The Loma Prietan
July/August 2003
Chapter Celebrates 70th Anniversary
by Shiloh Ballard
What would the South Bay look like if the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club had never been formed? That was the frightening question posed by Carl Pope at the Chapter's 70th Anniversary fundraiser. We likely would have seen San Bruno Mountain flattened and used to fill the southern portion of San Francisco Bay, drilling rigs off the San Mateo coast, and a six-lane highway running along the length of that coast. Thankfully, the Loma Prieta Chapter's efforts have ensured the protection of these and many other areas.
Over 100 Chapter members gathered on June 7 at Hidden Villa to celebrate the Chapter's birth and history. With scenic views, good wine, and organic finger foods, the afternoon was quite a success, raising over $10,000 to help advance the ongoing work of the Chapter.
Sierra Club President Larry Fahn dropped by to express his own goals for the future of the Club.
The Chapter also used the anniversary to honor several deserving members, including:
Stephanie Schaaf, New Activist
Ann Schneider, Political Activism
Bill Michel, Ten Year Activist
Shirley Sampson, Group Activist Award
Byron Sher, Legislator Extraordinaire
Also receiving an award is Bruce Durgan, for his exceptional contributions to the Sierra Singles.
Several longtime Chapter stalwarts were present to share their stories about the history of the Chapter, including Wim De Wit and Ollie Mayer. Ollie reminisced about the battle over the San Mateo coast, including her remarkable trip to meet Westinghouse's CEO to persuade him not to develop the many acres of coastal land the company then owned. Not long after that meeting, Westinghouse sold most of its land. Ollie's ceaseless efforts have made it possible to enjoy these beautiful areas today.
Liz Dana, daughter of founder Frank Duveneck, read some of her father's poetry. His writings reflected both his love of nature and terrific sense of humor. Lastly, Senator Byron Sher and Carl Pope shared some of the intimate details of the deal-making and politicking over the Headwaters Forest.
Overall, the afternoon was a wonderful opportunity to remember the last 70 years and look forward to the next 70. And it couldn't have been done without the help of a slew of volunteers. Thank you so much to the following people:
Debbie Benham, Bob Black, Charles Christy, Jessica Colleur, Spencer Covey, Harold Drake, Lisane Drollin, Diane Gleason, Thomas Hatfield, Tex Houston, Ginny Laibl, Tina Mazzei, Bonnie McClure, Emily Renzel, Rafael Reyes, Stephanie Schaaf, Paul Schmidt, Ann Schneider, Victoria Tregoning, Blake Woodard, and Gavitt Woodard.
And finally, a special thanks to all of our sponsors of the event:
Trunk
Santa Clara City Councilmember John
McLemore
Assemblymember Rebecca Cohn
Kirsch Foundation
Speaker Pro Tem, Senator John Burton
Bough
Akeena Solar
San Jose Councilmember Cindy Chavez
Melvin Lane
Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo
Congressman Mike Honda
Waste Management
The Honorable Elaine Alquist
Hewlett Packard
Leaf
Cupertino Councilmember
Dolly Sandoval
San Jose Councilmember Terry Gregory
Palo Alto Councilmember Judy Kleinberg
Pat Showalter & Steve Longcor
San Mateo Councilmember Sue Lempert
Assemblymember Manny Diaz
San Jose Councilmember David Cortese
Assemblymember Sally Lieber
Mary Davey
Palo Alto City Councilmember
Yoriko Kishimoto
Morgan Hill City Councilmember
Hedy Chang
Santa Clara City Councilmember
Rod Diridon Jr.
Gretchen Leavitt
Santa Clara City Councilmember
Jamie Matthews
Rod Diridon Sr.
San Jose City Councilmember
Linda LeZotte