Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 34

2 LOCAL THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE SUNDAY June 27 2004 Pardee Home will feature old Independence Day picnic I YOU come in period attire it will be $2 off the admission price for the upcoming ourth of July i Picnic event at the historic i Pardee Home Museum in downtown Oakland blankets to spread out in the back garden we will have tasty picnic fare items for purchase" says museum di rector David Nicolai who I plans to spend the day strol ling the grounds as George Pardee" Others in his party that day will be his Helen and their four daughters along with their beloved governess Etta" spinster sister who lived in the house I with the family and looked after the children and their lively menagerie of pets in eluding a dog a cat a pony a cow and a goat say library his tory room files) are looking forward to showing off our newly painted house exterior" says Nicolai the newly completed phase two portion of our gar dens i The event received a dona tlon from Signature Properties of Walnut Creek developers of i Landmark Place a 99 unit jWI Annatee ALLEN LANDMARKS townhome complex next door to the Pardee museum "We used the funds to ini tiate a complete weatheriza tion and repainting of the house starting with bringing in a paint consultant to advise us on a new paint color says Nicolai asked Blair Prentice who had previously created a paint palette for the houses in nearby Preservation Park as well as the colors for Land mark Place We asked him to come up with hues befitting a and dignified' Italia nate villa board of trustees de cided to go with colors appro priate for the era (the house was built in 1868 making it one of the oldest structures still standing in the East Bay) as opposed to a strictly histor ically accurate treatment that would have been based on sci entific analysis received approvals from the city's Landmarks Board to go forward with a four color plan focusing on a creamy yellow for the body of the house and gray tan and cranberry as trim colors large scale project took over 4 months tb com plete The scaffolding came down shortly after New this year were very pleased with the painstaking work of our' contractor Gustavo Caldarelli of Victorian Restorations in San Rafael who specializes in painting the sizable Victorian houses of Alameda and the City and so had the experience to take on our project or our gardens restora tion we are working with PGA Inc landscape archi tects and the East Bay Munic ipal Utility District to establish a period garden with state of the art irrigation We approached EBMUD to help us because George Pardee served for many years as Pres ident of the Board (following his term as California gov ernorTrom 1903 to 1907) Later next year when we have completed phase 3 we plan to work with EBMUD to promote the Pardee garden as a demonstration garden so visitors can learn appropriate methods to install irrigation when renovating their prop erty The Pardee's infdrmatiye Web site wwwpardeeho meorg recounts the history of the landmark built by George's father Enoch a Gold Rush participant who opened a medical practice in San rancisco as an eye doctor After establishing his gracious home in the East Bay suburb of Oakland with its balmy climate and newly laid out streets and boulevards Enoch served terms as mayor of Oakland state assem blyman and state senator during the 1870s and 1880s Enoch's only son George followed in his father's foot steps also becoming an eye doctor and serving as mayor of Oakland before moving up to theovernorship in 1903 George is often referred to as the earthquake governor'' for his leadership abilities fol lowing the 1906 earthquake and fire He was also a co founder in the launching of the Pro gressive Party in California our records show he consid ered Theodore Roosevelt a close political ally and he was an avid conservationist says Nicolai On Sunday we are selling replicas of campaign "buttons that say Californians for Roosevelt in 04 to com memorate the presidential race of that summer one hun dred years ago According to the Web site George's wife Helen was a most prodigious collector for her day She accumulated many thousands of objects from all corners of the word from scrimshaw from Alaska to tobacco pipes from the Phil ippines and altarpieces from China' Mrs Pardee was a renowned hostess who loved to give formal house tours with an emphasis on her prized collections a tradition which lives on As we continue the task of accessioning and cataloging the fascinating contents of this house we recently verified a rare oil portrait of General Winfield Scott who figured prominently during the Mex ican American War of 1848 and served at the Presidio in San rancisco It will 'soon be going out on long term loan for display at the Officer's Headquarters over there said Trustee Chairman Stan Stiddam (whose family mem bers were close friends of the Pardee family) There will be Informal tours of the house during the after noon and live music with an appropriate patriotic theme? promises Nicolai The hours for the picnic with live music are from noon to 4 pm and a donation of $5 for visitors over 6 years old is requested The Carriage House entrance is on 12th Street between Jefferson and Castro streets Call 444 2 187 to make a reservation All proceeds will go towards the ongoing restoration of this Bay Area and California land mark The Pardee Home Museum is featured on Oakland Tours Program summer walking tours See wwwoakland netcomwalklngtours for a complete listing of the free tours or call the tours hotline 238 3234 Victim sues Alameda Latina activist looks back at her longlife SUIT from Local 1 EARLY from Local 1 ANIMAL THOUGHTS Married in 1928 STEREOTYPES ROM PLEASE SELL THESE PRODUCTS 4 WEunmvanii or homo dallvory call 47 7323V O48 53 7 then they would put an on the lemon meringues an on the maple and that's what I she said was Telecom employees did not do the Job that they were there to do" Broilet said in a statement Alameda deputy city at torney Donna Mooney said the city disputes liability was an absolutely tragic accident and our hearts go out to Mr McGee and his family and i Mooney said re uemni LEMDM ceived the lawsuit yet and our policy is not to details of litigation in pro cess" McGee was burned over 20 percent of his body and went about 25 minutes without oxygen to his brain: leaving him with neurological problems including little short term memory his fa ther said McGee also lost his left arm right leg below the knee and left foot toes Velasco in 1928 had two daugh ters and after 20 years of dip ping chocolate decided to open a restaurant with her husband Chapala on 7th Street was a hit a popular place for Mexican servicemen and shipyard workers to gather the early years a lot of men came here ahead of their families Just like today They ended up congregating at certain restaurants so they could have their meals there daily" said Jose Arredondo director of the Spanish Speaking Citizens oundation mother also had a restaurant nearby and they were friends" Velasco said she would al ways let new arrivals use thephone to call family in Mexico before they had received their first pay checks She is modest about her cooking though "I really know how to cook Just a few things my mother knew" said Velasco who nonetheless had a reputa tlon for wonderful enchiladas and chllaquiles would come looking for a Mexican res taurant we were one of the only ones in the area Even non La tlnos loved it and everyone started to come in" "Every gun that is made every warship launched every rocket fired signifies in the final sense a theft trom those who hunger and are not fed those who are cold and are not clothed" team President Dwight I)' Eisenhower A project of Action for Animals PO Box 20184 Oakland GA 94620 mail Responses welcome! Whether you just want a weekend getaway or you want to get far far away the travel section is your destination of choice every Sunday Great Escapes Sad years But her husband did not want to be in the restaurant business and they shut Chapala took six months to Oakland felt far removed from her childhood in Yahuica Jalisco but Velasco was tena cious She also had a generous heart and could never resist helping others "A lot of sad things happened to me but I dwell on the she said just like to help people and I always like fl estas" ADULT EDUCATIONAL TECH Licensed amily Daycare 013417353 NOW ENROLLING Daycare for children aqes 0 8 years old Monday Saturday Evening and Night Hours available Respite care also available upon request 7 Also serving developmentally disabled children 7227Weld Street Oakland CA 94621 (510) 638 1750 (510) 568 7238 NAPA NAPOLI after Just a few years The couple briefly opened a florist shop on Grand Avenue but soon life took a very sad turn Her husband contracted tu berculosis on a trip to Mexico and when he returned unknow ingly infected their 16 year old daughter Josephine They both died within a few weeks of each other in 1945 Lopez said Ve lasco was left alone with her 12 year old Rosita was a really bad time for her and she like to talk about it" Lopez said losis isn something people talked about then" She married Salvador Ruiz Once again though Velasco persevered She opened a news? restaurant The Enchilada Shop which proved even more popular than Chapala Even the Mexican superstar performer Pedro Infante was said to fre quent it when he was in town By then 7th Street was a bustling commercial district with a mixture of Mexican and African American businesses The Enchilada Shop became a popular hangout for City Hall of ficials whom Velasco be friended Velasco also developed a re latlonship with the police espe daily African American officers like Odell Sylvester who walked the beat in the neighborhood and went on to become tserke first black police chief in 1977 Lopez said started to call her mama because she was so good to them" she said would al ways give them free lunches and dinners and they would watch out for her because she worked such long hours and was by her Others however took advan tage of her generosity Lopez re members a dishwasher who took off with all the money her grandmother had saved were things that hap pened to her because of gener osity But she never let it stop her" Lopez said A group of fellow Mexican im migrants were meeting at nearby St Church talking about how to improve the neighbor hood Velasco invited them over to the restaurant and also got involved Most of the early work cen tered on helping new arrivals adjust find work and get their citizenship Velasco said By the 1950s however West Oakland was changing Arre dondo says he remembers the tearing up of the old Key System tracks and the construction of the freeway The Latino commu nity was displaced and moved east to ruitvale St Elizabeth's Church be came a focal point for the neigh borhood and its social and cultural organizations During the activism of the 1960s the Unity Council was formed Joining together several separate groups During its early days Velasco said she worked often with Ar abella Martinez one of the coun founders and current chief executive Martinez always brought the New York funders to Velasco house for enchiladas never had any money In the beginning I would sell en chiladas in the park to buy sta she said 1 look at the new ($100 million transit village) I believe all been done" i As a young woman Velasco remembers organizing a pageant considered a skilled trade and oi Mexican aance ana music to i show off her culture That be came a lifelong passion and she organized and danced in nu I merous cultural events over the years Velasco is dancing still At her birthday party in May Ve lasco a petite woman who gets around with only a cane and whose only medication is a dally pill to treat high blood pressure danced and danced until her relatives got so worried they asked her to sit down ull of spirit 1 A few weeks later she I donned a black sequined outfit and swayed to the rhythms of a blues band at a City Hall cere i mony to honor her and several other seniors who have contrib uted to the community Even the spirited Velasco ad mlts that she felt a bit bushed 1 afterwards I "I get tired when I do things I'm not supposed to do but i most of the time 1 feel very i she said seated on an 1 antique sofa in her immaculate I apartment at the Posada de Col ores senior housing complex in the ruitvale She has lived there since the mid 1970s and her daughter Rosita Sanchez I lives three floors up supposed to have a heart condition but I haveany pain" The City Hall ceremony was one of several recent honors for Velasco The Unity Council will soon open a new building Casa i Velasco bearing her name and she was also featured in a book I by the Latino History Project in partnership with the Oakland Museum good she is getting to see some of these things while she is I still alive because 1 think all coming together for her" said Josie Lopez Velasco grana daughter I detailed memories go back to the days when there was no barrio in Oakland She remembers Greek and Italian businesses along 7th Street and since she had learned English in El Paso she often translated for her mother The family rented a house for $12 a month on Cedar Street and Velasco took a Job in a can nery at first She then went to i work at a candy factory in San I rancisco commuting by ferry and then Alameda 7181 A I I II'HI I III I I III S'CAXJb iyjLlJl Ju! JL 17 JL i i au lIJk Ml' iirag ilia ttkki IWfc bf ltlR VIIMWJHBt mm UJY4U1U HlhRSH 71 JTAllUM'M' i 1 I I zrTMrf'i 9 B')REO1 JR uKf 'MB uJD KHOBBMBBBBEirfdBMBIMHBKEHBOHHMHBEiMMRKRMLJBI i 1 io.