BORN IN BERKELEY: Born in Berkeley - part memoir, part fiction - is set mainly in that small cavity of time between the Beat era and the emergence of the hippies, roughly 196568. The book is just out from Inkling Press of Menlo Park and it was written by Lynn Rogers of Los Gatos.
It's a coming-of age-story of protagonist Caroline Ryder, in rebellion from the materialism of growing up in the '50s, who shakes off her family's affluence and takes to the road. On the way she encounters real-life characters Neal Cassady and Ken Kesey.
The book covers the anti-Vietnam movement at Berkeley, the student protests and the rise of feminism. "Lolita meets Holden Caulfield meets Fanny Hill," says writer Thomas Hurst of Born in Berkeley. "A refreshing look at a time when everything changed."
When drugs entered the hippie movement and the lifestyle became commercialized, the social changes that their values promised were sullied. "A shadow fell over the potential for social change," as Rogers puts it.
(However we do have recycling, a greater emphasis on the environment and a focus on Eastern philosophy, to say nothing of jeans as the universal weekend uniform.)
Rogers teaches memoir writing classes at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center on Tuesday mornings and in Willow Glen on Tuesday evenings. For details on these classes, call Rogers at 408.559.5995.
She has published articles about autism in various journals, but this is her first published book. Rogers is also an artist, and the book is illustrated with her work.
The timing of her book is fortuitous, because the current exhibit at the Art Museum of Los Gatos is about the Beats, including Cassady, the prototype for Jack Kerouac's book On the Road.
EASTER SEALS MANAGER: Los Gatan Karen Morris has been named development manager for Easter Seals Central California, headquartered in Aptos. Morris started at Easter Seals strictly as a volunteer last year. An avid golfer, she organized the annual recognition dinner at Seascape Golf Club in the spring, and she helped put on the Century 21 Golf Tournament. She also helped with the Swanton North American Trail Ride in July. Other stops on her career path have been at Computer Sciences Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Loral Space and Range Systems and Ford Aerospace.
MATRIX MOVIEMAKER: Josh Jaggars is the digital effects producer for the Warner Brothers sequels Matrix II and Matrix III, which will be released in May and November of 2003. Jaggars, a Los Gatos High School grad of '88, is just back from working on the movies in Sydney, Australia.
Other movie credits with his digital work include Armageddon and One Fine Day. Jaggars earned an RFTV degree (radio, film and TV) from San José State University. For the past five years he's been working in Hollywood on computer-generated imaging. He's been involved in theater since he was 4, says his mom, Angie.
Jaggars won a scholarship from Bank of America when he played Grandpa in You Can't Take it with You at LGHS. During his college days he worked at Channel 11, gaining experience behind the camera by operating the teleprompter.
YARD SALE FOR RED CROSS: The sixth annual yard sale to raise money for American Red Cross holiday baskets will be held Oct. 5 at the home of Rosalie and Ernie Patterson, 232 Massol Ave. Donations of salable items would be appreciated. Call Rosalie at 408.354.6558 to drop off items before the sale. The Red Cross and the SILVAR Realty Group are cosponsoring the event.
RETIREMENT HOUSING: A workshop on retirement housing options will be held Oct. 12, 14 p.m. at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center. Topics to be covered include moving from a longtime residence, preparing an older home for resale and the benefits of selling and moving on.
Workshop leader Lee Ann Wolfe is the author of Best Retirement Residences in the West. The cost is $10; register before Oct. 9 by calling 408.354.8700.
SALON ON TV: I Do Hair Couture of Los Gatos celebrated its one-year anniversary by appearing on two TV shows, KRON and KTWY, and showcasing its specialty hairdos at a wedding style show in San Francisco. Segments featuring I Do will be part of a wedding program to air on Lifetime TV.
Some 10 percent of the profits of products sold at I Do this month will go to the Susan Koman Breast Cancer Foundation. Patrons who donate to the fund are eligible for a $600 bridal package, to be given away at the end of the month.
Vena Renee Cundy and Monica Dalton, co-founders of the shop, have worked in Los Gatos in other salons for more than 15 years and are dedicated to community outreach.
WHITE CANE DAYS: The Los Gatos Lions Club will be wielding white canes as they collect money Oct. 3 and 4 to help those who are sight-impaired.
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By Mary Ann Cook