of Ballet Ma Ba an EastPalo-Alto-based-dancecollective performing at the April Annual Belle Haven Community Spring Fair
2 3 4 5
Publisher’s Corner
Subscription Form El Ravenswood 2019 Survey Events Calendar 7 May in East Palo Alto History 8 Town Hall Meeting -a first? 9 US-101 Pedestrian And Bicycle Overpass 11 April 27 Belle Haven Spring Fair in pictures
13 Church Leader From Langa, South Africa Visits East Palo Alto And Pleads For A Redefinition Of A Church’s Role In A Community 15 Obituary- Carolyn Tate a 60-plus-year resident of East Palo Alto passed away on September 10, 2018 Obituary- Genevieve Edwards Price - October 24,
1934 - May 8, 2019 16 Brooke Crosby Poster 18 Obituary - Alfred LeGrand Sawyer-former Nairobi College instructor dies. July 1, 1926-April 18, 2019 20 Superintendent Dr. Streshly Visits East Palo Alto on a Meet and Greet Mission MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD 1
P.O. Box 50849 Palo Alto, CA 94303 (650) 323-4477 E: infoeastpaloaltoinformation.com Publisher Meda O. Okelo Editorial Meda O. Okelo, Editor Barbara Noparstak, Copy Editor Contributors, Past and Present C. Jango, Luke James, M.O. Okelo, Michelle Daher, Rodney Clark, Sarah Hubert, Saree Mading, Shammai Mading, Alejandro Vilchez, Rose Jacobs Gibson. Sid Walton, Sandy Moon Farley, Zalika Sykes, Isaac Stevenson Design/Layout George Okello Advertising Meda O. Okelo Business/Administration EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc. Circulation Alvin Spencer and Sonja Spencer El Ravenswood is published by EPABelle Haven Information Inc. P.O. Box 50849 East Palo Alto California, 94303. (650) 323-4477. El Ravenswood is delivered free to public offices, businesses and non-profit agency offices in East Palo Alto and the Belle Haven Community in Menlo Park. Copyright © 2017 by EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc.
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2 MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD
From the Publisher
O
ne of the gripes against the former superintendent of the Ravenswood City School District was, amongst others, that she practiced nepotism. She was accused of having her son hired by the District and according to some, replacing a long-term employee ostensibly as part of the $ 5 million cutbacks the District had to make to deal with its financial woes in the last year. In other words, she allegedly let her obligations as a mother trump her responsibilities as the chief administrator of the school district. Parents of course have the responsibility for looking after the welfare and wellbeing of their offspring. That may include, amongst many other things, facilitating the employment of a son or a daughter or even helping in the acquisition of a contract preferably with another agency public or private. Before going any further, however, I must say that no evidence has been found that implicate the superintendent in any wrongdoing as far as her son’s hiring is concerned. That Dr. Hernandez-Goff should look out for her son is of little surprise, in fact it should be expected of every good parent. But the fact that her son got hired in a public organization that she headed displayed bad judgement, both on her part as well as her son’s. Now do not get me wrong. Her son had every legal right to apply for any job in the District and the District should have received and processed the application like any other, regardless of the applicant’s relationship, known or unknown, with the superintendent. Both the son and the superintendent should, however, have thought about the possible appearance of impropriety. The fact that the application was made indicates a certain wanton disdain for what the public may conclude. Hiring a relative was bound to be construed as a blatant act of nepotism regardless as to whether the superintendent exercised any pressure on any district recruitment staff during the hiring process. Those who have served as appointed or elected public officials know of the requirement to take ethics training frequently for every public position they occupy. And in those trainings’ officials are usually reminded that not everything that is legal is always right. And just as in this case, the hiring of the superintendent’s son by the District, may have been legal, but all involved should have known how the public was bound to perceive it’s “rightness”. The superintendent as well as her son should have known better. The mother should have discouraged the son from applying. The son should have known that his hiring would have put the Superintendent in a compromised position.
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READERS SURVEY
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PAST EVENTS
ON GOING MEETINGS & EVENTS 3rd Tuesdays, Menlo Park Fire Protection District regular board meeting 7:00 P.M. 170 Middlefield Street, Menlo Park.
May 18, Saturday Ribbon Cutting. US-101 Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass 10:00-12:00 noon, Ravenswood 101 Shopping Center at the corner of East Bayshore and Clarke Avenue, next to Hope Depot. May 18, Saturday Soul Stroll is Back! Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council (formerly African American Community Health Advisory Committee- Call 650-6523884 for registration information. May 23, Thursday Meet and Greet Superintendent Sequoia Union High School District, Mary Streshly, 2555Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto, 11:45-12:45 P.M. May 24, Friday Funeral Services for Dr Alfred Le Grand Sawyer, First United Methodist Church 625 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto. May 25, Saturday 4:00 P.M. A Celebration of Life-Dr. Alfred Le Grand Sawyer Shannon Community Center, 11600 Shannon Avenue Dublin
Every Thursday, East Palo Alto Bayshore Rotary Club meeting 7:00-8.30 P.M. East Palo Alto YMCA 550 Bell Street.
2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, Ravenswood City School District regular board meetings 7:15 PM in the District Office Board Room, 2120 Euclid Avenue, East Palo Alto
1st and 3rd Tuesday, East Palo Alto City Council Meetings 7:30 P.M., 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Tuesdays (varies), Menlo Park City Council 7:00 P.M. 701 Laurel Street, Menlo Park.
1st Thursday of the month, East Palo Alto Sanitary District, 7:00 P.M. 901 Weeks Street, East Palo Alto
2nd and 4th Wednesdays, West Bay Sanitary District regular board meeting 7:00 P.M. 500 Laurel Street, Menlo Park.
MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD 5
EVENTS CALENDAR | PAST , UPCOMING AND ONGOING
UPCOMING EVENTS July 2, Tuesday Proposed Public Hearing on Proposed Increases to Water Charges, 7:30 P.M. 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto. July 26, Friday -July 27 Saturday Nairobi Reunion. Location to be determined. Goals: Reconnecting the Nairobi family; reviewing Nairobi history; Celebrating five decades of work; Celebratory cultural activities, honoring and memorializing Nairobi ancestors; distributing memorabilia.
June 1, Saturday Accessory Dwelling Unit & Garage Conversion Resource Fair 9:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. East Palo Alto Community Church 2201 University Avenue. June 2, Sunday “Meet the Tree Whisperer, A Benefit Event for Canopy with Dave Muffly”, 10:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Eastside College Preparatory School, 1041 Myrtle Street, East Palo Alto
6 MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD
June 7, Friday East Palo Alto Academy 2019 Graduation, Stanford Memorial Auditorium, 551 Serra Mall, Stanford
August 10, Saturday Tree Walk: Remarkable Trees of East Palo Alto with local arborist Uriel Hernandez, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Visit canopy. org/get-involved/tree-walk-sign-up/
June 17, Monday Free Advance Care Planning Workshops for Caregivers, 9:00-Noon, Faith Missionary Baptist Church, 835 Runnymede Street, East Palo Alto. 650532-2396
October 19, Saturday 15th Annual EPA T-Ball Pitching Machine Golf Classic, a fundraiser for the EPA T-Ball Pitching Machine Baseball Program, The Club at Sunrise, 5483 Club House Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada.
June 28, Friday Celebration of former EPA CAN DO Executive Director, Robert Jones, Hotel Nia, Menlo Park. Call 650-473-9838 or e-mail
HISTORY
1856 In the spring of 1856, the Hon. Horace Hawes introduced in the State Senate, a bill entitled “An Act to repeal the several charters of the City of San Francisco, to establish the boundaries of the City and County of San Francisco, and to consolidate the government thereof” The bill was enacted a law and received the Governor’s approval April 19th, 1856. “Section 9 of the Bill 1). There shall be formed out of the southern portion of the county of San Francisco, a new county, to be called San Mateo. At the time it was organized, San Mateo County had 3214 inhabitants. 1857 Hon T.G. Phelps, senator from the fifth senatorial district and resident of San Mateo county, introduced the bill that effected the proper organization of the county-entitled “an Act to reorganize and establish the county of San Mateo” which was passed into law on April 18th1857. It defined the southern boundary and confirmed Redwood City as the county seat of the county. May 4th 1923 Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce submitted a resolution to the board of sups of “unqualified disapproval and opposition to a movement seeking to change the name of the grammar school as well as the district from Ravenswood to Runnymede. Supervisors voted to keep the name Ravenswood to describe the district. Runnymede Colonists had wanted to change the name to Runnymede. May 4th 1925 Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce debates incorporation of the territory
including Ravenswood, East Palo Alto and North Palo Alto. May 11th 1925 107 signatures to a petition calling for a hearing by the Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County on June 1 of the incorporation of Menlo Park. Effort hit a snag over the issues of boundaries May 13th 1925 Dumbarton Bridge Company reports to a joint delegation of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and the East Palo Alto Progressive Club. May 28th 1925 Formation of a North Palo Alto Sanitary District was decided upon by a vote of 58 for and 4 against. Officers/ Directors: Mrs. Mona C. Christiansen, C.H. Steere, Paul Bayer, M.I. Piers, Charles Hill, Fred Reynolds (Assessor) 1953 May 7th 1953 Ravenswood Post established with Clarence A. Burley-as Publisher and Phyllis Walker as editor. May 1955 Sequoia Union High School District passed a bond measure to build Ravenswood High School 1956 When the state proposed a freeway, residents had proposed a route that would have travelled east from San Carlos Avenue and rejoined the Bayshore Freeway at Embarcadero in Palo Alto, by passing East Palo Alto and according to proponents uniting a community once divided by the Bayshore Highway. State rejected the route proposal. Bayshore Freeway became a reality wiping out the
Whiskey Gulch an area which had extended for a mile between University and Willow. 50 businesses were forced to relocate. Many relocated into East Palo Alto into a new masterplanned East Palo Alto Commercial area between University and Capital east of Donohoe. This area eventually extended to the east with the construction of the University Village Shopping Center. May 1958 Mrs. Ralph E. Blom former Supervisor of the Ravenswood Recreation and Parks District is appointed Superintendent. May 19-23 1958 Donald Barr of 1443 Kavanaugh files petition with the county for the city of East Palo Alto’s incorporation. Will Dodd and Jack Keating In May, City of Menlo Park approves the circulation of a petition for the annexation of the area bounded by Menalto, San Francisquite Creek and the Bayshore Freeway. Leaders included Myron Alexander, Earle Beattle and John Thompson. Clarence Kavanaugh owner of a 100 acre industrial tract filed for an annexation to the City of Menlo Park. May 5th 1988 5 students faced expulsion. 17 students faced community service hours the result of an April 12 ethnic-inspiredbrawl involving 30 students at the Ravenswood Middle School which ended up with 3 students requiring medical attention. 22 students involved in the brawl were suspended. Middle School demographics that year was 36% Hispanic and 50% Black.
MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD 7
COMMUNITY
T
he City of East Palo Alto’s town hall meeting held on May 4 at the city space at the YMCA was a first. Mayor Gauthier and Vice-Mayor Wallace Jones convened the meeting to respond to concerns being expressed in local social and regular media specifically about the new city manager. Noting that that local media was unkind and unfair about the council’s decision to hire Jaime Fontes as the new City Manager particularly given the history of his tenure as the top administrator in previous jobs. “The city council” said Vice Mayor Wallace Jones had done its due diligence including engaging a private investigator to dig into the new city manager’s background.” “The investigation’ she added, “included talking to employees who had worked under him.” In addition, the town hall meeting delved into other issues around Transportation, Water Services, and
8 MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD
Housing. Mayor Gauthier reported that the water rates would be going up and that the public should participate in public hearings around the issue in the next few months. Acknowledging that there were a lot of issues regarding the current water services, she encouraged the public to contact the city’s administrative services manager, Marie Mckenzie with any concerns they may have. A diverse group of 45 attended the meeting including several past public officials: Former mayor Donna Rutherford, former council member Nevida Butler and former Mayor/ Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson. Also in attendance were current council members Romero and Abrica. No East Palo Alto city council leadership ever convened a town hall meeting to inform the public about a broad range of topics. Previous town hall meetings have been singular topic meetings for instance around annual budgets,
policing etc. There however, have been instances in the recent past where some councilmembers have participated in meetings in public places but restricted to specific constituents. Other previous town hall meetings have been convened to discuss issues such as the city’s annual budget, or a myriad of issues around housing, redevelopment and relocations. Former Supervisor Rose JacobsGibson also convened several town hall meetings during her tenure as county supervisor. She sought to resolve issues around senior services and county funding for those services; convened several meetings around education when the community was divided around state takeover of the District or the need to rally community non-profits in promoting education within their programs. The mayor and vice-mayor promised to hold regular town hall meetings in the future.
COMMUNITY
A
fter 18 months and $14 million, the US-101 Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass at East Palo Alto finally is complete. City officials had a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration on Saturday, May 18th. The overpass was intended to link the two sides divided by the 101 freeway, with particular emphasis to the residents across the freeway who could not easily access the shopping opportunities provided by the Ravenswood Retail Center, the community programs provided by a variety of non-profits, city programs provided by various city departments. Impatient youth started using the bridge prior to its opening, squeezing their bodies and bikes across narrow spaces on the side and bottom of locked gates. The overpass provides a 12 feet wide pedestrian walkway that would be used for both pedestrians and cyclists. It is approximately half a mile long. While this is the first pedestrian overpass built to connect the two parts of East Palo Alto bifurcated by the construction of the highway/ freeway, the need to connect the two communities was previously accomplished by a tunnel, according to city officials, at the intersection of Manhattan/West Bayshore to the intersection of Euclid and Donohoe. The tunnel was a safe way to cross the Bayshore Highway particularly for students attending the Ravenswood Grammar School located at the intersection of Euclid and East Bayshore/Donohoe. For most of its existence the highway had the reputation of being a very dangerous highway characterized by over speeding cars.
The overpass is the third such overpass for cyclists and pedestrians along highway 101 between Marsh Road and San Antonio Road. The Ringwood Avenue pedestrian bridge is about midway between Willow Road and March Road and connects the Belle Haven neighborhood in Menlo park with the Flood Triangle neighborhood and provides avital link to both Menlo Atherton High School and the County of San Mateo’s Flood Park. The Oregon Expressway/ Embarcadero Road overcrossing is about a mile down the highway in Palo Alto. While the rehabilitation of the Ringwood Avenue bridge pitted residents against each other with the Menlo Park Flood Triangle neighborhood, according to newspaper reports in 2007 circulating a petition to block the reconstruction of the bridge. In December 2007 the Menlo Park City Council voted to rebuild the overcrossing after Caltrans announced plans to tear it down and construct an additional lane on the 101 Highway. Residents in East Palo Alto on both
sides of the freeway welcomed the bridge. Rick Saal at the ribbon cutting said “It is fantastic, the bridge opens up East Palo Alto and for me it has opened a new neighborhood to explore” ‘I can now extend my dog walking to the other side of East Palo Alto” he added. The overcrossing and its connection of the communities divided by the construction of the freeway in the late fifties to many was long long overdue. Ruben Abrica, who has lived on the other side of the freeway for many years reminded the attentive audience
MAY 2018 EL RAVENSWOOD 9
COMMUNITY
1924
Construction of the Bayshore Highway begins
1937
Old Bayshore Highway completed
November 16, 1955
Palo Alto Florists, owned by Tsuruko Nakamishi is the first building moved in the EPA Freeway Project
2012
Selection of Pedestrian Overpass project location and alignment
March, 2016
California Environmental Quality Act Report completed
August, 2016 that the freeway and the highway that preceded it tore away East Palo Alto’s downtown from most of East Palo Alto. The expansion of the freeway from a four to an eight-lane highway in the late fifties early sixties effectively destroyed East Palo Alto’s economic base. Several stores that had lined the old Bayshore Highway were removed as part of a plan hatched in the forties, to convert the then Bayshore Highway into a ten-lane Bayshore Freeway.
10 MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD
To celebrate the ribbon-cutting, several public officials attended and spoke at the event, including: State Senator Jerry Hill, San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum, State Assemblyman Marc Berman, East Palo Alto City Council members, Abrica, Wallace-Jones, Mayor Lisa Gauthier, Tony Tavares, District Four director for Caltrans and the city’s public works director Kamal Fallaha.
National Environmental Policy Act Report completed
July, 2017
Construction contract awarded
November 30, 2017
Groundbreaking ceremony held
May 18, 2019 Ribbon cutting
COMMUNITY SNAPSHOTS
April 27 Belle Haven Spring Fair in pictures
(L to R) City of Menlo Park staff Judi, Nick, Starla (City Manager) Justin, Chief Bertini, Lenka and Derek
(L to R) Susan Erhart, Rachel Bickerstaff ( Association President) and Anthony Taylor
Tannea Gardner (far right) with daughter
MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD 11
COMMUNITY SNAPSHOTS
Cinco de Mayo festivities were held at Bell Street Park on May 5th. For the first time the festival had two stages with bands performing at the same time at each stage. The event was coordinated and sponsored by Committee Latino, a group of residents that has sponsored the event each year for the last so many years.
Sign at the entrance to an East Palo Alto residence
Mele Latu Vice-Chair(left) and Ofelia Bello (right), Chair of the newly formed Climate Change Community Action Team.
12 MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD
Mcdonald’s East Palo Alto is refurbishing its store at the corner of Bay and University in East Palo Alto. The drivein as well at the dining room remain open during construction. Renovation of the restaurant at the Ravenswood Retail Center on East Bayshore Road has been completed.
Church Leader From Langa, South Africa Visits East Palo Alto And Pleads For A Redefinition Of A Church’s Role In A Community
W
hat is the responsibility of church or churches to a community that has been oppressed for over four centuries? A community that for close to a century, men left their homes to work in mines hundreds of miles away and only came home once a year, usually in December for at most two weeks? And women left their children untended to be household workers in wealthier communities next door? What happens to children who are born and never get to see their fathers but once yearly? What happens to a community where mothers, to survive, have to abandon their children to work long hours in neighboring communities as maids, nannies and housekeepers? What happens to communities where schools are deliberately designed to offer an inferior education that drums into the children their alleged inferiority. Langa happens! According to Senior Pastor Dr. Sipho Zondi of the Bana Ba Langa Baptist Church in Langa, South Africa
MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD 13
the Church has a unique responsibility to go beyond what most regular churches do by simply being edifices for Sunday prayer. “You cannot pray for people that are hungry and expect them to take you seriously” he said recently in East Palo Alto where he was being hosted by former East Palo Alto Mayor, Bill Vines and his wife Terry. “Churches have an obligation to meet the practical day to day needs of individuals and families in communities they are located in,” he said, adding that “fighting hunger, disease and homelessness should be part of a church’s mission. He spoke to the small crowd, including several ministers, invited to a reception at the former mayor’s home. “Churches have to serve communities and not just their congregations”. He exhorted. This is Pastor Zondi’s second visit to East Palo Alto. He first visited East Palo Alto in January 2011 when he was hosted by the East Palo Alto Martin Luther King Jr. Committee as the keynote speaker at its annual Martin Luther King Annual Birthday celebration. Langa is a township and suburb of Cape Town South Africa of 1.19 Square miles. According to Wikipedia, its is one of the many areas in South Africa designated for Black South Africans during and before the apartheid era. It’s population today of approximately 52,401 (2011) people is still predominantly Black
“Churches have to serve communities and not just their congregations”. He exhorted.
Langa means “sun” or “light in Xhosa, a local African language but the town was named after a local leader named Langalibalele who in 1873 was imprisoned on Robben Island for rebelling against the racist South African government. After his release, following a lengthy fight he was confined to a farm called Uitvlugi in a community adjacent to present day Langa. Langa township was
developed in 1898 on the land known as “langalibalele’s Location” a fact that led to Langa being referred to as “KwaLanga” which translates into ‘Place of Langa”. On March 30, 1960 Langa was the starting point for an anti-apartheid and pass law protest march of over 30,000 to Caledon Square police station in Cape Town led by the Pan Africanist Congress area.
Langa
East Palo Alto
Area
1.19 Square Miles
2.5 Square miles
Population
52,401 (2011)
28,155 (2010)
Languages
Xhosa, English
English, Spanish, Tongan, Hindi, Samoan, Chinese
Demographics
Black (99.1%); Colo(u)red.4% Indian/Asian .1%;
American Indian .2%; Asian 7.2%; Black 15.6%; Hispanic
White .1% Other .4%
61.1%; Polynesian 10.9%; White 7.2%; Other 7.1%
14 MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD
OBITUARY
M
any of you will remember her as “the lady who cut your hair at Contour Barber Shop on Willow Road,” where she was half owner. She was a “perfectionist”, so every cut had to be perfect, thus she had quite a clientele, especially with the youth. She also worked at Stanford University Medical School from where she retired. Carolyn was a big-behind-the-scenes supporter of community youth as well as youth programs. She was known to attend their church, athletic, school activities and frequently hosted youth gatherings in her home. Carolyn was a member of University A.M.E. Church for many years, but she also frequently attended St. Mark A.M.E Zion on Bay Road and St. John Baptist Church on Bay Road. Carolyn Tate is survived by brother Gene, sister Jacquelyn, daughter Michelle, nephews, and many adopted family members. The Tate family and all who knew Carolyn are honored to have had the opportunity to know and love her!
G
enevieve Edwards Price, resident of the City of East Palo Alto since 1965, and the mother of local real estate agent Jane Therese Jones died on May 8. Nee Genevieve Holland, she was born October 24, 1934 in Ville Platte, Louisiana to Milton Holland and Hattie (Celestine) Holland. At nineteen years old, she met and married Audrus (Poncho) Edwards and from their union they had five daughters. After his death, she married Hezekiah Price. Genevieve not unlike many African American women in East Palo Alto at the time was a domestic housekeeper for many years. She however later owned and operated a creole restaurant in Seaside, California,
Genevieve was a member of the Mount Olive Baptist church in East Palo Alto for over fitty years until her death. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Ella Edwards; her first husband, Audrus Edwards; and her second husband, Hezikiah Price. Genevieve is survived by four sisters, a brother, her children: Judy Brown, (Terral) and Jane Theresa Jones both of East Palo Alto; Lucy Mae Edwards and Joella Cusic (David), both of Stockton; her grandchildren: Nekeisha Ray-Pieper, Jeannique McGlothen, Alexandria Jones, Bennie Jones III, and Travon Keith; and nine great-grandchildren, four sisters, one brother, and a host of nieces, nephews, many other relatives and dear friends.
Genevieve enjoyed playing bingo, pity pat, crocheting table doilies, Baking and cooking, and cooking meals for family and friends during the holidays, reading the Bible, singing in the choir, and working on the church funeral committee. MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD 15
This poster, seeking to promote candidate Brooke Crosby for the November 2018 elections to the Ravenswood City School District is still posted on the fence at the corner of East Bayshore and University Avenue. Hanging the poster on public property was a transgression in the first place. Keeping it there many months after the elections is frankly
adding insult to injury. The fact that the poster has
of signage prohibiting that kind of advertisement on
despicable.
no date or year would, to any casual observer, imply
the fence.
Brook Crosby should have removed the sign
that its owner expects the poster to remain current
For the city, the sign is a clear nuisance and it is
soon after the elections were over. The fact that she
should they choose to run for the next school
disheartening that city staffers see the sign and do
did not displays a certain disdain for the law and
district elections, giving them clearly the advantage
nothing.
disrespect for the community the law protects.
of starting the race way ahead of everyone else. The
Hanging the poster in the first place is clearly a
fence along the freeway exit belongs to Caltrans and
case of using a public resource for personal political
therefore is public property and that agency should
gain. Keeping it there long after the elections are
share the responsibility for the sign’s removal.
over from the community’s perspective is akin to
Caltrans should also take responsibility for posting
City has since removed the campaign poster after El Ravenswood contacted Jay Far about city policies on signs in public spaces.
Please Find El Ravenswood At These Choice Locations Want to be an El Ravenswood distribution location? Please contact El Ravenswood at info@eastpaloaltoinformation.com EAST PALO ALTO Above All Insurance, 907 Newbridge Street # B; | Boys and Girls Club-East Palo Alto, 2031 Pulgas Avenue; | Brentwood School, 2086 Clarke Avenue; | Cesar Chavez & Green Oaks, 2450 Ralmar Avenue; | Ravenswood Child Development Center, 952 O’Connor Street, | Community Development Department, 1960 Tate Street; | Costano School, 2695 Fordham Street; | County Services Building-Lobby; 2415 University Avenue; | East Palo Alto Academy, 1040 Myrtle Street; | East Palo Alto Charter School, 1286 Runnymede Street; | East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, 1039 Garden Street; | East Palo Alto Police Department, 141 Demeter Avenue; | East Palo Alto Senior Center, 560 Bell Street; | East Palo Alto YMCA, 550 Bell Street; | Ecumenical Hunger Program, 2411 Pulgas Avenue; Gregory’s Enterprise & Barber Shop, 1895 E. Bayshore Road; | Jones Mortuary, 660 Donohoe Street; | Oakwood Market, 2106 Oakwood Drive; | Peninsula Park Apartments, 1977 Tate Street; | Rainier’s Service Station, 1905 E. Bayshore Road; | Ravenswood City School District, 2130 Euclid Avenue; Ravenswood Family Health Center, 1885 Bay Road; | Ronald McNair School, 2033 Pulgas Avenue; | San Mateo Credit Union, 1735 Bay Road; | St Francis of Assisi, 1425 Bay Road; | St Johns Baptist Church, 1050 Bay Road; | Stanford Community Law Clinics, 2117 University Avenue; | Starbucks-East Palo Alto, 1745 East Bayshore Road;
MENLO PARK Belle Haven Library, 415 Ivy Drive; | Belle Haven School, 415 Ivy Drive; | Esquire Barber Shop, 830 Newbridge street; | Job Train, 1200 O’Brien Drive; | Jonathan’s Fish & Chips, 840 Willow Road; | Markstyle Barber Shop, 828 Willow Road; | Menlo Park City Hall, 701 Laurel Street; | Menlo Park Senior Center, 100 Terminal Avenue; | Mt Olive AOH Church of God, 605 Hamilton Avenue; | Project Read-Menlo Park, 800 Alma Street; | Tony’s Pizza, 820 Willow Road; | Tutti Frutti, 888 Willow Road; Willow Cleaners, 824 Willow Road; | Willow Oaks School, 620 Willow Road
18 2019 EL EL RAVENSWOOD RAVENSWOOD 16 APRIL JUNE 2019
OBITUARY
Alfred Legrand Sawyer-Former Nairobi College Instructor Dies
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n 1971, he came to East Palo Alto, accepting a job as a biology teacher at the newly accredited Nairobi College. He taught without compensation until the college shut down a few years later. To support himself and his family he worked at the Veterans Administration in Palo Alto for a while before landing a job with the City of Palo Alto’s Animal Shelter on East Bayshore, where he helped set up the Veterinary Clinic. He worked there from 1974 until his retirement in 1997. He was very engaged in community matters serving over the years, on several boards including the Charles Drew Health Center and the Shule Mandela Academy Board of Directors, the City of East Palo Alto Public WorksTransportation as well as its Planning Commissions, and the Ravenswood Retail Center Project Area Advisory Committee. He has always loved East Palo Alto, perhaps because it reminded him of Accra in certain ways. When faced with a decision as to where to purchase his first home, the choice of East Palo Alto was a no brainer. East San Jose was another choice, but in retrospect, he said in a recent interview that he was happy he chose to make East Palo Alto his home. Alfred LeGrand Sawyer was born on July 1, 1928 in Accra, Ghana of a Ghanaian mother and a Sierra Leonean father. Growing up in Ghana in the politically turbulent years that saw the demise of colonial control of what has variously been known as the Gold Coast, Alfred LeGrand Sawyer was inspired by Kwame Nkrumah and the Ghanaian
July 1, 1926-April 18, 2019
fight to remove the shackles of colonial domination. As a young student working his way through the University of Ghana, he was a member of the youth arm of Kwame Nkrumah’s party, the Convention Peoples Party,. He learnt early that individuals can make a difference through direct involvement. On March 6, 1957, Ghana, named after a medieval West African empire, became an independent country. Following independence the new government provided educational scholarships to various colleges throughout the world. LeGrand Sawyer took advantage of these scholarship opportunities, first going to the United Kingdom on a 18 month science scholarship and later to Russia where at age 25 he studied Russian, and subsequently went on to get a PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology from Kusminky University and another PhD in Pharmacology from Moscow State University. After spending eight years
in Russia he returned to Ghana in 1967 and found a country where people who had studied in Russia were suspected of being communist and pro Nkrumah. In fact he was arrested and tortured by the military under the suspicion of being part of groups that were intent on overthrowing a government which itself had come into power through a coup d’état in 1966. In 1968 he applied for and was awarded a two-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Scholarship to study in the United States at UC Davis, California or Ithaca, New York. He chose UC Davis, from whence he graduated in 1970. In 1971 he was hired as a teacher at the now defunct Nairobi College where he worked until its closure, primarily as an unpaid staffer. In 1974 he started work with Animal Control Services, City of Palo Alto and worked there for twentyseven years until his retirement in 2001. A lover of sports, he introduced soccer MAY 2019 EL RAVENSWOOD 17
OBITUARY
1928 Alfred LeGrand Sawyer is born of a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother
to East Palo Alto. ”Few understood the sport” he was to say later,, “and found the kinds of injuries characterizing the sport as unacceptable”. A lover of agriculture and plants he was involved with the Tinsley gardening project on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) property on the north east corner of East Palo Alto bordering the railroad tracks. Alfred LeGrand Sawyer had eight children: Nancy Codjoe, Owa LeGrand Sawyer, Regina Larbie, Augusta Graves, Edward LeGrand Sawyer, Victoria LeGrand Sawyer, Daila LeGrand Sawyer and Adinkra LeGrand Sawyer. He continued to love Ghana his home country and inspired the creation of the Umbrella of Bay Area Ghanaians (UBAG) an association of various diverse groups encompassing social, economic, cultural, religious
and political interests and was highly respected and revered as the patron of the organization. “Dr Sawyer was the gentle force behind the vision and all the activities of UBAG” said Dr. Ago Ahene the current chair of UBAG. “We will miss is prodding and encouragement” he added “and will keep his legacy alive.” “He was a strong community leader both for the Ghanaian and other communities, said George Quartey, a close friend at the community celebration of his life held in Dublim on Saturday May 25, 2019. “A strong and proud brother with a strong character who despite his handicap, following a boached knee replacement operation i never lost his good nature and his concern for East Palo Alto” said Nobantu Ankoanda the founder of Shule Mandela Academy.
Accra is the capital city of Ghana, a small West African country with a population of approximately 2 .5 million people. It has been Ghana’s capital since 1877 when Ghana was a British colony. Prior to that, Accra was a collection of African villages, primarily from the people known as the Ga. Known for its mineral wealth, particularly gold, Ghana was of great interest to alien countries evidenced by the different forts still existing in Accra, built by the Dutch, the Portuguese, the Swedes, the Danish, the French and the British. The British after a protracted war with the locals captured Accra twice in 1874, and in 1877 and eventually made it the capital of the then British “Gold” Coast.
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1953 Alfred Le Grand Sawyer leaves for studies in Russia 1967 Alfred Le Grand sawyer returns to Ghana from Russia with two doctrates in Veterinary Epidemiology and Pharmacology. 1968 Alfred Le Grand Sawyer accepts a scholarship to study at UC Davis, California 1970 Graduates from UC Davis 1971 Applies for and gets a job from Nairobi College and with the letter of appointment is able to secure a visa to come back into the country. 1974 Starts working with Animal Control Services, City of Palo Alto 2001 Retires from Animal Control Services
COMMUNITY
Superintendent Dr. Streshly Visits East Palo Alto On A Meet And Greet Mission
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wo years after assuming the job of Superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District, Dr. Mary Streshly finally came to East Palo Alto on a meet and greet mission. East Palo Alto was her first stop on May 23. She intends to visit all communities served by the District. She was accompanied by trustees Sarver and Dubois. Joining her at the event on May 23 was the new East Palo Alto City Manager, Mr. Jaime Fontes and the recently appointed interim Superintendent of the Ravenswood City School District, Ms. Gina Sudaria. Both were introduced to the gathering of approximately 40 representing public and private organizations. The organizations represented at this get-to-know-the-superintendentgathering included: Canopy, Youth Community Service, One East Palo Alto, Live in Peace, College Track, Ravenswood Family Health Clinic, East Palo Alto Center Arts, David Lewis Center, Nuestra Casa, primarily an assortment of the YESS Collaborative, a coalition of youth serving agencies convened several years ago by One East Palo Alto under the late Dr. Faye McNair Knox. Also, in attendance were trustees Fitch and Sobomehin of the Ravenswood City School District board of directors. Dr Streshly promised that her relationship with the communities
the District served would be based on “partnerships” and that she would be visiting all communities in the District with the sole intent of establishing and fomenting close collaborations as equal partners. She further indicated that she was already having regular one on one meetings with superintendents of all the feeder elementary school districts. The meeting was coordinated by Ana Maria Pulido, the District’s Communications Specialist who also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Ravenswood City School District and Nuestra Casa’s soon-to-be-departing Executive Director Andreas Cornell. “The Superintendent and the Sequoia Board of trustees have a broader goal of getting communities in the District more engaged in the District” said Ms. Pulido. ‘Both hope to accomplish this through having two-way communications with communities the District serves” she added. “No dates have been set yet for such a meeting in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park but plans are underway to do that”, she said. The noon time gathering was held at 2555 Pulgas Avenue, a former flower farm that had been empty for several years until acquired by Sycamore Real Estate Investment. Sycamore Real Estate Investment LLC is a Palo Alto-based company associated with Laurene Powell Jobs and according to press reports has been purchasing land in East Palo Alto since 2015.
In addition to Sycamore Real Estate Investment LLC, Laurene Powell Jobs established a non-profit, Emerson Collective Foundation in 2004 with the mission of doing” the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people.” It is described on its website as a “social change organization that uses broad range of tools including Philanthropy, impact investing, and policy solutions to create the greatest good for the greatest number of people….(it) works to renew some of society’s most calcified systems, creating new possibilities for individuals, families, and communities.
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