Bert George helped work the barbecue pits with dozens of San Jose Rotarians on Thursday evening as they prepared to feed some 500 students and family members during the spring carnival at Joseph George Middle School, which was named for his grandfather when it opened in 1970.
“This is a celebration,” said George, who figures he and his family have been helping out at that and other events at the East San Jose school for at least 35 years. But this celebration was undoubtedly a bittersweet one, as it’ll be the last: Alum Rock Union School District decided in December to close Joseph George, along with several other schools, in a consolidation plan.
While some schools are named for land donors or famous alumni, George says his grandfather was honored for his longtime role as a community leader. Joseph George came to the Bay Area in the 1930s and bought a distribution company which became one of the largest beer, wine and liquor distributors in the state. He and his wife Edith attended the opening of the school, and he died two years later. Today, the company has morphed into Joseph George Fine Wines on Meridian Avenue, run by Bert George and his wife Cyndie.
In addition to families of current students, the carnival drew a lot of guests — including alumni like Brian Adams, who was outstanding male student in 1972, and faculty such as Jolene Bunnell, who taught at the school from 1984 until she retired in 2008. Speaking of former teachers, another in attendance was San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who taught at the school in 2006-2008 as part of the Teach For America program.
Mahan, who taught English and history to seventh- and eighth-graders, said he loved teaching at the school, playing chess with students and coaching the girls soccer team one year.
“When I was a teacher here, it really felt like a community,” said Mahan, who was greeted fondly by other teachers who remembered him jokingly as “an agitator.”
Michelle Gilbert, a P.E. teacher and coach who has been at Joseph George for 25 years, said she’s devastated about having to leave the campus after this school year. “But I’m really upset that we’re losing this connection with the George family,” she said. “They’ve been such an important part of the school ever since I’ve been here. Anything we need, they’re there for us.”
Like many others in attendance, Gilbert said she hoped the district could find some way to continue to honor Joseph George and his family. If Alum Rock can find a way to do that, I’m sure Bert George will be happy to be part of that celebration.
DANCING HOLIDAY: Los Lupeños de San Jose will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Sunday by hosting the sixth annual Folkloreada Festival, showcasing more than 15 folklorico dance troupes from around the Bay Area and Southern California at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San Jose.
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“More than a showcase, Folkloreada is a testament to the vibrant community spirit of East San Jose,” Artistic Director Samuel Cortez Balderas said. “It’s an event that’s becoming a staple in the city of San Jose, a place where we can come together and celebrate the beauty of Mexican traditions.”
There’ll also be food trucks and arts and crafts vendors at the festival, which runs from noon to 6 p.m. Get more information at loslupenos.org/2025-folkloreada.
HONORING NO. 87: The Dwight Clark Legacy Series is just a few weeks ago, and tickets are going fast for the May 21 event, which will take place at the Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose. 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has been announced as this year’s recipient of the Dwight Clark Award, given to the player who best exemplifies Clark’s spirit of teamwork.
This year’s event is titled “Photographs and Memories” and will celebrate the career of photographer Michael Zagaris, who recently turned 80 and has been with the team for 50 years. He’ll be joined on stage by 49ers veterans Charles Haley, Garrison Hearst, Anthony Adams and Fred Warner, who will talk about the stories behind some of the photos.
And as always, you can expect other Niners from legendary teams to be on hand, and you never know who might show up to the 7:30 p.m. event. Go to www.dwightclarkaward.com to get tickets.
AT THE MOVIES: Sometimes you’ve got to celebrate a movie that’s so bad it’s kind of good. That may be the case with “The Room,” which has developed a cult following despite a reputation as one of the worst movies ever made. 3 Below Theaters in downtown San Jose will have a special screening of Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” on May 8. The 7:30 p.m. show will include special guest Greg Sestero, who was a co-star of the movie and co-wrote a book, “The Disaster Artist,” about the making of the movie.
And if you missed out on seeing “No Other Land” when Saratoga’s Westhope Presbyterian Church screened it last month, another showing has been arranged for the film on May 29 at 7:30 p.m. The movie, made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of activists, won the Oscar this year for best documentary but has no U.S. distribution deal. Get more details and ticket information at westhope.org.