August 14, 2002     Los Gatos, California Since 1881 Main Street John Baggerly's chuckle is gone ... 'ain't it awful' By Mary Ann Cook SALUTE TO BAGS: John Baggerly personifies Los Gatos to me—friendly, caring and full of stories. Plenty businesslike when that demeanor was called for, and relaxed—teasing and joking—when the serious stuff was finished. When I was editor of the Los Gatos Times-Observer, he was beginning the (for him, the near-impossible) task of retiring from newspapering. He would come in a couple of times a week, unheralded, not a word to a soul all the time he was working, clacking out the words for his column or an obit on a typewriter. As he handed in his copy, then and only then would he crack a couple of jokes, tell a few stories. Maybe even play a few rounds of Ain't it Awful?, a game he and his wife, Barbara, had evolved over the years, which poked fun at those who have trouble with change, who expect the world to remain the way they remember it from their youth. Samples: Ain't it awful that there's no actual service in service stations anymore? Ain't it awful that everything that is the most fun is either fattening or illegal? Ain't it awful that a five-cent hamburger costs $3 today? Then he'd start expounding on some way to improve the world, to staunch the heartache and the bloodshed. But, before too long, he'd stop himself, saying, "I'm beginning to ramble. I'd better get outta here." And off he would amble for a frozen yogurt. This time he's ambled off for good. It's hard for me to imagine this newspaper office without him. But he leaves behind a legacy for fine newspapering—thorough, conscientious, fair-minded. And with a large reservoir of tales about Los Gatans. These tales, both written and oral, nearly always contained an undercurrent that rippled along like a chuckle, seeming to imply, "Let's not take this world or our place in it too seriously." STATIONED IN CAIRO: Off to Cairo recently to work in the American Embassy there as a political officer is Daniel Hastings, '86 LGHS grad. Daniel's wife is Maya, and she'll be earning a master's in education at the American University in Cairo. The couple met when both were in the Peace Corps in Armenia. He was stationed there; she is Armenian. Daniel has a master's in foreign service from Georgetown; she graduated from Georgetown with a degree in French. They are both fluent in four languages. For the past year, Daniel has attended the Foreign Service Institute School for Language Studies in Arlington, Va. They have a 5-month-old baby, Gabriel, who was baptized in the Armenian Church in Cupertino before their overseas departure. Gabriel's arrival brings the number of Elly and Bill Hastings' grandchildren to 13. They have seven children: Reid, who lives in Los Gatos with wife Margaret and two children; Tom of San Jose; Molly Hastings of Cupertino; Liz McNamara of St. Paul, Minn.; Meg Grubb of San Antonio, Texas; and David, who is a chiropractor in Folsom and is Daniel's twin. Incidentally, Daniel was student body president while at LGHS, so he's been fulfilling political office for some time now. BEATS ROADSHOW: A Beats roadshow featuring artifacts from the private collection of William Arthur Stockett will be the inaugural exhibit for the renovated Art Museum of Los Gatos. The display opens Aug. 21 and continues until Oct. 25. Stockett was a close friend of Neal Cassady, who lived in Los Gatos and was the prototype for the main character in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road. The collection is exhibited courtesy of Jasmine Stockett, William's daughter. Jade Bradbury is the curator of the exhibit. COMES AN ICON: Sur La Table will help celebrate cooking icon Julia Child's 90th birthday Aug. 15 with a raffle drawing at the store Aug. 31. Raffle winners will receive an autographed copy of her groundbreaking book The French Chef, which was recently rereleased by Random House. HONK: The Shoestring Theatre Company of the Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos will present Honk, a musical retelling of The Ugly Duckling, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23, 24, 30 and 31 and 2 p.m. Sept. 1 in the church's social hall, 16575 Shannon Road. Marcus Dufort, 14, plays the lead role of Ugly. Other principals are Cait Andrews as Tomcat, Kris Andrews as Ugly's mother and Stan Scott as Bullfrog. The cast of 44 includes 25 children. For more information, call 408.356.6156. FINISHING TOUCHES: Tercera Gallery of Los Gatos was chosen as the fine arts purveyor for Sunset Magazine's Idea House in San Jose, open Friday through Sunday until Aug. 18. Part of the $10 admission price goes to Habitat for Humanity. For more information, call 800.786.7375. Tercera chose 39 art pieces by 11 different artists for the 3,200-square- foot remodel. Seb Hamamjian founded Tercera in 1978, and there are branches in Palo Alto and San Francisco. REPS MEET: The Association of Republican Women will host a brunch Aug. 21, 9:30 a.m., at La Rinconada Country Club to introduce Linda Rae Hermann, 15th District candidate for Congress. The speakers are Sen. Ray Haynes, minority whip, and Galen Call, pastor of Los Gatos Christian Church. Call 408.379.0727 for reservations. Got a tip? My email is maryanncook@earthlink.net.