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Published on 08/11/1997 All articles from this issue

Pages of the Past

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25 years ago in the Town Crier

As reported in the Aug. 16, 1972, issue of the Town Crier, the Los Altos Art Club, officially founded in June 1947, climaxed the celebration of its 25th anniversary in August 1972 with its annual show at the Rancho Shopping Center.

Starting with a charter membership of 15, the newborn club held its early meetings in a barn. The members immediately started planning their first art show, held in the patio of Larry Payne's Furniture Store on Main Street. Fourteen artists exhibited. Today, more than 100 members meet every Monday at Hillview Center, and they still sponsor local art shows.

Foothill Memorial Gardens, Santa Clara County's first pet cemetery, was ready to open its gates for burial of pets. A simple service was available in a small chapel that had a stained glass window depicting a dog running through a field with his head cocked toward the skies.

Floyd McClure went in with Consolidated Medical Corporation, owner of 10 acres of land at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Cristo Rey Drive in Los Altos, to build the cemetery. Prices ranged from $29.50 to $350 per pet.

The pet cemetery, however, was unable to compete with the demand for new housing. Today, homes occupy the land at Foothill Expressway and Cristo Rey Drive.

50 years ago in the Los Altos News

As reported in the Aug. 14, 1947, issue of the Los Altos News, firefighters had a busy week including rescuing a flustered cat from her perch on the crossbars of a 30-foot pole on Hawthorne Avenue. They also extinguished three grass fires that posed a threat in the tinder-dry condition of the town.

Although no serious fires occurred in Los Altos up to August 1947, the threat was extreme and all precautions were urged. Newspapers were full of stories about fires sweeping throughout the state. California's seemingly inexhaustible natural wealth was reduced greatly, said the local paper.

Twenty visually handicapped children, aged 9 to 13 years, arrived on Aug. 12, 1947, at Hidden Villa Ranch to spend a two-week vacation. The program had been arranged through the cooperation of several civic and fraternal groups with Recreation for the Blind, Inc.

The Los Altos ranch had been specially geared to meet the needs of these children, many of whom were from underprivileged or broken homes. It was the only ranch in the West and just the second in the country that was able to do so.

- Ellen Shaw of the Los Altos History House Association