May 12, 2008

Historic home tour ushers in preservation month

By Janet Duca Norton / Society Columnist

The fourth annual Stanford Historical Society House Tour showcased four vintage campus homes and gardens designed by prominent Bay Area architects. Held on April 27, the tour was both an early kickoff for Preservation Month and a fundraiser for the Historical Society's publication projects.

About 800 tourgoers, many coming from as far away as the East Bay and Marin, glimpsed early residential architecture at Stanford University in the San Juan subdivision of the campus. Constructed between 1905 and 1925, these homes were built for Stanford's earliest faculty members. Details of these homes are presented in the society's books, "Historic Houses I: Historic Houses of San Juan Hill" and "Historic Houses V," to be published in the spring of 2009.

Homeowners have maintained the original theme, but have added amenities and changes that reflect their personal interests. Tourgoers had the opportunity to meet the current owners of these homes.

Jim Lock and his partner Brian Kleis are the third owners of an Arthur Bridgeman Clark and Olive McFarland designed 1914 Tudor, a National Register of Historic Places home that Lock describes as "gracious without feeling imposing." Lock's favorite room is the light-filled dining room that he feels "captures the essence of the house." On display in the home was memorabilia from its first owner, biologist Frank McFarland, who was an organizer of the Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove.

The only major changes made to the 1905 house designed by A.B. Clark for Harris Ryan (former head of the Electrical Engineering Department), now owned by Gail Lapidus, are a cone-shaped roof, redwood walls in the family room, and the change from shingles to stucco, due to a fire.

A 1925 Mediterranean-style house designed by Charles Sumner for Rennie Wilbur Doane - an economic etomologist who was in the first graduating class and later became a professor - has been home to many Stanford economists including current owners Lawrence Goulder and Angela Riccelli.

Lastly, a 100-year-old authentically restored New England farmhouse, now owned by former Secretary of State George Shultz and his wife Charlotte, started out as a shingle-style house built for political science professor Burt Estes Howard. Tourgoers were treated to a complete tour of the three-story home and experienced Charlotte's legendary hospitality - she is Chief of Protocol for the state and San Francisco. Known for her hands-on style, she personally served lemonade while she and George greeted guests in their gorgeous garden and new pool house.

A pre-tour garden party was hosted by Candy and Bob Bowsley in their updated 1926 home on April 25. They are the second owners of the home, having purchased it from Helen Gibson, whose father built the house and where she and her husband "Hoot" Gibson raised their family.

Party guests learned how primitive life was for the first faculty members and their families when Stanford Archivist Maggie Kimball gave details about the "extended picnic" experience, meaning a life of inconveniences, including lots of dust, no roads, no lawns and having to haul drinking water in buckets from wells. Electric lights were a luxury with a large $12 monthly charge.

Tour chairwoman Susan Sweeney announced the house tour and books - part of the Historic Houses Project started by Marian Leib Adams and Therese Baker-Degler - won a prestigious 2007 Governor's Historic Preservation Award. She also saluted the sponsors, as well as pre-tour party chairwomen DeeDee Schurman and Shari Ornstein and docent chairwomen Anne O. Dauer and Gail Wooley, who recruited 100 volunteers and docents for the tour.


EAST PALO ALTO TENNIS AND TUTORING'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

A tennis drill with Stanford University tennis stars, dinner and moving speeches by participants and sponsors were highlights of the 16th annual benefit for East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring (EPATT) on April 30. The Menlo Circus Club in Atherton hosted the organization's 20th anniversary celebration. More than 300 guests saluted the collaborative efforts of the 120 Stanford student volunteer tutors, dedicated EPATT staff members, tennis program participants and parents.

"I'm continually amazed at the outpouring of community support for the EPATT program," said EPATT founder and Stanford's current director of tennis Dick Gould. "The hard work of the dinner committee and the contribution of the EPATT staff were suitably justified by the net amount raised of approximately $450,000." Once again, the Jack and Rhodine Gifford Foundation donated a matching grant of $100,000.

A part of Bay Area Youth Tennis Advantage, the EPATT program is a unique mix of one-on-one academic tutoring, and life skills and tennis instruction. It aims to improve the academic, athletic and social skills of the 108 students (representing 44 schools) who are enrolled in the year-round, four-day-a-week program at Stanford's Taube Tennis Center. Participants range in age from 6 to 18 years old, and most spend at least three years in the program.

During the benefit, Stanford Men's Tennis Team senior Phil Kao and Women's Tennis Team sophomore Lindsay Burdette demonstrated tennis drills with a group of EPATT kids. Seen applauding were Darren Nelson, Ray Purpur and Liz Ortiz of the Stanford Athletic Department, and event organizers Anne Gould and Cameron Bianchi.

Guests gained a perspective on how the program works after hearing remarks by executive director Dave Higaki and academic director and middle school group coordinator Kesha Weekes, as well as current participants.

Mikey Moreno, a second-grader at Duveneck School in Palo Alto, enthusiastically told the crowd he likes forehand the best and has dreams of becoming a soccer player. Scott Hakim, an eighth-grader at Hillview School in Menlo Park, talked about how the program has helped him deal with life-changing family tragedies. Hakim has learned people skills on the court, including the value of teamwork. Ebony Issac, a graduating senior from Eastside Prep in East Palo Alto, who will be attending Notre Dame de Namur University, overcame tremendous family problems and benefited from both the family and academic program.
Elisa Tupou, a mother of 10 children with five who've been enrolled in EPATT, recounted how the year-round program has helped her family over the past seven years.

"EPATT is part of the family," Tupou said. "The kids have the opportunity to play tennis and have maintained 3.0 grade point averages," she said, and proudly added that her oldest son is the recipient of the Andy Chase Family Foundation Scholarship at Menlo School.

First time attendees Ben and Dana Bisconti, Pat and Darla Flanagan and Matt and Katie Ferguson joined longtime supporters Jack and Rhodine Gifford, Terry and Robin Bellas, Bill and Marcia Pade, Cameron Bianchi, John and Sue Diekman, Greg and Sally Hartman, and Duke and Kendall Rohlen in applauding the speakers.

Gould announced EPATT is renewing its community presence in East Menlo Park, partnering with the Menlo Park Recreation Department on a kindergarten through sixth-grade program, which will be offered at the Onetta Harris Center.


Janet Duca Norton's society column appears every Sunday in the Daily News. Send event information to 255 Constitution Dr., Menlo Park, CA 94025 or e-mail society@paloaltodailynews.com.