Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Gotta have Heart: This home on Alice Avenue is typical of the neighborhood some call the heart and soul of historic Campbell.
Alice Avenue: Families, kids moving to area
Just a few old-timers remain as the sound of youngsters returns
By Sheila Sanchez
Welcome to little Americana--Campbell's Alice neighborhood. Here are one-story stucco-walled homes built around the turn of the century, as well as duplexes and remodeled houses with a variety of architectural styles. Encompassing all of Alice Avenue between Winchester Boulevard and First Street, and Rincon and Sunnyside avenues, the neighborhood, with its giant, 70-year-old redwood trees, has a majestic beauty.
Alice Avenue, which is now a historic district, is the neighborhood's focal point. It's been dubbed the heart and soul of historic Campbell. The street is only two blocks long and runs parallel to Campbell Avenue two blocks away.
The neighborhood is named after Alice Hyde, the wife of George E. Hyde--the owner of the Campbell Fruit Growers' Union, which he later renamed The George E. Hyde Company. Hyde bought a home at the eastern part of the road, on the southwest corner.
The home was first occupied by Patty De Puy, a midwestern woman who took in renters. The Hydes retired there after she died, spending the rest of their lives across the street from the home of their son Ralph Hyde, which was built in 1917. Due to renovation, the home now faces First Street.
According to historical records, Alice Avenue was created in 1915 on a portion of Hyde's fruit-drying yards. The company operated a 17-acre fruit canning and dehydrating plant in Campbell.
Today some of the oldest residents in the neighborhood are Peter W. and Ida Yerkovich. They have lived in their Alice Avenue home for 65 years. The 91-year-old Peter is Campbell Mayor Jeanette Watson's uncle on her mother's side; and the 90-year-old Ida is Campbell Vice Mayor Dan Furtado's aunt on his father's side. Ida is an active member of Campbell's Country Woman's Club.
Remembering old-timers
Ida gets sentimental when she remembers the neighborhood's "old-timers" who have now died--Campbell's first fire chief, George Maxwell, who lived at 76 Alice Ave.; Dillard J. Decker, who lived to be 103 years old and who lived 198 Alice Ave., and their dear friends Lillie and Joseph Agostinho, who lived across the street from them at 58 Alice Ave. They are gone now, but their memories live in the Yerkoviches' memory.
Ida says that after so many years with the same old-time families, the Alice Avenue area is becoming "a young, working-class neighborhood."
The neighborhood, particularly Alice Avenue, has never had a large number of children or held block parties of any kind, Ida says. But the neighbors have enjoyed each others' company throughout the years as dinner guests and as guests at a Mother's Day breakfast she started hosting in her garage in the 1960s and 1970s, which attracted about 50 people.
"It's been a wonderful area to live in," Ida says.
The Sunnyside Avenue portion of the neighborhood has a completely different feel than the Alice Avenue section.
Monty Munsell, a 21-year-old construction worker who grew up at 189 Sunnyside Ave., remembers that there were many children in the neighborhood who attended Capri Elementary School, at 850 Chapman Dr.; Campbell Middle School, at 295 W. Cherry Lane.; and Old Orchard private school. He also remembers children attending St. Lucy Parish School, at 76 Kennedy Ave.
His family moved into the neighborhood in the 1980s. "I loved this neighborhood. I spent about 14 years here. I remember playing with about eight friends. We biked a lot and hung out at the water tower."
His family moved out of the area several years ago, but he visits the neighborhood because he has friends who live on First Street.
"People were nice and friendly," he says.
Munsell's family rented a house from Liliane and Roger Thibodeau, who own several properties along Sunnyside Avenue.
The Thibodeaus have lived in the neighborhood for 26 years. They moved to their home on 199 Sunnyside Avenue in the mid-1970s from Connecticut. Liliane, who is originally from Geneva, Switzerland, moved to Campbell after visiting the area and hearing it had good schools. The 60-year-old Liliane is dubbed "the neighborhood nurse." She usually takes the blood pressure of 93-year-old Olga Duncan, who lives at 90 Sunnyside Ave.
A taste of Europe
She says the neighborhood reminds her of Europe. "I fell in love with the streets and the small-town feeling."
She then purchased a piece of land at 208 Sunnyside Avenue and moved two fourplexes there from the airport. The fourplexes, which have eight units, are used as rentals.
Liliane, who has four children, also owns houses at 189 and 55 Sunnyside Avenue. She sold a house at 126 Sunnyside Ave. to her sister Arlette Crews.
"The neighborhood is very strong. I know everybody. It has a strong sense of community," she says.
Liliane's son, Seth, graduated from Campbell High School.
Liliane was also a foster parent for 10 years, taking in more than 75 children. She also worked for an adoption agency. She's a member of the Country Woman's Club and has been active in the neighborhood. She began a petition drive to close access to the neighborhood 16 years ago. She remembers the area was dangerous because of high-speed traffic.
Another dimension of the Alice neighborhood is found at the intersection of First Street and E. Rincon Avenue, where nearby residents can almost touch Campbell's water tower. There's a parking structure in the area.
Along E. Rincon Avenue are the Montessori Academy preschool, at 177. E. Rincon Ave., the Orchard Community Church and new homes with white picket fences at 123 E. Rincon Avenue.
Further down is St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, at 65 E. Rincon Ave., and, as one nears Winchester Boulevard, are Bear Safety Service, the Rotten Robbie gas station, the Firestone tire company, and Murphy's Bar & Grill at the end of Sunnyside Avenue and Winchester Boulevard.
"When I moved into the area, the neighborhood was full of older people, but now we have a blend of new families moving in and fixing up the homes," Liliane says. "We don't have a lot of children in the area, but the people who live here are warm and friendly."
"I love Campbell. It's small and personable. I love the feeling of a little town. I fell in love with the fact that I felt my opinion counted. I felt listened to," Liliane says.
Pat and Eleonore Kirk, who have three children and live at 180 S. First St., represent the younger families who have moved into the neighborhood. Pat bought their two-story home, which has been completely remodeled, 20 years ago.
"We liked the Campbell area," says the 37-year-old Eleonore. Her husband bought the house when he was a young bachelor, and they have lived together in the home for eight years. "It's a great neighborhood. We love it here."
The Kirks particularly like living close to Campbell parks and the downtown, the farmers market and the Campbell Public Library. Eleonore frequently patronizes the merchants in Campbell.
The neighborhood's seamier aspect, which not many complain about, has been eliminated, Eleonore says, thanks to Campbell officials who put up signs prohibiting outsiders from parking in neighborhood streets. She also says the bars either shut down or went out of business.
"It's definitely had its rough times," Eleonore says. "But the neighborhood has improved. There were a lot of problems. There were five or six bars in the downtown area. Friday and Saturdays would be awful. People would park on the streets and beer bottles were left on the front lawns."
The Kirks' 6-year-old daughter attends St. Lucy Parish School.
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Experts: Peter and Ida Yerkovich are experts on the Alice Avenue neighborhood, having lived in the same house on Alice since 1936.
The Yerkoviches
Ida and Peter Yerkovich bought the home on 69 Alice Ave., a year after they were married in 1936. Their home was built by Walker Vaughn in 1929. Vaughn was a well-known builder in Campbell.
The Yerkoviches were married at the old St. Lucy Church on Third Street and Rincon Avenue, which is now the home of the Campbell Baptist Church, located on 151 Sunnyside Ave.
"We moved here because this was a nice home for sale," Ida says, adding that 66 years ago several lots were vacant and homes were built later.
Peter was born in Salinas and moved to Campbell in 1925. He attended Campbell High School and graduated from the old grammar school.
He worked at prune and cherry orchards, located on Payne Avenue and Winchester Boulevard, that were owned by his parents, Anton and Katie Yerkovich.
He remembers making $12.50 a week working for a tire shop. "Everything was cheaper," he says. Then, during World War II, he went into the service, returned and worked on the ranch and then went to work for General Tire. The company had a connection with Pacific Truck Service, where he transported fuel for 10 years.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942, when he was 32 years old, and worked for many years at Moffet Field because they needed mechanics.
Ida was born and raised in Campbell, attending Campbell schools, including the old grammar school on Rincon Avenue and Campbell High School.
Other residents who live on First Street and Rincon Avenue say the neighborhood is a desirable place to live because it's within walking distance of Campbell's downtown, its stores, the library and the city center.
Building Gomes Park
The newest home on Alice Avenue is owned by Bruce and Barbara Johnson. They have lived there 25 years.
In the early years of the neighborhood, its residents rallied to build Gomes Park.
"That shows the heart of the neighborhood at its prime," Ida says. "That's when the neighborhood still had the old-timers. It was a very strong community spirit."
Ida recalls how during the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, people were checking on each other to make sure everyone was OK. Many had to rebuild their chimneys.
The residents along Alice Avenue say they get along and trust each other well, watering each other's lawns and looking after each other's homes during vacations.
Alice Avenue is also known as "teacher's row." Ira Abbot, a principal from 1924 to 1944 at Campbell Elementary School, lived on the avenue. Other Alice Avenue former residents who were also teachers were Mary Fablinger, Marion Jones, Esther Short and Hancy Naylor.
Anna Mae Miller, a former teacher at St. Lucy Parish School, moved to the neighborhood 22 years ago. She bought the home because of its location--it is within walking distance of the school, her church and the grocery store. Miller, who's from the Midwest, moved to the Bay Area more than 50 years ago. She has a daughter in Fremont and a daughter in Southern California.
During World War II, her husband was drafted, receiving his basic training at Camp Cook. Before he went overseas, she took a train to the area with her infant daughter and visited her sister in Los Gatos.
"We were impressed with the Santa Clara Valley and we said we would move out here if he came back safe and sound from the war," Miller says.
"We're not running across the street for a cup of coffee, though we all know we're all there to help one another if needed," she says.
Rosa Camp, who lives at 78 Alice Ave., says she has loved the 40 years she has lived in the neighborhood. "It's a wonderful location," she says.
She settled in the home with her three children. She's now retired and attends the Campbell Senior Center.
Today Ida says the neighborhood is popular with children from other neighborhoods who know that during Halloween, Alice neighborhood residents have "good candy."
"We are all friendly, but we tend to our business. There isn't this running in and running out all the time. People come visit and keep in touch because we're older and they want to make sure we're OK," she says.
Pete still drives an old Cadillac and keeps busy pruning his 50 rosebushes in their backyard.
Campbell, California
