Saturday, October 18, 2008
Mervyn's Demise
I drove past the Mervyn's headquarters on Foothill Boulevard in Hayward yesterday morning around 8:00 a.m. The parking lot was empty, except for a TV truck with its transmitter mast extended. I knew immediately that the local retailer was calling it quits.
I have a bit of a history with Mervyn's (apart from just buying lots of clothes there over the years). As a kid I delivered their advertising circulars for a year or so. Published every week, the ads were distinctive in that they used illustrations rather than photographs of the merchandise. I'd get a bundle of these flyers on Monday after school; I'd roll and rubber-band them, and toss them onto maybe 150 porches in my neighborhood. It was less work than a daily paper route and didn't involve collecting, so it was a great job for me. I don't remember how much I made, but I remember that it was my own money.
When I was at CSUH I did an internship in the PR office at Mervyn's headquarters, working for Lizette Weiss and Joanne Johnston, both of whom subsequently held many distinguished media relations jobs in the Bay Area. This was when Mervyn's had its headquarters in the industrial area of Hayward. It was a fun internship, and it came at a time (1983) when the company was on the move.
Another connection was made when Mervyn's moved its headquarters into the old Capwells' building in downtown Hayward. I had worked in Capwell's for a few years in college, and was glad to hear that the building would get a new life. Though I never went into the building after it became offices, I remember hearing from friends at Sunset Custom Publishing that the escalators were still in place between the two floors. Mervyn's took very good care of a signature piece of property in town, and it will be hard to find another business to take that spot.
Now the building will be vacant again, and an important local business has disappeared. The job losses are sad, of course, but sadder still to me is the idea that a retailer with deep roots here in the East Bay -- and deep personal connections -- is gone.
I have a bit of a history with Mervyn's (apart from just buying lots of clothes there over the years). As a kid I delivered their advertising circulars for a year or so. Published every week, the ads were distinctive in that they used illustrations rather than photographs of the merchandise. I'd get a bundle of these flyers on Monday after school; I'd roll and rubber-band them, and toss them onto maybe 150 porches in my neighborhood. It was less work than a daily paper route and didn't involve collecting, so it was a great job for me. I don't remember how much I made, but I remember that it was my own money.
When I was at CSUH I did an internship in the PR office at Mervyn's headquarters, working for Lizette Weiss and Joanne Johnston, both of whom subsequently held many distinguished media relations jobs in the Bay Area. This was when Mervyn's had its headquarters in the industrial area of Hayward. It was a fun internship, and it came at a time (1983) when the company was on the move.
Another connection was made when Mervyn's moved its headquarters into the old Capwells' building in downtown Hayward. I had worked in Capwell's for a few years in college, and was glad to hear that the building would get a new life. Though I never went into the building after it became offices, I remember hearing from friends at Sunset Custom Publishing that the escalators were still in place between the two floors. Mervyn's took very good care of a signature piece of property in town, and it will be hard to find another business to take that spot.
Now the building will be vacant again, and an important local business has disappeared. The job losses are sad, of course, but sadder still to me is the idea that a retailer with deep roots here in the East Bay -- and deep personal connections -- is gone.
Labels: CSUH, Hayward, jobs, people, personal history, retail, sales, work
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Douglas L. Peterson dies
I learned today on the CSUEB View that one of my CSUH professors, Douglas L. Peterson, has died.
The View article says that Prof. Peterson left CSUH in 1977, but I know I had at least one class from him in the early 1980s. I remember one episode very clearly.
I was a young and nervous underclassman, still trying to decide on a major. I had written my first paper for Prof. Peterson's class, and was surprised when he started reading the paper aloud in class one day. (He didn't say who had written it.) He read my thesis paragraph, then looked up over his half glasses and said to the class, "I don't agree with that." My heart sank a little. He read more, then gave another disapproving remark. The pattern repeated. With each of his comments, I'm sure I slumped deeper into my chair. He eventually read the entire paper, taking it apart bit by bit.
When he finished, he looked up and said (I paraphrase), "I didn't agree with much of what this writer said, but he presented his arguments well and thoughtfully. It's a well-written paper. I gave it an A."
It was there and then that I decided to be an English major. That a teacher could put aside his opinions on my ideas and judge my writing on its merits impresses me to this day. It's a goal I aspire to when I edit others.
The View article says that Prof. Peterson left CSUH in 1977, but I know I had at least one class from him in the early 1980s. I remember one episode very clearly.
I was a young and nervous underclassman, still trying to decide on a major. I had written my first paper for Prof. Peterson's class, and was surprised when he started reading the paper aloud in class one day. (He didn't say who had written it.) He read my thesis paragraph, then looked up over his half glasses and said to the class, "I don't agree with that." My heart sank a little. He read more, then gave another disapproving remark. The pattern repeated. With each of his comments, I'm sure I slumped deeper into my chair. He eventually read the entire paper, taking it apart bit by bit.
When he finished, he looked up and said (I paraphrase), "I didn't agree with much of what this writer said, but he presented his arguments well and thoughtfully. It's a well-written paper. I gave it an A."
It was there and then that I decided to be an English major. That a teacher could put aside his opinions on my ideas and judge my writing on its merits impresses me to this day. It's a goal I aspire to when I edit others.
Labels: CSUH, language, obituary, people, writing
