.

Willow Glen's Wherehouse music and video store closed. The store was one of five in the Bay Area to close. The store manager, Kristin McCollum, said the store did not get a lot of business. The store had five full-time and three part-time employees.

Neighbors in northern Willow Glen completed the initial planning stages of an infrastructure-oriented proposal to improve their neighborhoods, which was approved by the San Jose City Council . Residents of the Gardner, Atlanta and Gregory Plaza neighborhoods, known as the Greater Gardner area, participated in the city's Strong Neighborhoods Initiative for more than a year. They devised a plan using city funds to make their homes safer, more comfortable and more attractive.

February

City officials impressed residents of northern Willow Glen with a plan to create a city park out of a small parcel of open space. But the team working to turn the overgrown and under-maintained corner of Bird and Fisk avenues into a fenced grassy area with a playground and game tables credited neighbor Renee Erez with the initial idea. The site became one of the city's official parks—receiving regular city maintenance—and was the recipient of $300,000 in city money for its construction. The North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, which brought the site to the attention of District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager, worked on plans for the park and hosted a community meeting.

Seventy-seven students at Willow Glen High School met Gov. Gray Davis when he came to personally congratulate them on earning $1,000 scholarships by scoring in the top percentages of all students taking the state's standardized tests. Davis, his wife, Sharon, and San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales joined Principal Pat Day, San Jose Unified School District Superintendent Linda Murray and other district officials in praising Willow Glen for being the city's fastest-improving high school. He praised the school as the only one in San Jose to meet its improvement target three years in a row.

Pulitzer Prize­winning novelist Alice Walker visited Willow Glen to promote her latest children's book and honor the late African American poet Langston Hughes as part of Black History Month. About 200 adults and children crowded into Hicklebee's bookstore on Lincoln Avenue for a joint book signing by Walker and noted artist Catherine Deeter. Walker received the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for The Color Purple. She's also an activist who often speaks about civil rights and women's issues.

Residents and business owners near and along Lincoln Avenue told consultants and city officials to concentrate on making Willow Glen's downtown safer, cleaner and better for business. The community meeting, attended by about 50 people at the Live Oak Adult Day Services center , was the first of several planned to solicit input on a city redevelopment agency study of Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota and Coe avenues. The $200,000 report will identify the business district's problems and recommend solutions. Lincoln Avenue north of Coe Avenue will be studied through a separate effort by the city and the West San Carlos Business Association, which will coordinate when necessary with the Willow Glen study.

San Jose paved the way for the construction of an affordable-housing development just east of Willow Glen , and nearby neighbors supported the plan that is already helping to improve their community. The city council approved rezoning to allow the construction of a 240-unit, multi-family residential complex on a 6.21-acre site at 1848 Evans Lane, just south of the intersection of Almaden Expressway and Highway 87. The development would replace the existing Expressway Self Storage and RV and Boat Storage facilities north of the Willow Glen Mobile Estates . The council also approved providing the project developer with a variable low-interest loan of up to about $19 million for acquisition, predevelopment and construction, and a nearly $3 million grant.

March

The San Jose City Council approved a proposal to lower the speed limit on Willow Glen's Iris Court from 25 to 20 miles per hour. And a new gate between Iris Court and Willow Glen Elementary School improved some of the street's traffic problems caused by student drop-off and pickup. Iris Court residents hoped the new speed limit signs catch drivers' attention and remind them to be more careful on the narrow street adjacent to the school. The idea for the reduced speed limit came up at a fall traffic-calming meeting between Iris Court residents and city staff. Engineers conducted a study of Iris Court, between Minnesota and Nevada avenues, and found that the street qualified.

The Willow Glen community came together to discuss long-term plans for improving the Lincoln Avenue business district. The $200,000 study of Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota and Coe avenues was funded by the city's redevelopment agency in an effort to make the business district stronger. Ten of the street's lights had bulbs replaced, and the city's public works department investigated the source of a sewer smell along the avenue, which came from either the sewer or the storm drainage system. It sent a video camera into the lines to determine if there was a problem and cleaned the lines once a month during the summer, when the smell was especially bad.

Nicholas Frederick Gibino , former owner of Gibino's Market on Willow Street and a member of the family that owned and operated Sam's Log Cabin , died in his Willow Glen home from colon cancer. He was 89. He was the last of the "Gibino Goosetown Gang" on Willow Street between Vine Avenue and Almaden Road from the Great Depression through the 1960s. His son Jerry and his brother, Rod, remembered that time and place as one of family, friends and food, spending time with their father, his parents and siblings and their children and other local Italian families—the Intravias, Casellis, Bozzos, Ferraros, Peras, Lopiccolos and DiSalvos.

April

Veteran muralist Sherry Rodriguez succeeded in getting Willow Glen Elementary School art rehung. The Willow Glen resident got the attention of Steve Adamo in the San Jose Unified School District's facilities and construction department. He helped get a longtime mural reassembled, restored and re-hung on the kindergarten building wall facing Minnesota Avenue. The mural is about 10 feet by 12 feet and features a large willow tree spanning several central tiles. The tree is surrounded by about 500 tiles with the names of all the students who were attending the school during its 100th anniversary, observed four years ago, as well as the names of individuals who paid for a tile and helped sponsor the artwork.

Carrie Maietta volunteered at Booksin Elementary School to landscape and work on a special project, the kindergarten stepping-stones. She was among 17 women honored with a Crystal Bowl Award for her work as a parent volunteer pulling weeds and planting flowers. Four years ago, when she saw a dirt patch on the campus, she envisioned filling the space with something beautiful. She mixed and poured concrete into round molds and kindergarten students added some of their favorite things from home to create the stepping stones.

The Presentation High School Jazz Choir, which was formed only a year ago and is the only choir at the school, was chosen as one of the most outstanding all-girl jazz choirs in the nation by the Mid-America Committee. The committee also invited the choir to perform at Carnegie Hall. ;

A noted "gateway" to downtown Willow Glen was upgraded to make the site more attractive to shoppers, motorists and pedestrians. A building and drive-through on the southeast corner of Lincoln Avenue and Willow Street, which used to house a Wolf Camera, were remodeled and relandscaped for a frozen yogurt shop— Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt Company— and outdoor courtyard. The Lincoln Avenue­Willow Street intersection was identified by those involved in developing a city master plan for the street as an entranceway to the community that could benefit from more identifying structures. The plan was to make the downtown business district on Lincoln Avenue, between Minnesota and Coe avenues, more appealing to pedestrians and more beneficial for business.

The Jersey's Cheesesteak and Kazoo Sushi Boat restaurants moved into downtown Willow Glen's Garden Theater shopping center. Kazoo Sushi Boat, a favorite among San Jose's Japantown residents since 1989, opened a third location at the former site of Burger King at the downtown mall. The Kazoo owners finally decided to make the move to the Garden Theater when the mall owners approached them again after Burger King closed its Lincoln Avenue franchise.

Michelle Rose Jorgensen closed her Rose Mille store, 1203 Lincoln Ave. Jorgensen opened Rose Mille in October 1998 to provide craft-makers with special products and classes. Jorgensen carried items like beaded and ball fringe, silk ribbons, German glass glitter and French lotion. Well-known crafters came to the store to teach classes in ribbon-making, embroidering, mosaic work and jewelry­, hat­ and pillow-making. She held birthday and tea parties for her younger as well as older customers.

Duane Simmons was murdered by a crossbow. The suspect, Simmons' roommate, 47-year-old Richard McPherson, allegedly later tried to take his own life by slashing his wrists and forearms with a knife at the home, located on Cherry Avenue just south of Koch Lane. Neighbors living near the Willow Glen home weren't too surprised by trouble at the home, which had a history of problems, but they were surprised that those problems turned violent. Police also suspected McPherson, known as "Rick," of assaulting his two female roommates before killing Simmons. He was booked for murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

The Willow Glen High School gym was filled with tables and adult volunteers during the school's career day fair. Nurses, police officers, an actor, engineers, a studio photographer, members of the Nike Olympic track training team, an accountant and a culinary school representative were among the more than 40 professionals who turned up to tout their various careers and, in some cases, sign students up for more information. The school staff and supporters said it was successful beyond their expectations. For most adult participants, the chance to touch the lives of young people made the five hours worth it.

May

Sister Agnes Gough has made an impression on the lives of hundreds—perhaps thousands—of children in her nearly 60 years working in the Sisters of the Holy Family order of the Roman Catholic Church . For 38 of those years, she has served at St. Elizabeth's Day Home in Willow Glen, which marked its 95th anniversary in 2002. The anniversary was celebrated at the annual "Be an Angel" benefit dinner and auction; Gough was the noted honoree this past year.

James "Old Deep" Thatcher , best known in Willow Glen for having his family build sandcastles in their driveway for the Fairglen Art Fair , died after an extended illness. He was 74. James' wife, Anne, 73, said her husband would have a truck dump a ton of sand outside their house each year so they could build sandcastles. The castles were the Thatcher family's annual contribution to the neighborhood fair, which lasted until 1996, when organizers closed it down due to insurance liability issues. One of the family's castles appeared in a Sunset Magazine article about how to build sandcastles.

Willow Glen Elementary School lost eight of its faculty members to retirement in June 2002. The eight teachers who retired have more than 250 years of teaching experience between them—most of those years in Willow Glen.

A special scholarship program by the Willow Glen Sunrisers Kiwanis club , called the Turn-Around Scholarship Program , aids students who went from being likely high school dropouts as freshmen to graduating. Twenty-five such students in the San Jose Unified School District received the $1,000 awards, to be used for future education costs, at a ceremony and luncheon at Lou's Village. Willow Glen High School students Gustavo Juarez, 19, and Alythea Sainz, 18, and David McDonald, 18, of Middle College High School at San José City College have all overcome early obstacles and slow beginnings to get where they are today.

Willow Glen Little League players had their baseballs autographed by military and public safety officers. Local representatives from the U.S. Air Force, the Marines and the Coast Guard, as well as personnel from fire stations and police stations, were among the men and women honored by Little League players and their friends and family on Hometown Heroes Day in Bramhall Park . The day at Bramhall Park was packed with activities, from a hit-a-thon to face painting. The highlight of the day was the hour when service representatives were brought onto the baseball diamond, introduced and awarded a certificate of appreciation.

Willow Glen doctor Catherine Albin was honored as a "woman of achievement" by the Women's Fund of Silicon Valley for her expertise in recognizing symptoms of child abuse. As chairwoman of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center pediatrics department, Albin wears many hats. The 12-year Willow Glen resident is an expert in pediatric infectious diseases, pediatric intensive care and the diagnosis and treatment of child abuse, and she serves as an associate professor of pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Willow Glen's new Lincoln Glen Park was the first park in San Jose to open under the city's new "Play for All" campaign, which calls for parks and playground equipment to be accessible to all children, with and without physical disabilities. The $1.5 million park was officially dedicated on May 18. Lincoln Glen Park was designed to provide physical and sensory stimulation for all children through its use of bright colors, various textures, sand, water and scent. The landscaping throughout the park includes willow trees, fragrant plantings and a curving pebbled walkway that meanders like a river, beginning at a mini waterfall near the main play structure. The "river" then goes through a large shower before it enters the preschool play area, where it "flows" to a water and sand play area for toddlers.

A look back | 2002 | Photograph Jacqueline Ramseyer

Volunteers of the San Jose Auxiliary to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford celebrated the organization's 60th anniversary. The festivities took place in the Thrift Box , the auxiliary's successful volunteer-run Lincoln Avenue store, which exists for the sole purpose of raising funds for the children. Arden Belshaw of Willow Glen is the manager of the Thrift Box. Her introduction to the auxiliary was a typical one: A friend who belonged to the auxiliary kept telling her about the group and finally convinced her to join in 1997.

The air at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden buzzed with excitement as 242 Willow Glen High School (WGHS) graduating seniors attended their commencement ceremony June 14. Teachers busily helped students attach their caps with head pins and tapes. Parents fought for the best spots to take pictures of their children. Friends repeatedly dialed graduates' cell phones to find them. This was the day the WGHS class of 2002 bid farewell to everything that was high school. About 1,500 spectators, including faculty, watched them take their diplomas. It was the school's 51st commencement exercise.

The San Jose Planning Commission unanimously approved the rezoning of 1.5 acres of land at the southwestern corner of W. Virginia Street and Bird Avenue in northern Willow Glen to allow for 16 single-family, attached residential units. The rezoned land was occupied by the Yellow Cab Company . The site is irregular in shape and is bounded by an active railroad track to the south, a small, triangular, unkempt property owned by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board to the west, W. Virginia Street to the north and Bird Avenue to the east. Noise from the 72 trains that use the railroad line will be mitigated by the construction of a soundwall and by setting back the project 90 feet from the tracks, according to Greg Blackwell, the project's developer. Blackwell will build 16 Spanish Eclectic­style, single-family townhome units with three and four bedrooms. Each unit will have a two-car garage and will range from two to three stories high, reaching a maximum height of 32 feet. The units will sell for approximately $500,000.

The San Jose City Council allocated an estimated $350,000 to improve Willow Glen's pedestrian safety record, park facilities and features in a historical neighborhood. The funds were part of the city of San Jose's roughly $3.5 billion budget, approved by the council for the 2002­03 fiscal year. About $180,000 was designated to install warning "uplights" on Lincoln Avenue , $150,000 to build gateway signs on Lincoln Avenue and $20,000 to add landscaping features to Roy Avenue Park, at the intersection of Roy Avenue and Almaden Boulevard. A total of $10,000 was allocated for restoring the seven historical pillars surrounding the Palm Haven neighborhood.

A 43-year-old man suspected of raping a Gardner Academy second-grader in northern Willow Glen was put in jail. Police authorities said Mario Antonio Hernandez' DNA matched that of the man who kidnapped and raped the 8-year-old girl as she walked to school alone on April 28, 2001. DNA tests linked him to two other rapes as well, one in East Palo Alto and one in Santa Ana, as well as an attack on a Redwood City girl. Hernandez was held at the San Mateo County Jail without bail.

The San Jose City Council voted to make its 20 Strong Neighborhood Initiative (SNI) areas one project to facilitate improvements. An anticipated $300 million will be earmarked in the next five years for SNI projects. The initiative is a grass-roots effort involving hundreds of residents, business owners and city staff members who have identified factors that will improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. The Greater Gardner area in northern Willow Glen is one of the SNI areas included in the project.

Willow Glen Little League member Mark Wyllie threw the first pitch of the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics as thousands of fans at Pacific Bell Park watched. The 10-year-old pitched to his Little League coach, Jim Stapleton , whom Wyllie had nominated as coach of the year for Santa Clara County. Because Stapleton won that recognition, he and Wyllie were invited to the San Francisco Giants game to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Their Willow Glen Little League team, the Yankees, won first place in the minors one division. Stapleton, 39, attributed his winning the award to Wyllie's "good writing ability."

July

The city of San Jose and the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, along with the planning firm Design, Community and Environment, conducted a comprehensive study of the existing environmental conditions of downtown Willow Glen as a neighborhood business district. The committee also included Bay Area Economics for retail analysis, Chwen Cheng Siripocanont for parking analysis and Jeff Eichenfield, of Eichenfield & Associates—a San Francisco­based operation specializing in planning and implementing commercial district revitalization—for evaluation of the business association and district management. The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association was also involved in the study.

The San Jose City Council awarded a contract to JFC Construction Inc. to build Hummingbird Park at the intersection of Bird and Fisk avenues. Hummingbird Park's 15,000-square-foot lot is bordered by single-family homes to the south and east.

The Dancin' on the Avenue festival drew a record number of participants and raised more than $25,000 for the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association. The event attracted more than 35,000 people, and almost every restaurant on Lincoln Avenue and a dozen corporations set up booths and helped with the festival.

New signs were posted on Hicks Avenue —between Minnesota and Curtner avenues—restricting use by trucks weighing more than five tons. The San Jose City Council approved the signs, which are additions to the other traffic-calming devices in the area. The San Jose Department of Transportation sought feedback at neighborhood meetings on the devices, which ultimately led to six turn restriction signs being removed. According to James Helmer, deputy director of the department of transportation, there was a higher than normal percentage of truck traffic on Hicks Avenue. Generally, on a residential street only one or two of every 100 vehicles are trucks. On Hicks, however, there are between five and eight trucks going by for every 100 vehicles.

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales led a delegation of 20 business representatives and city government officials, which included District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager, to promote economic development, trade relationships and cultural exchanges with Dublin, Ireland.

With the assistance of the Irish consulate in San Francisco and the city of Dublin, the San Jose delegates met executives of Irish high-tech companies and high-ranking officials of the Dublin and Irish governments, including Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. This was the mayor's first visit to San Jose's sister city. Funding for Gonzales' trip came from his leftover campaign contributions.

A dozen union workers from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) protested in front of the construction site of the Longs Drugs on Lincoln Avenue. The picketers accused Quanten Electrical Contractor Inc.—an independent electrical company working on the Longs construction site—of depriving local union workers of job opportunities by undercutting their wages.

The Gardner Community Center opened its new computer learning center. Thanks to a collaborative effort between San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and Microsoft Corp., the new computer learning center has 10 new computers, as well as desks and chairs. Microsoft donated $50,000, and the city's parks department and redevelopment agency donated more than $10,000.

The San Jose Planning Commission granted permission to move a fence at the southwest corner of Dry Creek Road and Sycamore Glen, which ended a two-month argument between the property's owners, Patrick and Becky DiManto , and some of their neighbors, who had been worried that the new fence would enclose two landmark sycamore trees in the DiMantos' yard and threaten the neighborhood's beauty and safety.

Thanks to a Santa Clara County sister county educational program with the University of Florence, three Italian students—Flavius Daniel Demian, Alessandro Mrakic and Damiano Meacci—visited San Jose. The program's organizer was Willow Glen resident Wendy Teague , one of the 25 Florence, Italy, sister county commissioners. This year is the first time the county's Florence, Italy sister county commission held a summer student exchange program.

August

Willow Glen Books celebrated its 10-year anniversary, and many local patrons came to congratulate owner Cathy Adkins for the store's longevity. Adkins said that the real estate agent she consulted in 1992 told her to come to Willow Glen. It was the location she was looking for, and she said he was right: The spot is in a perfect neighborhood for an independent business.

In recognition of improved test scores, Willow Glen High School received $30,574 from the Governor's Performance Awards Program. Schools are permitted to use the award for any purpose designated by a team of teachers, parents, administrators and students at the school. Qualifying for a Governor's Performance Award is tough, said former Willow Glen High School Principal Patrick Day. Schools must meet or exceed the growth target on the Academic Performance Index by five points.

Bill and Karen Wallberg's two dogs were poisoned. Gracie, an 11-year-old Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix, and Kona, an 80-pound chocolate Labrador, were poisoned to death in their owners' backyard on Glenfield Drive . Another dog in Willow Glen, Achsa, a 6-year-old German shepherd, was found lying lifeless in her doghouse in a backyard on Nightingale Drive . No suspects were caught and no further incidents were reported.

A total of 1,256 people, ages 50 and up, gathered for the 2002 California Senior Games state championships. Athletes from 13 states competed in 22 sports in the greater San Jose area between Aug. 2 and Aug. 11. It was the first time San Jose had hosted the games. Ken and Helen Brady , ages 74 and 66, defended their state lawn bowling title at their home field at Bramhall Park, near the corner of Camino Ramon and Britton Avenue.

Residents gathered at the Willow Glen Senior Center to discuss concerns about health care, immigration and other issues at a town hall meeting with Rep. Zoe Lofgren. The Democratic congresswoman said that the wide variety of topics covered in the meeting showed that residents care about issues that go beyond Willow Glen. She chose the senior center to hold the meeting because Congress was considering the privatization of Social Security, an issue that deeply affects seniors.

Ann McDonough, who lives on Jansen Avenue, discovered an enormous hornets' nest hanging from a magnolia tree in her front yard. The nest, which was constructed from the tree's leaves, was approximately half the size of a basketball. McDonough contacted the environmental studies department at UC-Santa Cruz, where an entomologist expressed interest in photographing the nest and removing it for further study because of its intricacy and size.

A sewage odor continued to pervade Lincoln Avenue . The San Jose Department of Transportation vacuumed the sewers and cleaned the storm drains along Lincoln Avenue several times earlier this year but the odor always returned within a few weeks. After a thorough investigation, the department of transportation discovered that the odor resulted from a 1-foot-tall wall blocking a storm line near Willow Street.

Six pedestrian signs were posted in the middle of crosswalks on Lincoln Avenue to warn motorists that it's illegal to enter crosswalks when pedestrians are present. The signs are located at Broadway, El Abra Way, Meredith and Brace avenues. One is on the crosswalk in front of Peet's Coffee & Tea; another was placed on the crosswalk in front of Le Boulanger. Transportation officials said the pedestrian signs were approved for use by Caltrain.

San Jose District 6 City Council member Ken Yeager kicked off a groundbreaking ceremony at Hummingbird Park . The park has a 42-inch-high steel fence with a gate on Bird Avenue. The gate opens from Bird Avenue to a walkway that leads to a circular concrete path enclosing a toddler play structure. Benches will surround the circular playground so parents can watch their children. The park will also feature two game tables.

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Economic Casualty: Willow Glen Kosher Market owner Menachem Klein, 29, tried to sustain the business, but the Valley's economic downturn affected him.

The Willow Glen Kosher Market on Lincoln Avenue closed after more than 30 years in business. The store had patrons from as far away as Santa Cruz and Palo Alto. Despite the long and successful run, employees had to say goodbye to their faithful customers when the market closed in mid-August. The demise of the store was more than a business loss—local Jewish leaders said it represented a cultural loss, too.

Twenty students from Willow Glen High School participated in a retreat called "The Legacy of Your Leadership . " They listened to speakers and watched videos about how to improve school atmosphere. The students, ranging from sophomores to seniors, gathered at the Santa Clara County Office of Education to participate in the second annual student leadership retreat sponsored by The Cornerstone Project. The project was a countywide collaborative of community leaders and partner organizations working together to provide youth with support, boundaries and opportunities to thrive.

Paulette Cole, 41, raised funds to hold a bone marrow drive at the Live Oak Adult Day Services center. Cole, a stay-at-home mother of two, went in for her annual OB/GYN appointment in September 2001 and learned she had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disorder in which the bone marrow does not function properly and not enough normal blood cells are made. In March of 2002, Cole was also diagnosed with leukemia.

The Stone Church of Willow Glen , a Presbyterian church, offered a "service of memory and prayers for peace" in the French tradition of Taizé as a remembrance of Sept. 11.

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, in conjunction with St. Francis Episcopal Church in Willow Glen, also hosted a community forum on Sept. 10, with a panel of five community dignitaries. The cathedral also hosted an interfaith prayer service with Imam Tahir of the San Jose Islamic Center.

Willow Glen residents celebrated the 75th anniversary of Founders' Day on Sept. 8 with a mixture of tradition and novelty. The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association took over and hosted this year's festival after it was cancelled the previous year. This year, eight veterans from American Legion Post 318 led a parade of about 800 people down Lincoln Avenue. Grand Marshall Leonard McKay , president of the San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission, waved from a fire engine and rang alarms to greet people. San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales followed and distributed magnets to children. District 6 City Council member Ken Yeager, Santa Clara County Supervisor Jim Beall and Rep. Zoe Lofgren waved from classic cars.

The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association launched its new website to coincide with Willow Glen's Founders' Day. Kim Jennett of Kim Jennett Studios maintains the website, which is accessible at www.downtownwillowglen.org. The website acts as a business directory and lists events; it also serves as a historical reference for the community.

Palo Alto­based developer Summerhill Homes plans to build a housing complex in southern Willow Glen. The project is 83 single-family detached homes at a sale price of more than $500,000 each. The proposed 5.8-acre project is enclosed by Foxworthy Avenue, Rubino Drive and the Guadalupe River. The project is expected to be completed within a year. Nearby residents said they welcome the development because it will serve as a buffer between the 950 single-family attached homes to the north and east of the property and the auto dealers on Capitol Expressway.

Presentation High School celebrated its 40th anniversary and inducted four alumnae and one man into its first hall of honor. Marisa Watts Cozort, class of 1994; Cynthia Lucero, class of 1993; Dr. Marlene Mirassou, class of 1966; Sandi Maida Callahan, class of 1974; and Lon Normandin were honored for their distinguished service.

Dominga Lujan was born in Todos Santos in Baja California on Sept. 3, 1899. Almost 103 years later, on Sept. 1, she celebrated her birthday with approximately 130 guests in her small Willow Glen home on the street where she's lived since the 1940s.

The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association hired Norma Ruiz as its new executive director. She began work in September. As executive director she will work closely with the board of directors, event planners and volunteers. She will also be responsible for coordinating various projects and special events like the annual Dancin' on the Avenue festival.

October

Residents' lukewarm interest was shown in the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association 's second general election. Only 11 people attended the meeting, although more than 600 fliers were distributed in the neighborhood. Seven of the 11 participants were elected to the board.

Those appointed to one-year terms were Alison England, president; Harvey Darnell, vice president; Tom Smith, secretary/treasurer; and Dan Erceg and Marc Baumen, city liaisons. Debbie Palmer and Walt Vierea were elected members at large, whose responsibilities include registering concerns from residents to the board.

St. Elizabeth's , a nonprofit agency that provides daycare to nearly 200 children ages one to 10, began upgrading its playground facilities two years ago in an effort to meet a January 2003 state deadline. The agency recruited about 100 volunteers, including three players from the San Francisco 49ers, to assemble the facilities.

Jason Burton , parking administrator with the San Jose Department of Transportation, showed members of the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association how they can keep pigeons away from Lincoln Avenue. Burton's presentation addressed how pigeons choose to roost, their behavior, what effects their presence has, and nonlethal methods of keeping them away.

The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association unanimously approved bylaws giving a new, nine-member executive board of directors equal power in deciding ways to promote the shopping district's businesses. The change will allow board members to use a corporate seal, borrow money, initiate contracts and seek insurance for such contracts. Directors can only serve three consecutive one-year terms, which begin Feb. 1 of each year. After three years, directors must take a one-year hiatus from the board to be reelected. A new article inserted in the bylaws allows for directors and general members to inspect all documentation, including books and records. Requests for inspection may be made in person or by an attorney.

The annual International Gift Faire was held at the Lincoln Glen Church fellowship hall. It is one of many fairs whose proceeds are used to support Third World craftsmen so they can provide better nutrition, housing, education and health care for their families. Volunteers come from all over the Bay Area to help set up, run and clean up after the fair.

Jeff Michel, a longtime resident of Willow Glen and the former owner of the White Dove Cafe , lost his battle with cancer of the jaw. Michel and his business and life partner, David Laing, closed the cafe in July of 2001, saying it was for financial reasons, though in reality it was because Michel was already battling cancer.

Live Oak Adult Day Services celebrated paying off its mortgage with a ceremonial mortgage burning on Oct. 21. Live Oak Adult Day Services provides programs and socialization for seniors who are frail or unable to live independently. Other Live Oak locations are in Los Gatos, downtown San Jose and Gilroy.

Well-known Willow Glen restaurateur Roula Tsagaris , who for seven years owned and operated Tina's Restaurant at the Willow Glen Plaza shopping center at the intersection of Almaden Road and Curtner Avenue, died Sept. 18 of non-Hodgkins disease. She was 44.

San Jose District 6 City Council member Ken Yeager, San Jose Police Chief William Landesdowne, Jim Helmer of the San Jose Department of Transportation and nearly 200 Willow Glen residents were present at the meeting at the Willow Glen High School cafeteria to discuss traffic calming. The police and the transportation department discussed the result of monitoring morning and evening commutes along Hicks Avenue and nearby streets, Cherrydale Drive, and Cherry, Hamilton/Pine, Hicks, Curtner and Minnesota avenues.

Of the seven public school campuses in Willow Glen targeted for renovation, only Gardner Academy remains to be completed. In June 1997, San Jose voters approved Measure C, allotting a $165 million bond for renovations for 42 of the district's elementary, middle and high schools. At about the same time, the state was issuing grants to school districts on a first-come-first-serve basis for renovations. The San Jose Unified School District was awarded $66 million, bringing the district's refurbishment budget to $231 million.

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Hearty Meal: Lincoln Glen Church member Kyle Wiebe, 13, sorted cans during the church's annual pre-Thanksgiving food drive.

San Jose police arrested 41-year-old Gregery Hunter Williams after a homeowner—who heard someone on the roof and saw a man's shadow through the skylight—called authorities to report an alleged burglary in progress. Williams was booked into Santa Clara County Jail and charged with burglary, prowling and peeping, and being under the influence of methamphetamine.

Willow Glen couple Adam and Holly Albert participated in the 2002 Red Bull Flugtag in San Francisco at piers 30 through 32. The Austria-based Red Bull energy drink company has sponsored Flugtags (pronounced "flu-tahg," German for "flight day") in Europe and Australia since 1991. Contestants build human-powered contraptions that are pushed off a pier in hopes that they will fly.

Travis Hoopes, who lives on the corner of Cottle and Mildred avenues, and his friends Leo Augustin and Kate Frias originally wanted to build five single-family, two-story homes on a subdivided lot that is less than an acre. But after considering the neighbors' concerns and city ordinances, he and his partners decided to build only three houses.

Willow Glen High School' s past two years of impressive API growth hit the brakes during the 2001­02 school year. This year, the school's API score dropped 10 points, reducing its base score to 621. But Willow Glen High School Principal Elaine Farace said that the state had given the school a three-year combined growth rate of 28 points and noted that that target had been met. Willow Glen High was issued a base score of 592 in 1999 and needed to reach a growth target of 602, but instead it exceeded the target and scored 610—leaping 18 points—the first year. The next school year, 2000­01, 610 became the school's new base, and the growth target was calculated at 620. Again the school exceeded expectations, leaping 21 points to score 631.

Members of Gardner Academy's first student safety patrol took their posts at intersections near the Illinois Avenue campus. Ten fourth- and fifth-graders donned high-visibility neon-green vests and took turns using long-handled stop signs to help other students safely cross the street.

Gloria Schapairo —who has worked as a crossing guard in Willow Glen for 21 years—dons her uniform issued by the San Jose Police Department every weekday and keeps the children in her community safe. She is a longtime fixture at the corner of Lincoln and Minnesota avenues , helping Willow Glen Elementary School students and others cross the street safely.

Longs Drugs on Lincoln Avenue opened to the public. The prospect of Longs Drugs coming to Lincoln Avenue was initially met with the business district's usual degree of apprehension. There were concerns about the demolition of the former Washington Mutual Bank and whether the newly constructed building would conform to the avenue's aesthetics. There were also stipulations to be met—mainly those of calming traffic on Brace Avenue, being open limited hours and not selling alcohol or tobacco. These requirements were easy to comply with, said store manger Bob Petroquin, who jumped at the chance to manage the Willow Glen store. He gave three reasons for his eagerness: "location, location and location."

During Willow Glen Library's last fiscal year—July 2001 through June 2002—circulation was up 15 percent from the previous year. And circulation has increased 50 percent over a five-year period, says senior librarian Maurice Stevenson .

James Helmer of the San Jose De-
partment of Transportation spoke before a small gathering of Willow Glen residents about the city's 11-point plan to calm traffic around Hicks Avenue. The city's so-called "action plan" is made up of short- and long-term traffic-calming measures to be implemented on Cherry, Curtner, Glenwood, Hicks, Hamilton, Meridian and Minnesota avenues, Dry Creek Road and Hamilton Way.

The two-hour neighborhood meeting at Willow Glen Middle Schoo l wasn't as well-attended as the October traffic-calming meeting at Willow Glen High School. Short-term actions were to adjust traffic signals, close some right-turn lanes, and install crosswalk and "bulb-out" curbs to prevent motorists from making fast right turns.

Long-term plans call for making signal modifications at Hamilton and Hicks avenues to allow right turns from Hamilton to Meridian, and for preventing fast right turns from Pine to Hicks. The long-term plans may take up to five years to implement and include the installation of curbs, gutters and lighting.

The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to approve the planning commission's recommendation to rezone the Hacienda Gardens Shopping Center's 20.6-acre site from "commercial pedestrian" to "planned development." The rezoning will allow the developer, Hacienda Gardens, LLC, to renovate the shopping center from a retail center to a mixed-use retail and residential complex. The dilapidated Hacienda Gardens Shopping Center, located on the corners of Foxworthy and Meridian avenues, has undergone a yearlong study by city staff and a city council­appointed committee of neighborhood citizens.

Colleen B. Wilcox, superintendent of Santa Clara County schools, announced in June in her "State of the Schools" speech that the "inadequate funding and resources for local schools" was creating a crisis and she had thus created the Blue Ribbon Task Force. The task force's objective is to approach the community with information about the county's educational situation and its ideas for what needs to be done to get the county up to par with both state and national standards. The task force held the second of five "solution forums" at Willow Glen Middle School. Task force co-chair Carl Guardino and panelists Wilcox and Susan Hammer, who is the co-chair and vice president of the state board of education, fielded questions and comments from the estimated 50 people who attended the meeting.

December

The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association hung lighted garlands and decorations along Lincoln Avenue . The association also launched " Willow Glen Holiday Traditions," a monthlong event that commenced with a tree-lighting ceremony at Willow Glen Elementary School and included horse-drawn carriage rides through the neighborhood on Thursday nights throughout December. Carolers strolled along Lincoln Avenue on Thursday nights and Sundays. Some merchants also kept later hours. And a former martial arts studio was converted into "Santa's House," offering photos with Santa and free gift wrapping. Proceeds from Santa's House went to InnVision , a nonprofit that provides housing and services to homeless families and individuals.

The San Jose Department of Transportation launched a traffic-calming education and awareness campaign called Street Smarts . This multimedia campaign, made up of signs, banners and presentations, is designed to affect driver behavior. Linda Crabill, community relations manager for the department of transportation, said that the Street Smarts campaign consists of "three E's": education, engineering and enforcement.

Lynden Johnson , a member of the Stone Church of Willow Glen , noticed that the bulletin covers had clichéd pictures of things such as a church in New England. Using his education in art from San José State University, he volunteers his time to make 11-by-17-inch paintings or drawings. The original artwork is then copied using a laser color copier and reproduced onto the bulletin covers.

Catherine Edwards , vice president of communications for The Health Trust , enlisted her son's second-grade class at Booksin Elementary and another class into making greeting cards in the shape of a reindeer head or an angel. The cards were delivered on Christmas day to about 60 of The Health Trust's more isolated clients.

Across-the-board midyear school budget cuts, with a statewide loss of $1.7 billion, had San Jose Unified School District officials scrambling for their calculators and Willow Glen middle and high school principals nervous. Whatever cuts are made at Willow Glen High School, Principal Elaine Farace said, the school's highest priority is continuing to focus on increasing student achievement. Willow Glen Middle School Principal Darla Briggs shared the same concerns.

Friends of the Willow Glen Library needed to find a few members to help run the volunteer organization's next bake sale . All the money raised is donated to the San Jose Public Library's Willow Glen branch. The proceeds from the organization's book and bake sales are used to purchase items outside the library's budget, such as extra books, videos, CDs, DVDs, bookshelves and spin racks.