1957 Glenmoor Gardens in Fremont, California​

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In 1957, Russia launched the first spacecraft- Sputnik 1,

and the space age begins.

 

In 1957, there were dozens of nuclear bomb testing,

the beginning of the atomic Age

 

In 1957, the first electronic watch was made,

the beginning of the Digital revolution

 

In 1957, Richard Varrasso was born,

an Italian Taurus male a Fremont, Californian

 

Hailing from the San Francisco bay area,

after WWII his parents settled into a small wood sided cottage in San Leandro where they had my sister Kathy. The east bay was a typical suburban sprawl of unplanned, unincorporated patches of homes south of Oakland surrounded by almond and apricot orchards and rich farm land.

 

 

 

My dad was a florist and had his own flower shop call ‘Phil’s Flowers”. At that time there was a promise of new gracious living in a planned swath of newly scrapped quarter acre lots and finely constructed modern ranch style homes.

 

                                                                   They moved to Glenmoor Gardens, a                                                                                               neighborhood born in a newly incorporated city                                                                     called Fremont made of five closely cornered                                                                           Townships. It was to be a better planned                                                                                     community with shopping centers, new schools                                                                     and modern infrastructure.

 

I was born a week or so before Washington hospital opened, so my mother and Dr Richard Delfs had to take me to another emergency room. I was born on April 24^th, 1957 at 4:21pm (close enough!) and named Richard after my doctor.

 

I was brought home to the new house on Mayfield Drive

and grew up there my whole childhood.

The new trees and shrubs grew up as I did lining the streets.

Back in those days you could run the streets and the neighbors

would keep an eye on you. We would ride our bikes around and

there would be a lot of places to go. Glenmoor elementary was right down the block and I used to ride my bike to school in the first grade!

 

                                                                    There was a community pool, tennis courts, and                                                                      a shopping center with a large grocery,                                                                                      Swensen’s Ice Cream and Union 76. Things were                                                                      sweet and safe back then. I went through my                                                                            grade school thinking that there was a Santa                                                                            Claus and life was just like "Leave It to Beaver"...

 

I still have friends from my grade school.

Many of us went through school to graduation

and still keep in touch today. I give my second grade

sweetie (Donna) a call on her birthday every year!

Ie were all very close knit, I remember well.

 

                                                                        After sixth grade I went to Centerville Junior                                                                             High. Then it was off  to Washington High                                                                                   School.