West End Fan


    How thrilled I was with the latest issue of Alameda Magazine. I was born and raised on the West End of Alameda over 80 years ago, and the article about the “Reinvention of Webster Street” was exciting.
    I had just been to see the movie “Aviator,” and the pages telling of the history of aviation in Alameda brought back some pleasant memories of my childhood. I was one of the people who would go to the airport to watch the planes come in. My first plane ride was on the Lady Leatherneck while in the Marine Corps in 1944.
    My nephew, Dr. Ted Mihok, sent me a subscription about two years ago, and though I don’t recognize many people, articles such as these have been fun to read. Keep up the good work on this slick magazine.
Bettie Pruden Lerdall
Mesa, Arizona

Great Expectations


    As a resident and homeowner at Park Webster Condominiums, I had some expectations as to the definition of the “Reinvention of Webster Street” in the January/February 2005 issue. I found none.
    The destruction of the beautiful, old trees—some of which were a roost to hundreds of small birds—and the absolute mess of ripped-up sidewalk are hurting an already struggling small-business community. What are the improvements? How is this going to rejuvenate our neighborhood? How much of our tax dollars are being wasted on this utter nonsense?
    How many years will it take for these small trees to reach the beauty of what we had before? How many months or years will it take to make up the losses by the stores and restaurants? What were they thinking at City Hall?
Peter Nevada
Alameda

Factual Error


    Contributing writer Michael Duca wrote a nice article, “Proud Pioneer in Aviation,” about Alameda’s aviation heritage in the January/February 2005 issue. I found it very interesting and enjoyable, but I also found a significant factual error.
    He states that famous aviator James H. Doolittle “launched onto his historic mission from the deck of the USS Hornet, which is permanently anchored in Alameda.”
    Doolittle actually launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo from the first aircraft carrier Hornet, CV-8, in April 1942. CV-8 was a Yorktown class carrier, launched in December 1940, and sunk in 1942 in the Battle of Santa Cruz. The aircraft carrier anchored in Alameda today is the second aircraft carrier Hornet, CV-12, an Essex class carrier, launched in August 1943, originally named Kearsarge but renamed in honor of the first carrier Hornet, CV-8, after its sinking in the Pacific.
    You can find this information in “Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present, An Illustrated Encyclopedia,” by Roger Chesneau and published by the Naval Institute Press.
James S. Maclean
Alameda

Major Compliment


    I wanted to take this opportunity to drop you a note to thank you for the article, “Major Milestones” featured in the December 2004 issue. I felt, even though a participant in the article, that it was extremely well-done and presented to the public a side of gay life that has long been misunderstood or gone unrecognized in Alameda. I feel that Mary Eisenhart did a fabulous job of presenting gay people for just what they are—productive, caring and giving individuals, couples and families who are contributing daily to make Alameda a better community for everyone.
    People cherish and proudly point to the diversity of our neighborhoods and businesses in Alameda, claiming that that is what makes Alameda such a special and wonderful place to live. Perhaps this article will help people realize that diversity of our citizens helps create just that.
Mark Sorensen
Alameda

Holiday Traditions


    As an annual holiday visitor to Alameda from Oregon, I look forward to all the holiday delights that Alameda has to offer: the decorated Victorians, the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, The Nutcracker and Christmas Tree Lane. One more small gem that should be added to anyone’s list is the main window at Pagano’s Hardware Store. This year it involved two life-size mannequins toasting each other while a TV in the corner showed constant static. The real action took place below the floor, where a whole society of mice was busy. A trapdoor in the floor led to a moving conveyor belt with Lucy- and Ethel-style mice processing bits of cheese pilfered from the goings-on upstairs. There was even an outdoor mouse scene complete with a pond.
    This is definitely a place to take the kids, although my husband and I stood there for quite a while marveling. And for me, that’s a real find during the holidays—an unexpected little piece of effort in an unlikely place. Thank you, Pagano’s.
JoAnn Hoeber
Gold Hill, Ore.