The Peninsula Times Tribune from Palo Alto, California • 52

ALVISO WON'T APPLY FOR 'FOREIGN AID' 'Continued from Page 7) pi River type romance harking back to an era when paddle wheel steamboats plied the bay and were occasionally set upon by pirates as they approached Alvlso. The stark daylight strips the little community of glamor. The sun hurls a cruel accusing spotlight down on aging rotting boat hulls and sagging docks. Yet Oliver can stand on the deck of his improbable home and see much more than neglect and ruin. What Alvlso looks like right now Isn't so Important," he contends.

Itll Improve. Weve got a potential gold mine here." If there Is a gold mine in Alvlso. the visitor can be excused for not seeing it Immediately. Alvlso would seem to have come a long way all of it downhill since it became Californias first chartered city 110 years ago. A century ago the Peninsula was a creek cluttered forest, and it was precisely because of this that Alvlso flourished.

Ships could sail to Alvlso with their cargos, which were distributed to San Jose and other valley settlements, and would depart with their holds filled with grain, hides, fruit, tal Were as pnoyn as punch. League of Cities, city representative for Small Craft Harbors. Santa Clara Unified School District Redistricting Committee and Tri County Planning Commission. On top of all that, he's A1 viso's recreation chairman. Inevitably, Oliver crossed swords with established factions of Alviso government.

He met this problem by establishing a weekly newspa-per. The Alviso Beacon, with Mrs. Oliver as editor. "It's defunct now." the ex-publisher says, but it served its purpose. Most of the news we printed was what was happening 'at council meetings.

and it was all pretty Illuminating Because of Alviso's limited casli resources, progress in rejuvenating the city has been slow. That problem has been partially solved by wlut outsiders might consid er a strange process. "The five card rooms in Alvlso were paying SiO a year for their licenses." Oliver recalls. "After some hPurtfell urging they volunteered to pay $400 a year, and later they upped the ante to $1,200. This may not seem like much, but it was a godsrnd to Alviso's budget.

It's not that the people in Alviso arp poor. There are more new cars and color television sets in Alviso per per son than in any other com numity of this size, and they're paid fur. ton Theres a good reason for this. Very few people here owe money a it they couldn't get a bank loan for putting up a new house or buying a car until recently So the AlvLsatis either paid cash or they didn't get anything Even as the loan situation is rhanging. so is Alviso The little city now has a 23 year-old mayor, and its revenue has quadrupled in the past few years.

Alviso Is going to be a great industrial center," says Oliver. That's where our town has the advantage, because we can get things done in a hurry here. All we have are seven rounrilmen. and no siibeouiniittee.s to channel anything into. And that's where the po tential gold mine' comes in.

Everyone knows that land Is as scarce as hen's teeth in the Bay Area, and soon there won't be any place left to go except Alvlso. Then it'll be our turn" low. and quicksilver. Alvlso even became so well known that Richard Henry Dana mentioned It In Two Years Before The Mast. Then the noose tightened.

In 1864 the first railroad pushed south to San Jose from San Francisco, and traffic in the harbor began to decline. Another railroad looped south from Oakland: Alviso's fate was sealed. Sinee then the town has had little activity, excluding such diverge and temporary industries as dog racing and watch making, and a few other fly by night schemes. Oh. we know all tire jokes about Alvlso.

says Oliver, with a smile. I wish I had a dollar for everytlme some-one asked me why Alvlso doesn't apply Tor foreign aid It's a fact that Stanford University sends Its foreian exchange students down to Alviso regul irly. I guess it's to prove that not everyone in this rountry is roiling in 1 money. I "And the American Friends Service Committee is send log a group of youngsters to Alviso this summer to start a recreation program. Oliver moved to Alviso in 1953 simply because that's where the ship was an chored when lie bought It.

But he soon developed an affection for the town and iU people, and derided to stay. I If that seems an uneonven-, tion.il decision under the cir-! cumstanres. consider that I Oliver's life has not exactly I followed the convenional pat-I tern. I The vi irv. 48 year old boat I dweller lists among his past occupations dairy ranching.

building trailers and acting i ns civilian management planner at the Naval Air Station in Alameda during the early days of World War II. when the number of employes uinited from 800 to 30.000. Now lies a priee estimator in tire Polaris program at I-nekheed. It follows that Oliver was not about to sit on his boat and wait for Alvso to shake itself out of its seeming leth-: arp.v The result is best illus I rated by a list of the pnliti cal bodies on which he serves: City Connell. County Water Commission.

County Traffiewavs Advisory Committee. Intercity Council. And for good reason, too! Ditz-Crane takes a great deal of pride in providing homes for families who enjoy quality. Now, we feel is our finest achievement. So that you can be one of the first to see these new homes, a Sneak Preview is scheduled for this week-end.

Don't miss it! DIRECTIONS: Somerset is in the City of Cupertino on Blaney Ave. mile south of Stevens Creek Blvd. From Bayshore Treeway or El Camino Real, turn south on Hwy. 9 to Stevens Creek left on Stevens Creek Blvd. to Blaney Ave.

and right on Blaney Ave. Vi mile to Somerset. Remodel Additions Baths Finished or Unfinished Family Rooms Bedrooms Complete One Stop Service NO MONEY DOWN 100 Financing, Up To 7 Years To Pay FREE ESTIMATES N. J. ROGOFF BUIOER GENERAL CONTRACTOR MODEL HOMES OPEN DAILY FROM lO A.

M. TILL DARK EM 6-2100 534 El Camilla RadwMd City I Paste 8 -Weekend of July 1962 PENINSULA LIVING.