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Published on 01/12/1998 All articles from this issue

Pages of the Past

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25 years ago in the Town Crier

The Jan. 24, 1973, issue of the Town Crier reported that historian Florence Fava had mounted a historical display at the Los Altos Hills town hall in honor of the town's 17th birthday. The exhibit ran from Jan. 17 through Feb. 4, 1973, and included drawings by artist Robert Gebing.

Credit for worldwide distribution of over 200 million copies of "Open Letter to Man," a letter about the image of womanhood, was largely traceable to the efforts of the Rev. Francis J. Caffrey of the Maryknoll Fathers in Los Altos.

The letter had been written 13 years earlier by songwriter Sy Miller and his wife, Jill Jackson. Impressed with the letter, Caffrey obtained permission to reproduce it. It was then widely publicized and distributed.

The "Open Letter to Men" protested the degradation of women as mere sex objects and urged restoration of woman's "proper image in contemporary society," according to Caffrey.

The letter, in part, read, "I am woman ... created to give the world gentleness, understanding, serenity, beauty and love ... I need your help to restore me to my true position ... to fulfill the purpose for which I was created."

50 years ago in the Los Altos News

As reported in the Jan. 22, 1948, issue of the Los Altos News, the first local town meeting of the United World Federalists, held at Legion Hall, was a rewarding experience. Purpose of the meeting was to establish a Los Altos chapter of the World Federalists, according to Alan Cranston, California state chairman of UWF.

At its meeting on Jan. 19, 1948, the County Board of Supervisors approved annexation to Los Altos of a large section of the old Purissima School District. The area had been part of the Palo Alto Unified School District, and its acquisition added 33 pupils to the local school's register.

More than 100 people witnessed a memorable event in the history of the Lt. Col. John Howard Post of the American Legion - the burning of the mortgage for the Legion Hall.

Los Altos Boy Scout Hall, which had been on the brink of being condemned from further use by the state fire marshal, was given a reprieve after numerous repairs had been made.

It was announced that Los Altan George Prouse, a student at Stanford, was appointed to serve as paid part-time director for the community's Scouting program.

- Ellen Shaw of the Los Altos History House Association