Virginia Street Project

Halloween party, Ginny Cutler, ??, Nikki Chrisman, me

Mark, Jeremy, Charity and Natalia at the same party

Stockton Ave, where VSP use to be

in front of DTMHC Me, Ginny, Karen Wrinkle, Dr. K, Nikke, ??,Alexis Horozon, Kelly Laur, ??, Gary Goldberg, Art Lhowe

employee of the month VSP

VSP and board of supervisors (Ron Gonzalez, Rod Diridon, Mike Honda)

When I started working for Santa Clara County, I worked for Virginia Street Project, an intensive case management program.  The idea behind the program was to work intensively with mentally ill clients who had been in the hospital multiple times.  There was a reserch project comparing this project to other case management programs Community 'Companions and Downtown Mental Health.  The research provided evidence the intensive program kept people out of the hospital, and saved the county money in the long run.  However it was a very intensive project, with and average of 15 clients per worker. We had psych techs and occupational therapist, in addition clinicians and psychiatrist.

When I started with the county, we were located on Stockton Ave.  They had been on Virginia Street before this.  After about six months we moved to the Downtown Mental Health, as security was a problem.  It was a warehouse, with no rear exit. 

As a result we were given more and more cases.  The developer of the model visited with us, and was saddened that his model was almost non-existent.  Virginia Street Project was folded into Downtown Mental Health as part of a reorganization process. 

Our boss, who was very much invested in the project, passed away shortly before the program folded.  She had a relapse of cancer and didn't survive.  Kelly Laur and I sang at her funeral.

As a side note, Kelly signed for my hours when I got my clinical liscensure.  Nikke had been my supervisor, but as she passed away, was unable to sign.

My Dad, the Scoutmaster.

This is the sleeve from my dad's scout uniform when he was the scoutmaster in Carbondale, Ill.  We had some pretty good times.  I was actually in two scout groups at the same time; Blazer Scouts and the regular troop.  We had a total of 10 boys in the regular troop.  At scout camp we were the only troop with just one patrol.  We did a week long summer camp, but were the most unprepared scouts in the world.  We forgot matches, so had to keep the fire going just enough all night so it would lite in the morning from the embers.  My dad couldn't get off work some of the days, so we were on our own during the day.  That was usually OK because we were very busy.  However one day a couple of the boys got into a fight.  It was pretty touch and go for a time.  Someone from the camp office visited us that day.  

We would hold our regular meetings in the primary room at our church.  It was a small church which didn't have a gym like some churches have. 

The set up was to my benefit.  I was able to get my basic scout requirements done in the Blazer patrol.  While in the regular troop I completed four required merit badges; two at summer camp--swimming and conservation of natural resources.  We also finished personal fitness and first aid.  There were members of the branch that taught these two courses.

The Wardles and the Neuberts Visit Steve Young

Some time ago, when the Neuberts were still living in the ward (maybe 15 years ago) we were invited to San Francisco 49ers training facility and to meet Steve Young.  Marie Neubert called Sheri wit the invite.  Bryce Neubert, Marie's brother-in-law is a singer and personality in Utah and the Mormon community.  At the time they were putting together an infomercial, informative video, with regards to a group home program out of Utah, and Steve Young was going to be a personality on the program.  They needed children, with whom Steve Young could interact.  We were asked to bring whatever sports equipment we could find.
I found a Denver Broncos football, a soccer ball, and I think another football, but smaller.  We were informed that Steve had sustained a groin injury in the game the previous day, and we weren't to bug him about getting his autograph or such stuff.  Steve rejected the Bronco football, but started kicking the soccer ball to the kids.  My boys, enjoyed this part.  They were big into soccer. 
He then took the other football and started tossing it to the kids.  He tossed a pass to Natalia, who was never my most coordinated child.  However she focused, and actually caught the ball.  She did not catch it in the most graceful manner, as she made an ice cream cone catch, only grabbing the football by its end, with a lot of the ball showing.  But she was very proud of herself. I was proud of her too.
Always since, we have been able to say, Natalia caught a Steve Young pass.  His part with the kids did not last long, and they had gotten all the film they needed.  Bryce then interviewed Steve Young on some bleachers apart from the rest of us, and it was pretty much done.

49er training facility from the ACE Train

I could not tell you the name of the group home, nor did I ever see the finished video.  I don't know if the finished product included Natalia's catch.  But that catch is imprinted in my brain, and I can play it back when I need a smile.

The Condescension of God: My Music

I wrote this song as part of composing around 1 Nephi chapter 11.  This is a song celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Corsi Family

Going through old photos and if I'm not mistaken this is Lilly, Ricky, Ita and Teresa Corsi from J.C. Paz.  They have been good friends through the years, although I haven't written as often as I should have.  Lucy, their older sister lives in the Orem area now.  She and her husband came to visit us in San Jose a few years back before they had moved here.
OK, as per Lucy, this is oldest to youngest, Ita, Ricky Tracy and David.  This would have been taken after my mission as Tracy was the baby when I was there.  The two older sisters, Lucy and Lilly are not in the picture.  David is Lucy's oldest.

World Cup Soccer, 1978, Argentina Campeon

1978 marked a big event for Argentina.  The World Cup soccer tournament was to be held there.  As the host team, Argentina was an automatic qualifier.  The cancha (field) for River was remodeled and became the central stadium.  We went past the stadium on a p-day.  It is in Palermo Park.  It is a big beautiful stadium.

It was difficult to do missionary work when Argentina played so we were instructed to watch the game with someone, preferably a nonmember, and if this wasn’t possible, then a member family.  Everyone  in the the country was excited.  I discovered there were many futbol fans. We went by the home of a good sister, who taught English lessons.  When we got there she was so excited that the keeper for Argentina had stopped a penalty kick.  “Lo atajo,” she exclaimed with excitement, "lo atajo!”

Argentina qualified second in their group, losing to Italy.  Argentina was lead by Luque and Kempes up front.  Ardiles in midfield (who later played in the Stallone movie, “Victory,”) and Fillol at keeper.  Kempes became the leading goal scorer for the tournament.

In the semifinal round Argentina beat Poland and then drew to a scoreless draw with Brazil.  In the last match of the round, Argentina had a four goal disadvantage  against Brazil which had beaten Peru and Poland.  Argentina beat Peru in the final match by a score of 6-0, qualifying ahead of Brazil and putting themselves into the championship match against Holland. 

Argentina scored first, but their goal was matched by Holland.  It wasn't until overtime that Argentina broke through for a couple goals.  Kempes had two goals in this match.  It was Argentina's first World Cup championship.  It was before the Maradona years.  They had a well-rounded team, which relied on two strikers, Luque and Kempes, but most importantly had to control the midfield to be good. 

I have a couple books about this world cup.  "Como Ganamos La Cop Del Mundo" (How We Won the World Cup) by Cesar Menotti who was the coach for the Argentine side.  It is mostly a photographic essay.  The other is in German, I think, "Argentinien: Fussball Welt Meisterschaft 1978.  It has a game by game photographic essay.  It also has pictures of all the teams.  I am sure it has fascinating stories, but I don't know the language. 

During the world cup, my companion and I lived in Don Torcuato,  Hindu Club, which is in Don Torcuato, was the home station for the Italian team.  We often saw their bus going up and down the street, and there was lots of security involved.  It was a fun and exciting time.  After Argentina won the championship, I don't think anyone went to work the next day.  It was declared a holiday.  People crowded the plaza downtown around the Obelisquo, and had an impromptu party.

Argentina: Dr. Santillan, Los Desaparecidos

When I served my mission in Argentina, it was ruled by the Military Government.  The government placed too much emphasis on rooting out opposition, communist, etc.  Often this included a broad sweep of families who might be in the wrong business.  For example a family had to leave as they taught the illiterate how to read.  Somehow the government decided everyone in this business was a bad influence.  The sister of a member, Hermana Bonavena, of the branch in Don Torcuato, where I served, had to flee the country because they were in this business.  They were able to flee to Spain, but their house was taken by a military family.

Dr. Santillan lived and had an office at Kilometro 26.  There was a train station here, and if you climbed a bunch of stairs from the train station you came to the road were the bus passed.  It was one station closer to the Capital, Buenos Aires, than Don Torcuato where we lived.  However our area covered both stations.  One day there was a drunken man in the road, who was just able to roll out of the path of a colectivo (bus.)  We gathered him up, and took him to the doctor to see if there was anything he could do for him.  He agreed to see him for no charge, and gave him something to drink.  The drunken man recomposed himself relatively quickly, and the doctor sent him on his way.  He told us that traditionally, someone as intoxicated as this man, normally wouldn't recover so quickly, and he attributed this to our faith.

We got to know the doctor subsequent to this.  My companion went to him for a boil.  He treated me for bronchitis.  He prescribed something like Ensure for my companion as he was very thin.  Hermana Bonavena, who lived only a few blocks away from the doctor's office, told us the doctor’s story.

He was in his office, as he was most days.  Someone the government was after, a rebel of some kind, had been shot by the police following him.  He got off the train at Kilometros 26, climbed the stairs leading up out of the train station to the residential neighborhood.  There at the top of the train station was a doctor office, and as he had been shot, he went there for treatment.  If the treatment was forced under threat of a gun, I don't know, but I do know that the doctor did treat him.  Isn't that part of the Hippocratic Oath?  I imagine the guy was eventually caught.

However as a result of this action, the government appeared one day on the doctor's doorstep and took him.  His family did not know where he was for over a year.  For all they knew he could have been killed, as so many others were during this time.  In similar fashion to when he had been taken, he showed back up at his home almost a couple years later.  No explanation was given.  The good doctor, as explained by Sister Bonavena, had aged considerable during this time.  Who knows to what torture he had been subject.  He had been a young man, and returned an old gray-haired man.

The doctor had a large Catholic family, with many children.  We asked him if we could teach his family, and he asked us to teach him alone.  We told him the Joseph Smith story, but he did not consent to having his family take the discussions.

I ran into the doctor one more time after having been transferred.  We were riding a bus in the downtown area, and he was on the bus as well.  Turns out he was taking a course on herbal medicine.  He was learning many interesting things about natural healing formulas.  Dr. Santillan was always looking to improve himself.