Published in the Sept. 2-15, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
Maria Skoczylas
Morgan Hill resident Maria Skoczylas will be sitting in the gallery of the House of Representatives the morning of Sept. 24 when Pope Francis speaks to a special joint session of Congress. And she credits a senior profile story about her work at the Gilroy Compassion Center published in the Feb. 4 issue of Morgan Hill Life for helping her.
When she heard the pope would be coming to the United States, she started writing letters to various elected officials including President Obama, Vice-President Biden, as well as Catholic priests.
“My letter was very simple. I said it would be the greatest joy of my life,” she told us. “And I did get letters from clergy, and they said it was impossible.”
But “miracles” can happen with persistence, she said. Aug. 20 she was surprised to get a call from Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s Washington, D.C., office. She learned from a staff member that Lofgren was inviting her to be her special guest at the Sept. 24 congressional meeting with Pope Francis.
“I got it because when I wrote all those letters, I included the article you wrote about my work with the homeless. I want to thank you because I was sure that (Morgan Hill Life story) was instrumental. I’m going to be 90 soon and I think this is going to be a milestone in my life.”
Skoczylas will also make a return trip to Washington, D.C. She recently learned she is going to receive the Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership given by the NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit group.
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Dennis Kennedy
Morgan Hill’s Aquatics Center might soon be renamed the Dennis Kennedy Aquatics Center. We at Morgan Hill Life think that’s a wonderful idea. Kennedy, a Morgan Hill council member and mayor for many years, was instrumental in the construction of many of Morgan Hill’s recreation facilities including the Aquatics Center which opened 10 years ago.
One hiccup is that city policy currently does not allow city facilities to be named after people currently serving in any elected office, and Kennedy is now a board member of the Santa Clara Valley Water District board. At the Sept. 2 city council meeting, an agenda item will be included to clarify and change the policy to require one year away from “elected city office” before a renaming of a public facility for an individual. If that policy change takes place, Mayor Steve Tate will introduce an agenda item at the Sept. 16 council meeting to rename the Aquatics Center to honor Kennedy. Kennedy now has a serious illness, a reason residents who know him have asked for the renaming.
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The bacon has landed — and it landed on a Morgan Hill hillside. Ryan Sebastian, founder of the Moveable Feast food truck culinary event, dreamed up a when-pigs-fly stunt to promote the Bacon Festival of America Sept. 5 and 6 in San Jose’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Sebastian’s crew launched into the air from Cupertino’s Monta Vista Park a helium balloon attached to a box of bacon. Called “BaconInSpace,” the short aerial flight across South Bay air space got a lot of social media response.
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Local Army vet John Cary, has found a new home at the Morgan Hill Apartments. After living on city streets for a while, Cary and his cat Sunrise now have a one-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen. It’s thanks to Julie Dieterly and the community which raised the needed funds to get him into the Morgan Hill Apartments on Monterey Road. He wanted us to let Morgan Hill Life readers know that he appreciates their help. However, his dilemma now is how to pay for this utility bills, bus pass and nonperishable food items. If you would like to help, contact Dieterly at (408) 242-6984 or email [email protected].
