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Published on 05/08/1996 All articles from this issue

Pages of the Past

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25 years ago in the Town Crier

As reported in the May 12, 1971 issue of the Town Crier, Awalt

High School's Sara Wiley returned home from the Hapoel Games in

Israel where she won top swimming laurels to add to similar triumphs

in Russia. Her performance in the women's 100-meter butterfly

came within two seconds of the world record.

Sara was an Olympic hopeful along with Leslie Bryans, a junior

at Los Altos High who had traveled with Sara to Russia for the

swim competition. Both were students of coach George Haines of

the Santa Clara Swim Club.

The Town Crier joined with a sister publication, the Peninsula

Electronics News (PEN), in sponsoring an entry in the 1971 International

Jumping Frog Jubilee held annually at the Frogtown Fairgrounds,

Angel Camp in Calaveras County.

The journalistic amphibian was named "Casey Kirbolt, the

Electronics Wonder" in honor of PEN publisher Kirby Casebolt.

More than 2,000 frogs from all over the world were expected to

enter the competition, dedicated to Mark Twain and his short story,

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."

In 1970, the Town Crier backed "Bruce," whose main

claim to fame in the contest was besting Governor Ronald Reagan's

frog.

Edward Rexworthy's records showed Los Altos daytime temperatures

from May 1 to May 12, 1971 ranged from 60 to 70 degrees. Lows

were recorded between 41 and 52 degrees. There was a trace of

rain.

50 years ago in the Los Altos News

The May 9, 1946 issue of the Los Altos News reported El RetiroSan Inigo, the local Jesuit retreat for laymen, celebrated its21st anniversary along with the golden jubilee for its founder,The Reverend Joseph R. Stack, S.J.

The retreat opened in April 1925 at the old Weilman home, wherethe first change came with the conversion of Weilman's billiardroom into a temporary chapel.

In its first year, El Retiro held retreats for a total of 200people from around the Bay Area. By 1945, the annual average was2,500 persons. California Governor Earl Warren was among pastvisitors.

The "Classmate," a two-page mimeographed weekly, metwith such success at the local elementary school that its publisher,Henry Orwitz, had to add students to his original staff of one.

The junior journalist had launched the weekly school paper inJanuary 1946, financed entirely by himself. Its success led toschool support and the proceeds from the 50 papers, sold weeklyat two cents a copy, went into the sixth grade class treasury.

Los Altos fire commissioners decided a fire marshal was neededto keep control over the large number of onlookers who turnedout at the first sound of the fire siren. The crowd impeded thefiremen's efforts, sometimes even hindering the fire trucks inreaching the scene of the fire.

Researched by Ellen Shaw of the Los Altos History HouseAssociation.

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