Celebrating a life that spans two pandemics
Esperanza Castellanos was born in 1914 — before the last pandemic and even the start of World War I — but her 107th birthday celebration Wednesday was very 2021: a car parade past her home in Santa Clara.
With family members surrounding her, Castellanos was serenaded by her friends in the St. Clare Parish choir and was cheered on by dozens of well-wishers — including police officers and firefighters flashing their lights — driving by in their vehicles. Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor even brought a proclamation declaring Jan. 13 as Esperanza Day in the Mission City, an honor for the woman believed to be its oldest resident.
“She is still over the moon about it,” said her granddaughter, Mandy Santos, who put together the entire celebration in about a week. “The community came out in droves.”
Esperanza and her husband, Jose Castellanos, moved to Santa Clara in 1945 from Eagle Pass, Texas, a small town on the Mexican border southeast of San Antonio. They rented for a while and bought the house where she continues to live in 1955. Jose, who died of cancer in 1999, was an employee of the city of Sunnyvale while Esperanza worked in a cannery. They had three children together, and today Esperanza can proudly boast of 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and six great-greatgrandchildren. She’s still in touch with relatives in Texas and Louisiana, who love to
hear from their “Auntie Hope.”
The couple also traveled extensively, including trips to Egypt and Italy, and Santos says her grandmother is still a great traveler. For her 100th birthday, Santos took her to Hawaii, where she had her first helicopter ride. “She said, ‘Let’s do it again,’ ” Santos recalled. “She has absolutely no fear.”
So what’s the secret of her longevity? Santos said Esperanza attributes it to her daily breakfast of Quaker Oats, with a little milk and sugar — and sometimes a dash of cinnamon to spice it up. Santos eats it that way, too, which she says is another lesson learned from a woman who has seen it all. “She taught me how to save and how to have a good work ethic,” she said.
‘BUTTERFLY EFFECT’ COMING TO PALO ALTO >> In March, the Palo Alto Art Center will feature an exhibition based on “The Butterfly Effect: Migration Is Beautiful,” a movement started in 2019 by two East Bay preteens, Kaia Marbin and Lillian Ellis, to draw attention to the plight of migrant children detained at the U.S. border. Their goal is to collect 76,020 folded paper butterflies, representing the number of kids detained in 2019. So far, they’ve received more than 50,000 of them.
The Art Center is encouraging visitors to contribute to the installation by creating their own butterflies. Origami paper will be available outside the Art Center at 1313 Newell Road throughout the month of January, and completed butterflies can be dropped off in the Art Center’s outdoor bin. You can get instructions on the Butterfly Effect website, butterfly effect migration. org. The exhibition will open — most likely virtually because of COVID-19 restrictions — March 2.
ONLINE SUMMIT HONORS MLK’S VALUES >> City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley is hosting the MLK Beloved Community Summit on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, an online event featuring eight panels and 33 speakers in conversation about racial equity in education, business and philanthropy. The speakers scheduled include Silicon Valley executive coach Caretha Coleman, Castellano Family Foundation President Carmela Castellano-Garcia, Hispanic Foundation CEO Ron Gonzales and Leon Beauchman, president of the Santa Clara County Alliance for Black Educators.
“The convening of corporations, philanthropists, and educators to discuss and share how we actualize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘beloved community’ is at core of our work,” City Year San Jose Executive Director Pete Settelmayer said. “Our City Year AmeriCorps members’ work towards equity and closing the gap of systemic racism is raised up within the conversations we will have.”
The summit runs from 9 a.m. to noon, and tickets are available for $35 at cityyear.org/san-jose/ events.