THE HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER FOR MENLO PARK, ATHERTON, PORTOLA VALLEY AND WOODSIDE JULY 23, 2014 | VOL. 49 NO. 46 WWW.THEALMANACONLINE.COM Meet the winners of this year’s INSIDE: LOCAL NEWS | VIEWPOINT CALENDAR | REAL ESTATE READERS’ CHOICE AWARD WINNERS Trust Your Face to a Specialist Grand Opening We’ve relocated and Expanded! Join us at our new Palo Alto offi ce and surgery center. www.hesslerplasticsurgery.com 320 Lambert Ave Palo Alto 650.799.9009 UPFRONT Help for Buyers... Author, model, comedic talent Longtime Menlo Park resident Fran Kearton dies at 93 We had an incredible experience working with Steve. He helped By Dave Boyce and that, with her looks, she Almanac Staff Writer would probably remarry soon. us get our house in WOODSIDE She experienced harass- in an increasingly competitive he final curtain has come [ ment. Fashion modeling “was down on the life of Fran- fraught with it,” she said. “I market and was able to move Tces Peace Kearton of was always creeping into some- quickly through all the steps. Menlo Park. Her varied career body’s heart, which meant Even after we’ve moved in, he’s included fashion and runway they wanted me to creep into modeling in New York City for their lap, too.” Even as a pres- provided a wealth of insight the John Robert Powers agency; tigious Powers model, men and recommendations for sharing a TV spotlight, come- touched her inappropriately painters, electricians, etc. dic writing responsibilities and and assumed her morals were 30+ years of madcap antics for three years loose because she was a model. which has been really helpful. with Dick Van Dyke; opting for More than once she was chased We’d highly recommend him. [ local knowledge. single motherhood in a time and around a desk, she said. Born in place — 1950s Georgia — when Photo courtesy of Fran Kearton “I was a very pretty girl and Menlo Park. that just wasn’t done; and writ- Fran Kearton of Menlo Park sometimes that’s a plus and 67(9(*5$< Raised in ing two comedic memoirs. Ms. in the 1940s as a John Robert sometimes that’s a minus,” Kearton died at Stanford Hos- Powers model in New York City. she said. “I prefer to see it as a %5( Atherton. pital on Saturday, July 12, after a Later, she shared a spotlight and plus.” A Woodside brief illness. She was 93. comedic writing responsibilities She married in 1954 to Regi- resident. A memorial and celebration of with Dick Van Dyke for three years nald Ruston Kearton in a week VJUD\#FEQRUFDOFRP her life is set for 3 p.m. Thurs- and wrote two comedic memoirs. in which, she said, three men day, July 24, at the Menlo Circus Ms. Kearton died July 12. proposed to her. Coming to Club at 190 Park Lane in Ather- California, she drove across ton, according to Vicki Cle- be scrambled or poached. As the country with her mother, Conservation tip: The average household ments, a trustee of her estate. for breakfast itself, Fran pro- mother-in-law and father-in- That Ms. Kearton found work nounced it as “breas” followed law in the car. Her experiences wastes more than 10,000 gallons of water as a humorist is not a surprise. by a four-letter word that rhymes with her extended family in a every year from leaks. Help conserve water “My mother was a very funny with duck. Her mother let her Los Altos estate became comic D[ƂPFKPICPFƂZKPINGCMUCUUQQPCU woman. I think (being funny) is keep that one, she said. “She felt in retrospect. hereditary,” she told the Alma- sentimental about it because it At 90 and living in Sharon RQUUKDNG nac in 2010. “She was always was my last baby word.” Heights in 2010, Ms. Kear- funny. Even when things were Ms. Kearton wrote skits five ton cleaned her own house, so bad, she was always funny.” days a week with Mr. Van Dyke drove her own car, and was 8KUKVwww.calwater.com/help/instructional- Things did get bad. In the in the 1950s for “The Fran and a Democrat in a Republican videos HQTKPHQTOCVKQPQPJQYVQTGCF[QWT space of a few years early in the Dick Show” (aka “The Music stronghold. She took tap danc- meter and detect household leaks. Great Depression, the family Shop”), but did not consider ing lessons, stretched before lost its savings to an unscrupu- herself a comedy writer. “Dick housecleaning and watched lous stockbroker, her father died and I never thought we were “Sit to be Fit” on TV. and lightning struck their rural real writers,” she told a group Sitting for an interview in the Georgia home and it burned to at the Menlo Circus Club in vicinity of an unsold pile of her the ground. 2010. “We were merely sur- second memoir, “French Beds Commenting on the one vivors racing into Studio B I’ve Slept In (and Some I Wish intact item from the fire, a blue each day clutching last-minute I Hadn’t),” she said: “I might cloisonne vase, Ms. Kearton hastily scrawled skits to feed be killed by an avalanche of recalled her mother standing the insatiable Venus flytrap of these books, but it’s not a bad amid the ashes with the vase a daily live TV hour.” way to go.” cradled in her arms. “Fran- As a woman, she had diffi- Ms. Kearton was preceded ces,” she said, “remember the culties that confront pioneers. in death by her husband and main lesson of this loss: never She was co-host of the show, her son, Allison Hoyle Adams, become too attached to material but was expected to answer who died of amyotrophic lateral things.” phones. Her ideas had to be sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Ms. Kearton said she kept the rearranged so that a man could She is survived by her grandson vase, and did become attached claim them. “That’s the only Kristian Kearton (Malene). to it. way I could get things done,” Donations in her name may be Her mother, a Vassar gradu- she said. “I had to go around made to the Golden West chap- ate with degrees in speech the mulberry bush.” ter of the ALS Association. A and French, discouraged Fran’s Once, learning of Mr. Van Southern pronunciations. No Dyke’s higher salary, she asked use of “pinnies” to refer to one- Go to tinyurl.com/FPK221 to see a for a raise. She was denied, she 2010 profile of Fran Kearton by the Use water wisely. cent coins, and “aigs,” were said, on the excuse that family Almanac’s Dave Boyce. not a breakfast food that may men had greater responsibilities It’s essential. CALLING ON THE ALMANAC THE ALMANAC (ISSN 1097-3095 and USPS 459370) is published every Wednesday by Embarcadero Media, Newsroom: 223-6525 N E-mail news, information, obituaries 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025- Newsroom fax: 223-7525 and photos (with captions) to: 6558. Periodicals Postage Paid at Menlo Park, CA and [email protected] Advertising: 854-2626 at additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for San Mateo County, The Almanac is N E-mail letters to the editor to: Advertising fax: 223-7570 delivered free to homes in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola [email protected] Classified ads: 854-0858 Valley and Woodside. Subscriptions for $60 per year or $100 per 2 years are welcome. POSTMASTER: Send Proudly serving the Bear Gulch District since 1936 address changes to the Almanac, 3525 Alameda de las 3525 Alameda De Las Pulgas Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025-6558. Copyright ©2012 To request free delivery, or stop delivery, of The Almanac in zip code 94025, 94027, by Embarcadero Media, All rights reserved. Reproduction Menlo Park, CA 94025 94028 and the Woodside portion of 94062, call 854-2626. without permission is strictly prohibited. (650) 561-9709 July 23, 2014 NTheAlmanacOnline.comNThe AlmanacN3 LOS ALTOS HILLS Circa 1916 Italianate Villa originally built as a summer home for wealthy San Franciscan, Dr. Thomas Shumate, and deemed an historic home. Main residence with 6 bedrooms, office, 6 full baths and 2 half-baths. 2bd guest house with full bath & kitchen. 2-story pool house with full kitchen and bath. $15,000,000 ATHERTON West Atherton. Classic traditional, 2-story home built by PPG. 5bd/5.5ba, two offices, spacious light-filled rooms, family room with full bar and temp- controlled wine cellar. Pool, spa on .92+/- acre lot. Menlo Park Schools. $7,995,000 PESCADERO Former successful Bed & Breakfast with beautifully remodeled 2bd/1.5ba main house plus 3 lovely cottages. 5.37+/- acre horse property with riding arena, two fenced paddocks, tack shed, fenced flower and vegetable gardens. Cottages perfect for office or artist space, family compound or cottage rentals. Easy commute to SF/Silicon Valley. $1,398,000 4NThe AlmanacNTheAlmanacOnline.comN July 23, 2014 Local News M ENLO PARK | ATHERTON | WOODSIDE | PORTOLA V ALLEY Atherton tops U.S. real estate price lists By Barbara Wood higher and half are lower, of Zil- Almanac Staff Writer low’s estimated current value for Pending sales Active single-family home listings as of 7/17/14 every home in an area, not just Town Number of listings Price range $2.58M he Midpeninsula has those that have recently sold. Atherton 5 to $9.90M Atherton 25 listings $3.8M to $25M always been an attractive It’s not only Zillow that $430K Menlo Park 32 listings $565K to $5.35M place to live, but recently says Atherton is expensive. In Menlo Park 29 T to $2.99M it has achieved another distinc- October, Forbes magazine’s Portola Valley 12 listings $2.19M to $19.80M tion: home of the most expen- website said Atherton is the Portola $699K** 4 Woodside 42 listings $385K to $69.80M sive real estate in the country.