Mathilda Sousa remembers life in early Sunnyvale on her family’s four acre ranch, spending time with her sister doing the things she loved. “We picked prunes, and we cut apricots, and we loved it! I cannot believe every time I think of it I hear people saying how ‘we hated to pick prunes, and how we hated to cut apricots.’ And I say, ‘you know, we thought it was fun.’”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Mathilda Sousa - Memories of early Sunnyvale [8:06m]:
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In the first of two podcasts, Vince Cala recalls his time in Sunnyvale before and after World War Two. “The whole neighborhood could hear all day- the firing, and the soldiers marching back and forth. During the time that they were there, when they’d leave, we’d come down as kids and the lead would hit the targets and fall on the ground. We’d pick up the lead; we’d actually fight for the lead.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Standard Podcast [6:23m]:
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In part two of Vince Cala’s story, Vince talks about the move his family made from Sicily back in 1920 and why the orchards disappeared throughout the years.
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Vince Cala - Family and Farm Life [5:29m]:
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In this first of three podcasts, Denise and Nancy Alexander recall their impressions of Sunnyvale when they first moved here in March of 1960. “We remember Sunnyvale looking a lot different than it does today. We came here and lived in this house and my father landscaped and put in these bricks and everything. As a child here it was a lot of fun because the neighborhood ended right over here and it was just orchards. That was our playground, where the orchards were.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Sunnyvale Voices - Coming to Sunnyvale [5:37m]:
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In part two of Denise and Nancy Alexander’s story, the two recall what life was like living in downtown Sunnyvale. “Our house was the last house on the block. So it was kinda neat, we’d come out here and play baseball and everything. Beyond our house here was a cherry orchard and across the street, that was a huge field and you had to walk through the field to get to the next block over.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Sunnyvale Voices - Living in Sunnyvale [4:48m]:
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In part three of Denise and Nancy Alexander’s story, Denise explains what high school was like in Sunnyvale during the 1960’s. “Growing up in Sunnyvale, I saw a lot of changes, I’d walk home from the bus stop, and especially in my high school years, I’d get off the bus and there was another orchard being torn down, and I’d run home very sad, the whole thing was before my eyes.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Sunnyvale Voices - High School Days [5:11m]:
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A special performance of Peter and the Wolf by the Nova Vista Symphony and puppeteers Beth Nord and Anna Reznick at the Sunnyvale Public Library.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Sunnyvale Public Library. Note: Note: Viewing video from this page requires a current browser, Quicktime plugin and high-speed Internet connection. To view on Google Video, follow the sidebar link to “Video Downloads.”

Standard Podcast [25:44m]:
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Edith Drewek speaks about the changes she has witnessed since coming back to Sunnyvale. “Returning to the Sunnyvale area after being away for about thirteen years, I view both its past and present with renewed interest. I enjoy seeing the familiar Libby’s fruit can towering over Evelyn Avenue and the train tracks.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Edith Drewek - Preserving the Past [6:41m]:
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Wallace Erichsen talks about what he saw during his time working at Joshua Hendy Ironworks. “The history of the Sunnyvale plant of Joshua Hendy Ironworks represents several unique periods of development in Santa Clara Valley.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Wallace Erichsen - Working at the Hendy Ironworks [6:38m]:
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“Hi, my name is Mike Chow and I would like to tell you a little bit about my family and how difficult it was for my parents to immigrate into this country.” Mike details the difficulties his family encountered with the Chinese Exclusion Act and what it was like to grow up in Sunnyvale on a farm from the early 1950’s to the 1970’s.
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Mike Chow - Growing up Asian in Sunnyvale [7:34m]:
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Chiyo Winters recalls the terrible tornado which hit Sunnyvale on January 11, 1951. “I remember it was a very stormy morning, there was the rain, and hail, and the roar of the wind sounded just like a freight train.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Standard Podcast [4:48m]:
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“My name is Jack Perry, and my story is about the Westinghouse Plant in Sunnyvale where I worked as an engineer and manager for 35 years.” The Sunnyvale division of Westinghouse designed and built many notable one-of-a-kind products, including Wind Tunnel Compressors for the Air Force’s Arnold Air Research Center, said to have been the world’s largest rotating machines. Other unique orders ranged from telescopes for Kitt Peak Observatory to “Deepstar” submersible vehicles such as the one pictured to the left.
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Standard Podcast [9:34m]:
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“My name is Marian Hendy Rust. My father was Samuel Hendy Jr., son of Samuel Hendy Sr., who was the nephew of Joshua Hendy, the founder of Joshua Hendy Iron Works. I’d like to share with you in my own words the saga of the Hendy family.”
This story was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Standard Podcast [7:31m]:
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Betsy Carpenter is a counselor for Advance Directives at the Health Resource Center, El Camino Hospital. In this informative presentation, she explains the living will, the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, the Advance Health Care Directive and also discusses the difference between them. Betsy also shows how a well-crafted Advance Directive can help families with decision making and make things smoother for care-givers. Lastly, she discusses the Pre-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Form.

Standard Podcast [93:18m]:
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Mary Jo Ignoffo, author of Sunnyvale: From the City of Destiny to the Heart of Silicon Valley, presents an historical overview of Sunnyvale’s High-Tech Era.
This overview was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Standard Podcast [7:39m]:
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Mary Jo Ignoffo, author of Sunnyvale: From the City of Destiny to the Heart of Silicon Valley, presents an historical overview of Sunnyvale’s Defense Era.
This overview was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Standard Podcast [7:34m]:
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Mary Jo Ignoffo, author of Sunnyvale: From the City of Destiny to the Heart of Silicon Valley, presents an historical overview of Sunnyvale’s Agricultural Era.
This overview was made possible through a Library Services & Technology grant from the California State Library. The goal of the Sunnyvale Voices project was to record and provide access to the early history of Sunnyvale as told by Sunnyvale residents. A compilation video of all stories recorded for this project, titled “Sunnyvale Voices: From Settlers to Silicon,” is available for checkout in the Library collection.

Standard Podcast [7:07m]:
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Nonpartison information on ballot propositions. This November election, California voters are facing 13 statewide propositions. Avoid feeling overwhelmed with so many issues on the ballot by listening to pro and con explanations of each proposition from the League of Women Voters.

League of Women Voters [96:52m]:
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Mother Goose Storytime for infants until walking.

Mother Goose Storytime [15:58m]:
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Interviewed by City Communications Officer John Pilger, Sunnyvale Public Library Director Deborah Barrow talks about Sunnyvale’s Library of the Future. Where are we now and where do we go from here? For the very latest information on the Library of the Future project, be sure to visit libraryofthefuture.inSunnyvale.com.

Library of the Future Conversation [27:44m]:
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