Former San Jose Vice Mayor Frank Fiscalini turned 100 years old last Saturday, and he did it in style by arriving at his party in the Rose Garden neighborhood in a parade of vintage Ford Model A cars.
“It was a wonderful ride,” Fiscalini said upon his arrival in a 1931 Model A town sedan owned by Jill and Mark Barrett. “It reminded me of the one I used to have, which was a ’29.”
Lisa Hausle, one of Fiscalini’s three daughters, said the family gave a lot of thought to what would be an appropriate gift for their dad — an educator who served as the first superintendent of the East Side Union High School District and CEO of Alexian Bros. hospital and later was on the boards of Opera San Jose and History San Jose. Remembering his old Model A, they hit on the idea of getting him a ride in one of the classic cars.
That’s where the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the Ford Model A Club of America entered the picture. The chapter’s president, Jill Barrett, said the family contacted them to find out if Fiscalini could get a ride for his 100th birthday. The answer from the community-driven car club was an immediate yes, but when its members found out just whose birthday it was, it went from a ride into a parade.
The caravan of classic cars rolled from the retirement community in Campbell where Fiscalini now lives along Hamilton and Bascom Avenue to Rosecrest Terrace, where his daughter, Lori Sweat, lives. A group of family, friends and neighbors waited in anticipation for his arrival just after noon.
“We are so happy to make Frank’s surprise 100th birthday a memorable one,” Jill Barrett said. “He shared a lot of memories along the way.”
ARTS ON DISPLAY: San Jose Playhouse has been putting the spotlight on 18 local artists during its run of “Sunday in the Park With George” to celebrate local artists the way the Stephen Sondheim musical celebrates French painter Georges Seurat. Work by a different artist is shown at each performance of the show at downtown San Jose’s 3 Below Theaters, which runs through Dec. 11.
This weekend’s artists are Robert C. Schick (Dec. 1), Priyanka Rana (Dec. 2), GLevy (Dec. 3 matinee), Rick D’Arcey (Dec. 3 evening) and Francisco Ramirez (Dec. 4). You can see who else is coming up and purchase tickets to the show at sanjoseplayhouse.org/art-of-making-art-showcases.
STILL GROWING AT 50: Members of the San Jose Garden Club recently celebrated 50 years of service to the community, as well as a certificate of merit recognizing its golden anniversary from National Garden Clubs Inc. Among the guests at last Saturday’s festivities were current president Laura Carroll, past presidents Sue Swackhamer, Natalie DiGrazia, Susan Mosher, Erna Siegel, Anita Calkins and Kathy Argabright, and Roseann Costabile, the Santa Clara Valley District Director for California Garden Clubs. The club is probably best known for its annual spring plant sale, which raises funds for various causes. Get more information at sanjosegardenclub.com.
FIGHT AGAINST AIDS CONTINUES: Santa Clara County and the city of San Jose are working with several partners — including Project MORE, Silicon Valley Pride and the Health Trust — on events this week to commemorate the 34th annual World AIDS Day. Those events include a flag raising at the Santa Clara County government center that took place Tuesday and another at San Jose City Hall on Thursday at 1 p.m. A portion of the AIDS Quilt also will be on display at San Jose City Hall from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, with a candlelight vigil at the City Hall Rotunda at 5:30 p.m.
Source: www.mercurynews.com