THE AGE of gallantry is not dead. A big 11-year-old female Newfoundland-Labrador named Ty, chasing ducks in a percolation basin at Los Gatos Creek Park near Hacienda Avenue, Feb. 18, became disoriented and couldn't get out of the water. While the dog's owner, Ruth Campedonica, tried in vain to summon the animal, Sunday-morning strollers and bikers along the Los Gatos Creek Trail stopped and tried to help. Telephone calls to 911, police and the Humane Society brought no response. Meanwhile, Campedonica's sons had been called and were trying to get there from across town but had a long way to go.
"Ty had never been in the water before," Campedonica said. "I was frantic." Then two bike riders, Christopher Cetenich and Greg McCracken, previously unacquainted, saw the problem, stripped to their undies and plunged into the icy-cold water. "It took us a long time because the dog kept getting away from us," Cetenich, a bartender at the Three Flames, said. "I could hear people cheering when I was tired swimming and that spurred me on," he said. After a struggle, the two chased Ty onto an island and managed to corner her. "It was wonderful," said Ty's owner. "I was ecstatic and it seemed like everybody was celebrating, hugging and kissing." As an old-time H.T. Webster cartoon used to say, "Heroes are made, not born."
FRIENDS of the Los Gatos Library will hold their Spring Sale of Very Special Books March 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the downstairs lobby of the Town Council chambers, 110 E. Main St.
BACK in 1972, fifth- and sixth- grade teachers at Daves Avenue Elementary School produced the first Daves Avenue Children's Musical Theater play, Pinnochio. Now, in preparation for next year's 25th anniversary, the school is looking for anyone who has participated as an actor, director, producer or even a faithful audience member. Many parents have contributed services to the Children's Theater over the years: Anita Nethercutt who produced and directed the annual play for a decade, within auspices of the Daves Avenue Home and School Club; producer Joanne Talesfore kept standards high during the years her children attended, as did Pat Weinberg, Melinda Norcott, Sally Reagan and others. An alumna is Bay Area opera singer Emily Stern.
Nancy Ringsted, who led the chorus of that first Daves Avenue show, recalled practicing with students each afternoon for two months before taking classroom work home. "When the curtain went up, it was all worth the time and effort," she said. Call Elaine Cardinale, 395-9446, if you're an alumnus.
THE Wild Bird Center of Los Gatos, 798 Blossom Hill Road, will host a day of educational programs March 9, beginning with a free bird walk around Vasona Reservoir and Los Gatos Creek, starting at 8 a.m., led by local naturalist Steve Shrunk. A squirrel-feeder workshop for children ages 6-12 begins at 1 p.m. Phone 358-9453 for reservations.
DOCENTS of the two Los Gatos museums met Feb. 22 at Forbes Mill Museum for a buffet lunch and program led by curator Mary Foster. The docents saw a video made by Jeremiah O'Brien crew member Gene Anderson, of San Jose, showing the Liberty Ship's 1994 Atlantic voyage to England and France for the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. President and Mrs. Clinton came aboard the O'Brien at Southampton and met the crew. The O'Brien traveled up the Seine and was in Rouen for the July 14 Bastille Day celebration when thousands gathered. A reception for the photo exhibition will be at Forbes Mill March 2, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
MARDI GRAS 1996 is the theme of an evening at the Toll House Hotel March 23 featuring wine tasting, dinner and a silent auction of "fabulous" vacations and getaways. The 6:30 to 10 p.m. event will benefit the Art Docents of Los Gatos Inc., the volunteer program that provides art education to all children in the Los Gatos Union School District. Auction gifts will include trips in San Francisco, around the bay, the wine country, Sacramento and Tahoe. Tickets at $45 may be ordered by calling 356-7221.
THERE could be another Wayne Gretzky in the Nikki and Mark Segall family of Los Gatos. Eli Segall, an eighth-grader at Fisher Middle School, took part in the 37th International PeeWee Ice Hockey Tournament in Quebec City, Feb. 8-18, with 100 teams from 14 countries participating. Eli played as a member of the San Jose Junior Sharks, along with 17 other Northern California boys. The Sharks played 11 games and opponents including national teams from the Czech Republic, Austria, Mexico and Slovenia. Defenseman Eli led the way with one goal and two assists in a 10-0 win over the Dallas Junior Stars, with an additional three assists in the tournament.
WHAT'S new on the extraterrestrial front? According to Tom Stanton, a UFO researcher and lecturer when he's not molding glass at Holy City Art Glass, says humankind is due to undergo an imminent "shift" in the electromagnetic fields of planet Earth, "from a third-dimensional world to a fourth-dimensional reality," as foretold by Edgar Cayce and other seers. Scientific forewarnings, says Stanton, include changes in the magnetic fields and vibrational pulse (Schuman's frequency) and a slowing of Earth's rotation. Stanton, currently teaching a six-week course at Del Mar High School, espouses a theory on why he thinks ETs are trying to contact earthlings. His dates include a talk to a Mensa group April 14, and he'll be on a panel of Bay Area UFOlogists April 26, discussing an alleged spacecraft crash in New Mexico in 1947.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, March 6, 1996.
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