Book of newspapers captures the world of 50 years ago

last updated: January 22, 2008 04:17:18 AM

From the voice mails and e-mails:

SPECIAL EDITION -- It remained tucked away beneath a bed in her mother's home for at least 30 years. Now it belongs to Jeanne Hammond of Denair, and she's not quite sure what to do with it.

It's a hardbound book containing a week's worth of San Francisco Call-Bulletin newspapers from February 1954, representing a very brief snapshot into our world from more than a half-century ago.

Hammond doesn't know how or why her brother, Bill, ever acquired the book. His mother kept it after he died in a car crash on a delta road New Year's Eve 1977. Jeanne Hammond got the book when her mom, Lois Thomas, died in March. Hammond thought the newspaper might like to have it back. But the Call-Bulletin is no longer in existence. The paper published from September 1929 until July 1959, before merging with the San Francisco News and then the Examiner.

Hammond's papers cover editions from Feb. 8-15, including photos and stories of Joe DiMaggio and wife Marilyn Monroe on a goodwill trip to Japan, and of DiMaggio teaching Japanese baseball players how to swing the bat.

"It's a portal back into time," said Michael Hammond, Jeanne's son. "You can't help but get captivated by the simplicity of it."

The papers contain some headlines that would perplex some people today, like "Seals Baseball Games May Boost UHF Video."

And others could easily make headlines today, including "Royal Family Kin Linked to London Morals Cases."

One story details how President Eisenhower chastised his own staff for denigrating House Democrats. Imagine that happening today?

Jeanne Hammond hopes to find a museum or a newspaper collector interesting in acquiring the book.

PICK YOUR ACRONYM -- Stanislaus County voters will have two choices involving growth on the Feb. 5 ballot, and both could have an S.O.S. acronym.

First, there's Measure E, the Stamp Out Sprawl initiative led by former Modesto City Councilman Denny Jackman and current Councilman Garrad Marsh. This S.O.S. would give voters the final say when developers propose to rezone unincorporated farmland for residential development.

Fearing the people might actually have a say in the process, the five county supervisors drummed up another S.O.S. of sorts -- Measure L. I call it the "Save Our Sprawl" initiative. If passed, it would create a 15-member commission to rewrite the county's general plan, which does need updating. The problem is that commission would be appointed by the very supervisors who pushed the measure. They would be required to appoint representatives from agriculture; business and manufacturing; environmental groups; the development industry; community-based organizations; and the public.

Question: If a developer or industry type happens to recycle bottles and cans at home, could the supes install him as the environmental representative? Or they could appoint one environmentalist, one from agriculture and the rest from business and manufacturing and development?

Note to taxpayers: Always ask for a brand-new deck when you play Texas Hold 'Em with political types.

THROUGH THE PIPELINE -- Score one for the little guys. Last summer, I wrote about a couple of north Modesto residents who challenged Modesto City Schools' intent to renege on an agreement involving water.

As part of building Enochs High, the district needed to eliminate an open Modesto Irrigation District ditch that provided irrigation water to a half-dozen or so parcels along Roselle Avenue. Some of the homeowners signed away their water rights in exchange for $11,000 each. The district also cut deals with the other homeowners who wanted to retain some access to irrigation water. The district paid them $11,000 each and installed lines to provide irrigation-only water. That 2004 agreement was signed by Scott Ousdahl, who died a year later. Then, last year, the district tried to get out of the agreement. Two of the homeowners, Gary Cook and Hector Herrera, refused to budge and held the district to its end of the deal.

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