I appreciate Councilman Bob Dillon’s feedback in regard to the
most recent council meeting.
I appreciate Councilman Bob Dillon’s feedback in regard to the most recent council meeting. After giving the invocation, I wrote, “I have never prayed in front of people like Mayor Springer or the members of the Council before, so I was a bit nervous.” Bob Dillon e-mailed: “Why? We won’t bite you, I promise. You vote. ;-).”
Sheila Foote, president of Sunset Gardens Residents’ Association tells me, “I read your column on June 5 and you made me a star here at Sunset Gardens.” She says that about 200 people showed up for the VTA meeting and that Mayor Springer and Supervisor Don Gage are “working very well together.” Let’s hope that all these voices can make a positive difference in how South Valley’s transit future is shaped to serve those who need it most.
Tired of subjects like perchlorate poisoning and the 5-Day Furniture scandal, I roam the coffee shops of Gilroy, curious to find out what lesser-known stories of awe and wonder might be capturing the local imagination. As I take my own informal survey, I find that the top stories of interest among Gilroyan readers this week include an Iraqi man and a high school graduate. Margaret Smith tells me that the most astonishing news for her was the story told on National Public Radio of the Iraqi man named Juad who is feeling sunlight again for the first time in 21 years. He has been voluntarily living underground in a small hole in his family’s house (the “root cellar”) in order to escape execution by Saddam. When he went into hiding, his friends and relatives were being executed one by one, and he knew he would be next. He decided to simply disappear. His only knowledge of the changes in the outside world has been through listening to the BBC radio on headphones. When he heard that Saddam’s statue was being destroyed in Baghdad, it was the moment he knew he would emerge from hiding at last. He is 45 years old now, and his family is looking for a wife for him.
Many people mentioned an outstanding graduate in this year’s class, Mattie Parker. Mattie struggled to grow up sharing a home with three brothers and a single mom. It was not an easy life, and Mattie could easily have given up on becoming a high achiever. As syndicated columnist Sharon Randall describes it in the Monterey County Herald (May 25, 2003), “Instead of giving up … Mattie made a choice: to do math like her mother; play ball like her brothers and set her own path for others to follow.” Sharon tells the story of how Mattie’s mother not only raised four children but also took classes full time and worked two part-time jobs. When Mattie’s mom died at the beginning of the current school year, Mattie was left with no place to live. Fortunately, Mattie’s English and civics teacher welcomed her into her home. In spite of her pain, Mattie excelled: She was named both most outstanding volleyball player and co-most valuable basketball player. On top of that, she earned a 4.0 grade average and won six scholarships for next fall when she will attend Fresno State. She plans to follow in her hero’s (mom’s) steps by majoring in accounting. “My mom told me something before she died that will stick with me for the rest of my life. She told me, ‘You are a very strong young lady, and I never thought in a million years that I would have a daughter like you, never!’ My mother lives on through me.”
