Thousands of firefighters will continue battling to save people and homes from wildfires throughout Northern California on Wednesday, the day that retired San Jose Fire Capt. Sam Seibert — believed to be the oldest living member of their ranks — turns 101.
For his 100th, Seibert was the guest of honor at a big shindig at the San Jose Fire Museum, housed at the old Fire Station No. 1 on Market Street — which was the city’s modern firehouse when Seibert opened it in 1951. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, this year will be more subdued: Seibert is expected to celebrate with his grandson and his caregivers — and hopefully someone remembers to get his favorite chocolate cake.
Plans have been made for a vehicle parade on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. in front of the museum, where Seibert will be stationed under some shade. San Jose Fire Museum President John McMillan has been working to get the word out about the parade to retired and active fire personnel — though the active guys may still be considerably busy this weekend. Museum volunteers will be on hand to help guide vehicles in and out to present their birthday wishes from a safe distance.
The Fire Museum, which is still working on getting open to the public, got quite a gift in Seibert’s honor last month: A $10,000 donation that included a note saying it was to buy the candles on Sam’s birthday cake.
PARADE STALLS OUT: One car parade that won’t be happening this weekend is the Hot San Jose Nights 19-mile cruise that was planned for Saturday. Organizer Mike Hennessy regrets pulling the plug but says he hopes it can happen when restrictions aren’t as tight as they are now. Given the air quality that may be around in the Los Gatos/Saratoga area where they were planning to ride this weekend, that was probably a good call.
SIDE OF RELIEF: Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta on Stevens Creek Boulevard moved quickly to provide pizza dinners for older residents and vulnerable folks who were staying at home during the early weeks of the shelter-in-place order. But now Diana and Al Vallorz have pivoted to providing pasta dinners to people who have been forced to leave their homes in the wildfire evacuation zones. Families in need — or firefighters and EMTs working the frontlines — can call the eatery at 408-246-4605 after 10 a.m. to order a dinner of pasta, salad and garlic bread for pickup at the Winchester Shopping Center between 5 and 5:30 p.m.
AMAZING STORIES: Each year, the prestigious Davidson Fellows Scholarship Program recognizes 20 students nationwide for their achievements — and two of this year’s honorees are from Los Altos. Jack Albright and Anushka Sanyal, both 16, will each receive $10,000 scholarship for their separate projects that focused on Alzheimer’s disease.
Albright, who attends the Nueva School in Hillborough, developed a machine learning model capable of predicting future Alzheimer’s diagnoses after his grandmother was diagnosed with the condition in 2017. The work by Sanyal, a senior at Homestead High in Cupertino, identifies a new pathway in the brain through which neurons send signals that could be used to develop new therapies for Alzheimer’s.
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship program rewards the work of students that has the potential to help society in the STEM fields, as well as literature and music. You can read a lot more about all of this year’s honorees and their work at www.davidsongifted.org/fellows-scholarship.