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Published on 01/22/1996 All articles from this issue

We are family

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By Kristina Allen / Town Crier Staff Writer

Los Altos and her sister cities help each other out with donations, exchanges

What do Bendigo, Australia, Syktyvkar, Russia, and Shih Lin, Taiwan, have in common with Los Altos, U.S.A.? All of them are related through the Sister Cities program.

As a sister is a family member and a partner who is there when you need her, so are these cities in their cordial relationships with Los Altos.A strong factor that Los Altos Sister Cities looks for in a city is an interest, by Los Altos residents, to travel to the countries and cities they choose.

"This year we are looking for a European city," said Los Altos resident Richard Fimmel, president of Los Altos Sister Cities International. "Somewhere in England, Germany or Austria."

Los Altos Sister Cities is a non-profit organization. Members said one of the benefits is the special attention and privileges visitors receive when they travel to their sister city.

"You get to see a lot more than you would if you went by yourself," Fimmel said. "Many times there are events and special functions in your honor as a visitor from a sister city."

The city's Sister Cities program is part of Sister Cities International, with headquarters located in Virginia. The program was launched by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 with the idea that we are all members of a single, global community. The program was started with the premise that no nation alone can hope to solve the world's most pressing problems.

Los Altos has been a member of the Sister Cities organization for 10 years. Each city determines its own local initiatives and develops programs to satisfy its needs; these can vary from medical assistance, student exchange, art exhibits, economic development, to reforestation projects.

The Los Altos City Council approved Sister Cities involvement back in 1987. Bendigo, Australia was the first one to join the family.

"They (Bendigo officials) were looking for a city in this area and the national headquarters contacted Los Altos Sister Cities International and we were put together," Fimmel said.

Bendigo is 90 miles north of Melbourne, in the state of Victoria. The population is 77,000, 49,724 more than Los Altos. Bendigo began as a gold mining town 139 years ago, a history similar to California's gold rush.

"Bendigo has a large Chinese population and one of the largest Chinese museums," said Los Altos resident Lee Lynch, vice president for Bendigo, Australia Sister Cities. "I've traveled there three times and have found the people very nice, pleasant and friendly with similar interests to us."

Lynch, a former Los Altos mayor, has been the vice president for three years. Her responsibilities are "to entertain visitors who come here, create brochures that give information about Bendigo and the Sister Cities involvement".

Bendigo has a strong agricultural economy that produces wine, dairy, poultry, and sheep, manufacturing and tourism. Bendigo is also home to the largest neo-Gothic cathedral in the southern hemisphere.

"In April, a Los Altos Sister Cities delegation will be traveling to Bendigo," Lynch said.

As the relationship with Bendigo grew, another city expressed interest in joining the Los Altos family. In 1989, Syktyvkar, Russia, became sister city number two.

"They came to us looking for a partner," said Richard Hasenpflug, vice president for Syktyvkar, Russia. "Arnie Croce, the former city manager, stayed with Sasha Sokolov in Russia and they began the relationship."

Syktyvkar has been very active as a sister city. Many delegations have come here from Russia and Los Altos delegations have made numerous trips to their city, including one last year.

"We were the first American visitors to certain parts of Russia because of the break of the unified nations," Hasenpflug said.

Syktyvkar is the capital city of the Komi Republic of Russia located in the northeast corner of European Russia. It is considered a college town because it has a university, college and a trade school. The 180,000 people of Syktyvkar live in the center of the country's lumbering industry with a large paper mill.

Being a sister city with Syktyvkar has created a business and student exchange program that has resulted in many exchanges with hosting by both countries. Olga Demidenko, a teacher from Syktyvkar, will come to Los Altos for one month to teach at Santa Rita elementary and Egan intermediate schools. Demidenko will need a host family to stay with in the month of February. Those interested in hosting can call Richard Hasenpflug at 941-8949.

Medical practices in Russia are relatively primitive, compared to the United States, so many of Syktyvkar's needs have been in that area.

"We donated five dialysis machines from El Camino Hospital to Syktyvkar," Hasenpflug said. "We fixed up the machines and sent them over there. They need a lot more help than we do. We are giving a helping hand to our good friends."

In 1992, Los Altos built a bridge across the Pacific and became a sister city to Shih Lin, Taiwan. Meiling Sun, vice president of Shih Lin, Taiwan Sister City and a Los Altos resident, attended Soo Chow University in the Shih Lin district. She knew Los Altos Sister Cities was looking for an Asian city and volunteered to hook them up with her native land.

"I started working on it when I was visiting my parents in Taiwan," Sun said. "I introduced myself to their (Taiwan's) Sister Cities organization and found out that their interests are similar to Los Altos."

Both Los Altos and Shih Lin are looking for partners strong in education, culture and environmental issues. Shih Lin is interested in Los Altos' solid waste program and government volunteer system, Sun said.

Shih Lin is located in the north-east section of the capital of Taiwan, Taipei City. With a population of 310,000, Shih Lin is the second largest of 12 districts in Taipei City. It is home to 97 schools and two major universities.

Tourism is huge in Shih Lin because of the many historical and cultural aspects. Taiwan was a providence of the Republic of China and the National Palace Museum houses the history of Chinese art and culture.

In November 1992 , a Los Altos delegation of 13 people, including former Los Altos mayor Bob Gray, visited Shih Lin to sign the proclamation of the two becoming sister cities. In July 1993, the Shih Lin Women's Community Choir was invited to Los Altos, along with other Shih Lin officials, and they performed at the Los Altos Art & Wine Festival.

"We hope to get more delegations to visit from both sides and to start a student and business exchange program," Sun said.

Sun and her husband , Bill, visited Shih Lin in December to meet K.K. Chen, the new director of the Shih Lin district. Sun offered a gift to Chen from the city of Los Altos, a framed picture of the stone Los Altos city marker.

"This year we want to form another official delegation to visit Shih Lin in the end of October," Sun said. "We hope to include the new mayor in the delegation. We need to get to know the people and the city of Shih Lin again."

Any resident of Los Altos can be a member of the Sister Cities program. Fees to cover costs of events, information brochures and visits from other cities are $15 for an individual year membership and $25 for families.

The annual meeting of Los Altos Sister Cities, set for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at Hillview Community Center, is open to the public. Special guest speaker Luba Brezhneva, niece to former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, will speak and sign her new book, "The World I Left Behind: Pieces of a Past." Brezhneva's book recounts her life in Russia with stories about her family, including her notorious uncle, and her escape from a life she no longer wanted. For more information on Los Altos Sister Cities and the annual meeting, call 948-1491.January 24, 1996