Willow Glen Resident
News
Discover the history of Alviso with a Willow Glen cup of java
By Alicia Upano
Monsieur Bean will serve a lot more than coffee on Aug. 11. Author Lynn Rogers and photographer Robert Burrill will come to this Willow Glen java haunt for an evening of music and books, including their co-authored Images of America: Alviso, San Jose.
The two began working together last summer to tell the story of Alviso, the San Jose neighborhood on San Francisco Bay. When San Jose was the state capital in the 1800s, Alviso was the booming port town.
To Rogers, who lives in the Cambrian neighborhood, researching Alviso unearthed a lively South Bay history.
"The people out in Alviso were independent do-it-yourselfers who thought out of the box," she said.
Rogers became an expert on the old town's history, beginning with the Native Americans and the Mexicans who settled there. The Gold Rush brought a flurry of activity, including James Lick's pioneering of the Valley of Heart's Delight. He planted orchards throughout The San Jose and was involved in the fruit drying process. At the turn of the century, Thomas Foon Chew made strides in canning, particularly with asparagus. In Alviso, women held government posts long before they could vote.
In researching the book, Rogers interviewed residents and spent countless hours reading history books and speaking with organizations. She was also assisted by several of her creative writing students at the Kirk Community Center.
Willow Glen residents Pat Buchser and Rose Francioti and their classmates gave Rogers encouragement and ideas for the Alviso book by sharing their own memories of Silicon Valley when it was still an agricultural community.
Other students contributed more directly, including Claire Meridier Alves, who lives on the edge of Willow Glen.
Alves was the former historian emeritus at the Portuguese Historical Center in San Diego. Alves, who moved home several years ago and is disabled, called Rogers' class a rehabilitation.
When Rogers tapped Alves for her researching expertise, Alves immediately arranged for transportation to History San Jose to discover facts about Alviso.
"It was an absolute joy to be able to do it," Alves said. "It made me feel whole again."
Patricia Watkins agrees Rogers' class has been an inspiration. Watkins has a background in editing, and volunteered her editing eye for the Alviso book. Watkins is also the woman who introduced Rogers and Burrill at a Campbell history event in January 2005.
The Alviso book was Burrill's idea. He had written the 2004 Images of America: Milpitas book, which inspired him to create another book about Alviso, a neighboring community.
Roger lent her writing craft and ideas to Burrill as he began the new project. Eventually, as the two collaborated more frequently, they decided to team up for the Alviso book project.
"I think, in the end, we have something bigger than both of us," Rogers said.
Rogers will also showcase her novel, Where the Flowers Have Gone at the Aug. 11 event. It is the sequel to Born in Berkeley, which she presented at Monsieur Bean, the former Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Co., in 2002.
The event takes place at Monsieur Bean, 1383 Lincoln Ave., on Aug. 11 from 8 to 10 p.m. Collector's editions of the book will be available for purchase. For more information, email rlburrill@sbcglobal.net or call 408.559.5995.
