Postcard from Los Gatos Weekly-Times files

Los Gatos High School, whose original building is shown above, was the venue for many future relationships.

Picture from the Past

Reunions sometimes spark relationships Cupid missed

By John S. Baggerly

Los Gatos' first high school was built in 1905. Most of the present high school was constructed in 1925, after which the building above served as a wood and auto shop and as space for extra classrooms. It was later replaced by the present-day library that overlooks athletic fields and swimming pools.

Cupid was on patrol in those days as he has been for the entire century, pairing up couple after couple. In the 1930s, when Willow Glen and Saratoga students came to LGHS by Interurban Railway, a young lady from Willow Glen eventually married a young man from Saratoga, and a Saratoga girl coming to LGHS on the same streetcar line made eye contact with a young manager of Los Gatos' old Shell Service station at Saratoga and N. Santa Cruz avenues. They were married after her graduation.

If Cupid--the patron saint of candy makers, flower growers and greeting card companies--overlooked someone at graduation time, he corrected that oversight at reunion time. Such was the case of Betty Barbieri and her husband-to-be, George Chrisman Jr. (both class of 1947) at their 10th class reunion at Villa Felice. It was then that Cupid let fly two arrows. "We had never dated in high school," Chrisman said.

They were married in 1960. In 1962, they moved to Phoenix, Ariz., where George continued his penchant for journalism. He began his 54-year sportswriting career at age 12 with a page-one story about the Los Gatos Merchants baseball game that ran on July 4, 1940, in the Los Gatos Mail-News. A year later, he started writing for the Los Gatos Times, providing stories to both weeklies with different angles. He considers this a valuable training for covering the San Francisco 49ers for the San Jose Mercury and San Jose News; where he wrote separate stories for each paper.

In Phoenix, he became a sportswriter and later the sports news editor for the Arizona Republic. He retired after a stint as managing editor of the Daily News-Sun in Sun City. After a full life, Betty died in January following a long illness.

Besides her husband, George, she is survived by children Mary Helen Chrisman of Morgan Hill and Walter Chrisman of Phoenix. She also leaves several relatives in Santa Clara County, including cousins Deane, Anita and Michael Barbieri and Eva Sollazzi, all of Los Gatos. Michael is a sergeant with the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department. Another cousin, Mario "Bucky" Barbieri, owned and operated the Chevron gas station in downtown Saratoga in the 1960s.

Betty's father, Nat Barbieri, was caretaker of the Pedrini estate off Los Gatos-Saratoga Road. Betty grew up on the Pedrini estate--living with her family in a guest house--and had fond memories of her childhood there, her husband said. He added, "Betty never forgot how nice Mrs. Pedrini was to her during the years she lived on the estate." It was common early in this century for estate owners to house their inside and outside help on their property. Later, Betty's father became a gardener for many residents in Los Gatos-Saratoga area.

Old-timers wishing to contact Chrisman may write to 1409 W. San Miguel, Phoenix, Ariz., 85013-l750.

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