Everyone who knew Nathan Louie probably has a dozen stories they could tell about him. I’ve been thinking about many of mine this week since I learned that the retired teacher — a San Francisco native and longtime San Jose resident — died last week at age 84. I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone who radiated joy quite the same way.
Louie — who had a long career teaching at Briarwood and Monticello elementary schools — wasn’t one to take retirement sitting down, though you could sometimes find him relaxing on the porch of his gorgeous museum-like home on South 15th Street in San Jose’s Naglee Park neighborhood. It was easy to tell which house was his when he wasn’t there, too: A marble bust of Louie held a place of honor in the front yard, along with Chinese foo dog statues and an ornate lamppost.
He volunteered for many causes, including the Cinequest film festival, the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project and the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival. And he was always dressed to impress. Sometimes he’d be in a Chinese opera costume or imperial robes greeting Cinequest audiences at the California Theatre or he might be in a sparkling tuxedo for National Night Out in St. James Park. He even had his own bobblehead figure.
Longtime friend Gerrye Wong and a number of his other friends visited Louie for his 84th birthday party during the Year of the Dragon last June at Sunrise of Cupertino, an assisted living facility where Louie had moved after his health began to take a downturn. She recalled his immense generosity and indefatigable spirit.
He was born in the year of the dragon and once gifted her with a large wooden statue of a dragon from his home collection when she visited him. Another time, he gave her a glass dragon pendant necklace to remember him. “A true gentlemen dragon friend,” she said. “Never to be forgotten for his love of life, glamor and glitz which is just what his personality was like.”
While I would see Louie at various events, it was always a treat to see him on opening night of Cinequest. I was initially embarrassed whenever he would stand with me and proudly announce my arrival to the crowd waiting in line, but that was Nathan being Nathan and I learned to lean into his world. He was one of a kind, and he will be missed.
MAYOR WHO BRIDGED SAN JOSE HISTORY: We also lost former San Jose Mayor Ron James, who died Jan. 5 at age 96. James has been out of the public eye for a while, but he led San Jose during its transition from a largely agricultural town to the modern city we know today. He also has a significant place in the city’s history: In 1967, James became San Jose’s first directly elected mayor in more than half a century. (The person appointed to fill James’ seat on the council after his election? Another historic guy named Norm Mineta.)
After four years as mayor, James continued to serve on the boards of the YMCA, San Jose Water and the San Jose Rotary Club, of which he was president in 1972 to 1973. His involvement in San Jose was far from over, though, as he led the San Jose Chamber of Commerce from 1974 until 1990 — continuing to shepherd the city’s growth into the tech era.
I had the opportunity to talk to James from time to time and was fortunate to be present with him in 2016 when a time capsule containing a letter he wrote was opened. It was buried in the old Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Main Library in 1970 and was saved when that building was demolished. It was opened to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the new King library on San Jose State’s campus.
“They told me it was going to be opened in 100 years or longer,” James said at the time. “I was pleasantly surprised that the Mercury News printed the letter verbatim so people could read it. Now, I’m just happy to still be here.”
A private family service was planned to honor James, but I expect other groups like the San Jose City Council, Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club may have some tributes in the works.
INSPIRING APPEARANCE: Haben Girma, a nationally recognized disability rights advocate and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, will be the featured guest at a free Assistive Technology Fair on Wednesday at West Valley College in Saratoga.
The event, taking place from 10 a.m. to noon at West Valley’s Campus Center, will showcase assistive technology vendors, workshops and demonstrations. Girma will also be signing her book, “Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law.” Go to www.bit.ly/wvc-atf2025 to register.
Nicole Kim, executive director of the College of Adaptive Arts, which is sponsoring the event, said Girma is a great example of how to transform perceptions of people with disabilities. “She’s had challenges to overcome, but being able to access higher education was instrumental to her growth and success. She is a great example of the change one person can affect if just given the opportunity,” Kim said.
SUPER CHOICES: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is in New Orleans for Super Bowl weekend with the Bay Area Host Committee, getting a up-close look at how they handle the big game, which Levi’s Stadium is hosting in 2026. Interestingly, Bay Area football fans will be packing the Santa Clara home of the 49ers for this year’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, too: It’s one of 30 venues for Verizon’s Super Bowl FanFest on Sunday. If you don’t already have a ticket, you’re out of luck (not unlike certain teams this season).
Of course, lots of people just watch the Super Bowl for the ads — and a lot of those are already online. If you’re looking for some non-football counterprogramming Sunday, maybe live theater is the answer: San Jose Stage has an opening weekend 2 p.m. matinee of its new show, “An Enemy of the People”; City Lights Theater Company in San Jose has its final performance of “In Love and Warcraft,” also at 2 p.m.; and Hershey Felder and Jonathan Silvestri are closing TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar” at the Mountain View Center of the Performing Arts. That has shows at 2 and 7 p.m., so football fans could do a doubleheader.