In his decades as a teacher, administrator and now chancellor emertius for San Jose’s Bellarmine College Prep, the Rev. Gerald Wade has signed plenty of papers, diplomas and certificates. But this week, he got to do something different and put his name on the final steel beam that’ll frame the Wade Academic Center on campus.
Wade was the first of several people to sign the beam, and he added the names of his late parents, Walter and Clara, as the new 44,000 square-foot building is being named in honor of his family. Wade, 86, was born in San Jose and grew up in Santa Clara where his father owned a pharmacy. He graduated from Bellarmine in 1955, returned to the school as a Jesuit scholastic in 1962 and again as president in 1979.
According to research done for his 80th birthday celebration, Wade’s family roots in the Santa Clara Valley go back to the Alviso family — for whom the community in North San Jose is named — in the 1700s. His great grandfather Charles Wade arrived in 1849 and married into the Alviso family.
Others whose names will be enshrined on the beam include current Bellarmine President Chris Meyercord, Principal Rod Jemison; the Rev. Mike Mooie, rector of the Bellarmine Jesuit community; Devcon Construction President Gary Filizetti and Project Manager Adrienne Crawford.
The new building, which will house 21 classrooms and other facilities, is expected to open in fall 2025, and if you remember, it was this building that required the relocation of Berchmans Hall, a 108-year-old two-story building, on campus earlier this year.
CUPCAKES OF MYSTERY: The Winchester Mystery House is marking its 101st birthday as an attraction this weekend, and while it’s not going all out like it did for last year’s centennial celebration, it does have something special planned for guests who stop by Sarah Winchester’s old ranch this weekend.
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The mansion’s caretakers have partnered with another San Jose legend, Peter’s Bakery, and all tour guests this Saturday and Sunday will receive a vanilla cupcake with apricot buttercream frosting, matching the blooming orchards on Mrs. Winchester’s Estate. The gang from Peter’s Bakery on Alum Rock Avenue visited the Winchester Mystery House last fall when the San Jose edition of Monopoly was released and included squares for both businesses. And if you’re wondering, Peter’s Bakery is a spry 88 years old, going back to 1936.
MEETING OF MAYORS: Earlier this week, Mayor Matt Mahan had a little fun with his interest in artificial intelligence as he served as guest host for “Monday Night Live,” San Jose Stage’s annual fundraiser — which returned to the downtown theater Monday for the first time since 2019. But he’s ending the week doing a deeper, serious dive into the topic of data and artificial intelligence with 22 other mayors as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance.
Mahan is among the cohort of city leaders from North America, South America, and the Caribbean who will be getting multiyear coaching on how to leverage data and artificial intelligence to enhance government services, including public safety, reducing homelessness and expanding affordable housing. Mahan says he’s honored to represent San Jose in City Data Alliance’s third cohort, and he’s convening with them in person this week at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.