Issue date: October 06, 1999

LOOSE ENDS LOOSE ENDS (October 06, 1999)

Presidential performance

Taylor Eigsti, a 15-year-old jazz pianist featured on the August 4 cover of the Almanac, performed for President Clinton Friday night at the Atherton home of Novell CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. Taylor is a sophomore at Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, and studies music with Cole Dalton of Menlo Park.

Reuters reported that President Clinton stayed overnight Friday with real estate magnate and Democratic donor Walter Shorenstein of Portola Valley.

Live from Woodside

CNBC's "Power Lunch" program, transformed into "Power Brunch," will broadcast live from Silicon Valley all this week, including a segment Tuesday morning from Buck's restaurant in Woodside, featuring Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers; Cypress Semiconductor Chairman and CEO T.J. Rogers; E*Trade Chairman Christos Cotsakos; eFax.com Chairman and CEO Edward Prince; and Wall Street Journal Internet reporter Kara Swisher. The investment program airs on NBC's cable network from 9 to 11 a.m.

How sweet it is

Veterans at hospitals in Menlo Park and Palo Alto will shortly be experiencing a little more sweetness in their lives, thanks to the efforts of Menlo Park resident Olga Curusis.

Ms. Curusis, who is a board member of the Menlo Park chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons, petitioned local confectionery See's Candies to donate sweets to the veterans. "Something just made me do it," she said. "These boys served their country, and many of them are bedridden or in chronic pain. I thought if I could just make them smile for a few minutes, that might help."

After pleading unsuccessfully with factory staff, Ms. Curusis said she went straight to the top. "I called the president of See's, who lives right here in Woodside, and a week later the letter came," she said.

President Charles N. Huggins said he will donate two cartons of lollypops and one carton of Krispys candies valued at $707 every month.

The candy will be divided among the three hospitals within the VA system, at Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Livermore. There are approximately 300 in-patients at each of the three hospitals, with about 9,000 people coming to the hospital for outpatient treatment each month, Ms. Curusis said.