Michael Greenslade

Harold Peary, a San Leandro native became a nationally known actor/comedian in the 1940s with his character Throckmorton P Gildersleeve or as he is best known as "The Great Gildersleeve".

The show the Great Gildersleeve was a spin-off of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio shows. While still a part of the Fibber McGee and Molly show, the location was set in the town of Wistful Vista. Summerfield became the location when the show was spun-off

Harold Peary went on after the Great Gildersleeve to voice acting in many classic cartoons for Rankin-Bass and Hanna Barbera. He also appeared in front of the camera in Pettycoat Junction, The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Brady Bunch.

Harold Peary was born in July of 1908 and lived to the age of 76 until he passed away in 1985.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gildersleeve

Alameda's history so much revolves around the resort era and San Franciscans summering here across the bay. It would be nice to honor that history with something that brings it back.

I would like to toss the idea out that it is possible to create a modern tribute to Neptune Beach's history.

A company called LANDRY restaurants built a restaurant complex called the Kemah Boardwalk near Houston Texas. Landry's which owns, Cadillac Bar & Grill, Rainforest Cafe, Aquarium, Saltgrass Steakhouse, Joe's Crab Shack and The Chart House located all these concepts together with some boardwalk styled attractions, shops and even a hotel.

Landry's could do something similar with the area just to the west of the town center in the area near the current McDonald's, County Court House and Post office.

Here is a link to the Kemah Boardwalk. Http://www.kemahboardwalk.com

Just an idea I have at the back of my mind. Not that Alameda would ever go for something like this. Alameda has been known to be very cautious when it comes to growth.

San Leandro is located just South of Oakland and Alameda.

Interstates 880, 580 and 238 all run through parts of the town making San Leandro very commute friendly. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has two stations making access to San Francisco, SFO, Oakland International Airport and the Oakland Coliseum very easy.

Lake Chabot Regional Park borders the city to the East. The San Leandro Marina, San Francisco Bay and Monarch Bay Golf Courses border the city to the West. The marina has several water-front restaurants for casual dining.

Bayfair Center a large regional shopping mall and is located near the southern border of the city. Bayfair has Macy's, Target, Bed-Bath-&-Beyond, Kohl's and Century Theaters 16 mega-plex.

Beyond Bayfair Center to the South is an unincorporated area of Alameda County that has San Leandro, postal addresses. This area is generally considered to be the Ashland district of San Leandro.

In downtown San Leandro is the San Leandro Plaza Shopping center. This was the historic center of town and redeveloped in the 1970's to create an open landscaped shopping plaza. Downtown is also the home to San Leandro's City Hall, which has it's own community theater for live preformances.

San Leandro is home to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. In the area around 139th Avenue, you can smell the chocolate in the air.

Here are some links to the area that you may find usefull.

http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=OAKSLGI

http://www.sanleandromarinainn.com/

http://bayfair.mallfinder.com/

http://www.prurealty.com/Michael.Greenslade/San%20Leandro%20Information.aspx

I am doing some floor time here and came across the following article in the Alameda Journal. Here's the link to the article on online. I am not sure how long it will be up at this web address.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/alamedajournal/ci_8075959?nclick_check=1

Just in case I'll try to summarize what the article states.

*** Once code compliance is applied against the property amnesty is no longer available.

*** The amnesty program legalizes, currently undocumented construction. which may still need to be made code compliant for safety.

*** To apply go to the following website www.ci.alameda.ca.us/planning/planningdocuments.html

*** A $40.00 fee for the amnesty program

*** A physical inspection is needed.

*** An additional $210.00 inspection fee for projects accepted into the amnesty program

*** You may have to open some walls and openings to facilitate inspectios!

Planning and building department staff are located at rm 190 at 2263 Santa Clara Avenue 510 747-6850

Gregory J. Mc Fann the building official buildingofficial@ci.alameda.ca.us

Lots 1 and 4 of Pleasanton's Foothill Road contained acreage that once contained 170 acres. I confirmed it with the City of Pleasanton historical museum.

This land was the home of San Leandro's mayor Earl Derry and his wife Stella Derry from 1946 until both of their deaths in the late 1970s.

You see Mr and Mrs Derry had a sense of humor about things. They ran their very own Dairy farm on that site. Derry's Dairy.

The Derry's moved out there when they sold their Superior Avenue home in San Leandro to my Grandparents William and Agnes Greenslade in 1946.

I reading old newspaper archives about the Derrys, I also found out that the Derry's still owned some land back in Michigan. Their property was surrounded on three sides by another property. Oil was discovered on that property surrounding theirs. I would imagine that they had some considerable wealth besides what his real estate and development career had produced. It is imaginable that the Derry's owned the Pleasanton property for several years before moving from San Leandro to retire out at the site of where Stoneridge Mall.

It's interesting to note that the Fenton Family of Fenton's Creamery also lived on Superior Avenue. Was the Derry Dairy one of the locations where the Fenton's got their cream from to make their wonderful ice creams on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland?

Mmmm yummm Fentons.

nuff said for now