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GRF Silicon Valley Notables in the News
January 31, 2007 — Former Mountain View Mayor Art Takahara turned some heads last Wednesday at the Glaucoma Research Foundation’s “Speeding the Cure, Spreading the Word” benefit at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.
The normally straitlaced Takahara grabbed the microphone and belted out a roaring rendition of the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace,” with Sunnyvale’s Valley Chorale singing back-up. The crowd of 250 readily joined in for the singing and fundraising, bringing in $125,000 for the cause.
Takahara, who has glaucoma, is also spearheading the launch of a Silicon Valley chapter of the foundation, whose “Catalyst for a Cure” research [received major startup funding from] San Jose’s Kirsch Foundation.
Given the number of other Silicon Valley folks who played a part at the event, a local chapter sounds like a winning idea.
During the evening, foundation president Tom Brunner of Los Altos Hills presented the President’s Award to Alan Fleishman of San Carlos, who is donating his strategic planning talents to help the foundation develop a long-range plan. Woodside’s Andi Mallinckrodt, a well-known volunteer for Peninsula causes, helped plan the event, and Silicon Valley developer John Vidovich and his wife Lydia sponsored a table.
Source: Article by Sal Pizarro, Mercury News. Mr. Pizarro writes about Silicon Valley for the Mercury News.