Community

More than 200 people attended the 46th annual Founders Day Dinner, one of Morgan Hill’s favorite long-time traditions that celebrates the city’s first residents.The Founders Day Dinner was first organized by the city, then it was taken over by the Chamber of Commerce several years later, and in recent years has been organized by the Morgan Hill Historical Society. This year’s dinner was held Sept. 19 at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.“The purpose is to honor long-term residents in the community who have made contributions to make Morgan Hill what it is today,” said MHHS President Kathy Sullivan. “In terms of longevity, they’ve all made a difference in the community.”Specifically, the MHHS annually invites residents who have lived in Morgan Hill for 50 years or longer to the dinner. As part of the tradition, those who have lived here for at least 70 years enjoy a complimentary dinner at the ceremony, Sullivan added.Among the festivities Sept. 19 was a video produced by MHHS that highlighted six of Morgan Hill’s long-term residents:Vic Locarnini, 93, is a former rancher. When his family’s farming operation was split down the middle by the construction of U.S. 101, Lacarnini took a job with the U.S. Postal Service delivering mail, which allowed him to see his friends and neighbors every day.Gladys Payne Martin, 93, was born and raised in the house that still stands at the corner of Diana Avenue and Butterfield Boulevard, behind Frank’s Plumbing.Elena Oberg Moreno, 93, is the widow of Morgan Hill’s first chief of police, John Moreno. She is a former kindergarten teacher, and her family had a prune ranch in Morgan Hill.Peter Musachia, 93, is also the son of a farming family who owned vineyards and made wine during Prohibition. He quit school in eighth grade and worked on the family’s farm.Paul Ward, 92, also grew with a farming family. The Ward ranch was located on Oak Glen Avenue, and his grandparents built the house he grew up in, which still stands in west Morgan Hill.Maxine Ryser Edes, 92, was a hair dresser who ran her own beauty shops in town. Her family founded the Morgan Hill Times.DVD copies of the video are available at the MHHS museum for $25, and the price goes to pay for the production of the video, Sullivan said. The museum is located at the Villa Mira Monte house, 17860 Monterey Road.The MHHS keeps a running list of the city’s long-term residents, and Sullivan said anyone who has lived in Morgan Hill for more than 50 years and is not on the list can contact the society at (408) 779-5755.

Jerry Neumayer, a captain with the MHPD, became the local department's first officer in more than 20 years to complete the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy in Quantico, Va.Police chief David Swing said Neumayer gained valuable knowledge that will assist in local law enforcement and public safety efforts.Neumayer, 43, spent 10 weeks training and networking at the 261st session of the law enforcement training academy. The National Academy offers advanced communication, leadership and fitness training academy for selected officers, Swing said.Neumayer’s class at the “internationally known” academy consisted of men and women from 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 23 foreign countries, five military organizations and five federal civilian organizations, Swing said.“The completion of the National Academy is a testament to the dedication Jerry has to the department and community,” said Swing. “Being away from family for 10 weeks is tremendous sacrifice, but I know it is an experience he will cherish for some time.”Neumayer, a 17-year veteran of MHPD and a longtime Morgan Hill resident, has served the community as a coach and board member for local sports organizations. He has been in his current role as MHPD Captain for four years.Neumayer said he has no plans to leave the local department; rather, he is eager to apply his latest training to his career in Morgan Hill. At the FBI National Academy, Neumayer established a new network of law enforcement leaders from around the world. He also completed advanced fitness training that could help prevent injuries on the job.“I am grateful to the department to provide this once-in-a-lifetime training opportunity, and I look forward to applying what I have learned to help improve how we serve the community,” Neumayer said.

A quiet, likable and athletic young Morgan Hill teen is in a coma suffering from a mysterious illness characterized by a low white blood cell count, while his family and friends eagerly await his return to health.

Brew Crawl tickets on sale

With a targeted opening date of January 2016, Morgan Hill’s newest hotel, La Quinta Inn & Suites, hopes to kick off its operations a couple weeks before Super Bowl 50 and thousands of ravenous football fans touch down in the Bay Area.

Neighborhood Clean-up Day, conducted by GreenWaste Recovery in cooperation with the County of Santa Clara, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sept. 19 in San Martin.

Standing at more than 14,500 feet in elevation atop Mount Whitney with his father and uncle, 10-year-old Morgan Hill student Neil Shah gazed down upon the picturesque, mountainous terrain of Sequoia National Park.

After watching multiple sclerosis strip her uncle of his independence, going from walking and driving alone to using a wheelchair and being bedridden, Gilroy High School junior Allison Jordan is raising money to cure the disease.

PG&E will host a series of open house meetings in South County to inform residents and answer questions about the proposed “South County Power Connect” expansion of its power grid—a project that includes a new substation in southern Santa Clara County.The project is in its early planning and outreach stages, according to PG&E spokeswoman Mayra Tostado. The utility company hopes to gain approval for the expansion from the California Public Utilities Commission by 2019, after which construction will begin.Not only does PG&E plan to build a new electricity substation, the utility company proposes two new transmission lines to connect the substation to the power grid. It also intends to upgrade existing lines in the area.PG&E has not identified a preferred location for the new substation, Tostado said. Site selection will be part of the planning stages that will continue over the next three years. The CPUC, which has sole jurisdiction in California over the siting of transmission lines and substation projects, will decide the final location and route following a review process that provides numerous opportunities for public input and an environmental study.The company says the system expansion and upgrades will improve efficiency, reliability and safety of electrical service for 43,000 customers in South County.“South County Power Connect is a key component of our efforts to help meet the needs of the region’s residents and support continued economic growth in the region,” reads a statement from PG&E. “The region’s rapid growth has driven the need for new investments in the electric system. The power grid in this area does not have the capability to reliably serve the significant growth that is projected over the next 10 years.”The electricity provider cited the growth of the wine and agricultural industries in the region as contributors to the need for utility improvements.The open house meetings will take place at the following times and locations in South County:• 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 22, at the Wings of History Museum clubhouse, 12777 Murphy Ave., San Martin;• 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24, at Las Animas Veterans Park Recreation building, 400 Mantelli Drive, Gilroy;• 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28, at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, El Toro Room, 17000 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill.

Nearly 2,000 people and 150 classic vehicles were in downtown Morgan Hill Sept. 13 for the fourth annual British Fall Classic, a car show that celebrates automotive feats from across the pond and raises money for charity.Jaguars, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, a Lagonda worth more than $1 million and even a London taxi were on display during Sunday’s public viewing of the two-day car show.“We had some beautiful cars,” said Bill Hiland, owner of On The Road Again Classics in Morgan Hill, one of the sponsors of the event. “It’s fun, and everybody has a good time.”The classic started Saturday, when about 60 cars and their drivers (as well as some passengers) embarked on a 60-mile tour through South County’s back roads to Kirigin Cellars winery in Gilroy. The tour ended at Hiland’s shop on Joleen Way with a wine reception for car show entrants.Then on Sunday was the public viewing of the classics, which drew 150 vehicles and between 1,500 and 2,000 spectators, Hiland said.Hiland estimated the Fall Classic raised about $7,500 for Community Solutions, a local nonprofit that provides services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.Also sponsoring the event were Ladera Grill restaurant, Heritage Bank and Ebay. Guglielmo Winery provided wine for the event.