Summit League makes a splash with Maria Shriver at Montalvo

We’ve had just a few days this spring when Santa Clara Valley’s spring weather matched its reputation, and Thursday was one of them. The sun was shining bright in Saratoga, creating a perfect scene for about 400 women — many decked out in floral dresses and spring hats — at the Summit League’s “A Day in the Garden With Friends” at the Montalvo Arts Center.

The sight was enough to make NBC Bay Area’s Jessica Aguirre, who was about to introduce guest of honor Maria Shriver, exclaim they were “the best-looking group of fundraising people I’ve ever seen!”

That definitely created a friendly audience for Shriver, as if she’d need one. After all, she’s been California’s former first lady, a broadcast journalist, advocate for Alzheimer’s patients and most recently the force behind Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, an award-winning newsletter. She sat down with Aguirre for a discussion that covered a range of topics, including her work, her family and her definition of success.

The event — chaired by Gretchen DiNapoli and Liz Ferrari — was certainly a success for Pursuit of Excellence South Bay, a nonprofit that has provided mentoring and financial aid for 48 students in San Jose and Los Gatos. Most of those students are the first in their families to attend college, and POE students have nearly  an 80 percent graduation rate — a success in anybody’s book.

“For over 65 years, our league has been dedicated to advancing philanthropy and community service projects in the arts, education, welfare and health in the Santa Clara Valley,” Summit League President Marianna Samson said. “The positive impact of this year’s primary recipient, Pursuit of Excellence South Bay, has been truly inspiring.”

WRITE IDEA: Bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez had never been to San Jose before this week, but she likely has a warm place in her heart for the city now. Gonzalez — whose debut novel “Olga Dies Dreaming” piled up “best of 2022” awards last year — was presented with the Ollin Award from the Latino Leadership Alliance at its sixth annual gala at the Mexican Heritage Plaza on Thursday.

“The written word tells the story through the eyes of the writer, which makes Xochitl’s work that much more important,” Latino Leadership Alliance co-chair Mayra Flores said. “She is our collective voice and is telling our stories of language, of joy and of survival through her work — connecting to millions nationwide and uplifting our experiences.”

Gonzalez, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary this year, spent part of the day talking to San Jose State students at the Mosaic Cross Cultural Center on campus. And she sounded as thrilled to talk to the students as I’m sure they were to meet her.

SEVEN-DECADE STRETCH: The guys throwing out the ceremonial pitches for Lincoln Glen Little League on May 20 looked a tad bit older than the league’s current crop of baseball players. Nobody was trying to pull off an age fraud: Greg Yoder, Jimmie Suba and Steve Righetti had the honors to celebrate the league’s 70th season.

They were all part of the 1973 Senior All-Star Team that played in that division’s world series back 50 years ago, and Yoder is organizing a reunion for that team the weekend of Aug. 11-12.

The most famous alum from Lincoln Glen is another Righetti — Steve’s little brother Dave, who had an amazing pitching career in the majors and coached with the San Francisco Giants during their World Series runs in the 2010s. He wasn’t there, but sent a letter that was read to the crowd recalling all the managers he played for in the league, starting at age 7.

“These managers all taught me more than just the fundamentals of baseball,” he wrote. “They taught me how to both win and lose with humility and grace. I have wonderful memories of my youth playing here on the fields at River Glen Park.”

LISTEN UP, GEN XERS: The Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus is going back to the ’80s for its upcoming “Rubyversary” concert — specifically to 1983, the year the chorus was founded. That means the June 16 show at the Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose will feature a lot of songs that should be imprinted on the minds of the MTV generation like Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” (Yeah, I’m going to be saying “turn around” all day, too.)

There’ll also be music by artists who were born in 1983 like Carrie Underwood and a special performance of “Sunday” from Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George,” which had its Broadway debut in … well, I think you can guess.

The lobby will include items from the chorus’ archives, including photos, uniforms, T-shirts and other concert paraphernalia from the past four decades. And Corey Liggans Miller, SVGMC’s artistic director and conductor, says there’s one more facet to the 40th anniversary show that excites him: There are 40 singers in the chorus. Tickets are available at svgmc.org.