Local History, Good and Bad

There is a series of thin paperback history books, Images of America, that has become very popular in the past couple of years. The books, written by people familiar with the subject matter, genially examine the history of various communities through archival photographs and other documents. Each book is the equivalent of the summary of a local library's historical records department. The reach of the series, however, is impressive. I have enjoyed a volume about the founding and early development of Glendale, which includes a picture from about 1915 that, I contend, shows our then-newly-built house.

Last night at a local bookstore, I found an entire shelf dedicated to these books. Of particular interest to me was a book on the history of Cupertino, a town that has come into greater prominence since the days of my youth with the rise of Apple. What I found most interesting, however, and the fact that brought a sadistic smirk to my face, was discovering that the author was none other than Mary Lou Lyon.

(That thud you heard was my sister falling off of her chair.)

Mrs. Lyon was rumored to be a history teacher at my high school. Unfortunately, by the time we came along, she had fallen into the "showing slides of my vacation trips" phase of her career. I may be recalling this incorrectly, but I believe I remember hearing that my sister, a serious-minded student, did not take kindly to this mode of instruction, to put it mildly.

Hey Meg, you're both published now ... You should get together and chat!