15 Even More Letters
The original Cross Roads was opened in a a wooden diner believed built in the 1920s. It lay dormant through most of the Great Depression and was vacant the duration of WWII. It opened as the Cross Roads in 1947 but was torn down in 1950-51 and replaced by the new Cross Roads, the one still standing today, in 1951-52. In the '40s, all parades that traveled on Pacific Avenue started at the Cross Roads and adjacent Southern Pacific Railroad property or ended there, depending in which direction the parades went.
The following letters are dated after July 1, 2002
Diana-Jo Peters, Soquel, Calif., Class of 1960Many of us who grew up in Santa Cruz (I attended Capitola Elementary and Mission Hill Jr. High and graduated from Santa Cruz High in 1960) are appalled by your inability to leave a landmark standing that we consider to have historical value to Santa Cruz. The Cross Roads was a meeting place for teen-agers who had no other place to congregate, other than the Cliffs, and our parents forbid that one! This was as much a part of our lives as attending school, playing sports and various other activities performed by myself and classmates. Please re-consider your plan to tear this down and leave us with a little piece of our "Small Town Past." Heaven knows there is not much left and, as we all know, memories are a precious commodity.
(The Sentinel published Ms. Peters' letter on July 19, 2002, only the second of some 50 supporting letters printed by the local blatt. Go to: Peters Letter. Scroll down the page; it’s the last letter to the editor listed and is titled, "Let Cross Roads Stand.")
Tony Pepper, Newton, Mass., Class of '56
Why should we save such a little piece of Santa Cruz history as the Cross Roads Drive-in? Were the fries, the vanilla Cokes that good? I am a graduate of SCHS, Class of '56. I have spent most of my adult life in other parts of the world. I can assure you that the memories, the importance of the Cross Roads legacy rivals any of my other experiences. Please loan me your eyes and engage your mind for a moment as I explain why. Accept it or not, we are a collection of social segments. Our continuing hope is that the segments will somehow find ways to agree more often than they disagree. From that combination, we will be able to work for the good of mankind. It sounds so simple. But, sadly, our successes are far fewer than we would like. That is why we must treasure elements that have shown us the way in the past, so we can build on them, learn from them and use the knowledge as we proceed toward our goals of improvements to our world. The Cross Roads Drive-in is symbolic of the smooth meshing of social segments, of brother and sisterhood sharing good will. As Andy Enrico (also Class of '56) pointed out in his recent letter, it has served as a lifelong example of the positive behaviors to which we should aspire. Don't be mislead by those who might point out that cruisin' the drag is the only reason for saving the Cross Roads. Don't let anybody tell you that it was just a slice of time when our cars had "moons" and also wore "skirts." Instead, be encouraged that many young people got to know of a much larger world through nightly interactions. Yes, I grew up in Santa Cruz but I grew up getting to know the good people of Los Gatos, San Jose, Redwood City, San Leandro, Oakland, Stockton, Tracy, Turlock, Modesto, Roseville and Petaluma. I have cut the list short but I think you get the idea: Call it a tool of the "melting pot" or the "salad bowl," the Cross Roads is worth celebrating, preserving so those who were not so blessed may learn what we learned from a place that did, by the way, serve pretty good fries and a tasty vanilla Coke.
Candy (Carbone) Lippert, Oakhurst, Calif., Class of '65
I was really upset when I heard that they wanted to take down the Cross Roads. I am of five generations of Santa Cruzans, and my husband as well.
I have fond memories of cruzin’ Beach Street and getting those delicious hamburgers. My husband, Bill Lippert,, Santa Cruz High Class of 1957; myself, Candy Carbone, Class of 1965; my brother, Jim Carbone, Class of 1964; my son, Michael Kerr, Class 1989; and my mother, my aunt and uncles -- all went to school in Santa Cruz.
My uncle, Skip Littlefield, was a very big part of Santa Cruz and its history and would be looking down today saying preserve, preserve, preserve what you had and have. In a world in as much turmoil as we have today, it is important for the next generations, as much for ourselves today, to preserve and restore the peaceful, fond memories that we keep locked in our hearts.
My husband and I sold our home in Santa Cruz County in May (2002) and retired to Oakhurst, Calif., because we love it here. But our hearts will always be in Santa Cruz, and we love visiting.
It was such a safe, loving town in our day, familiar faces on the street and neighbors helping people, not afraid to get involved. Those haunts -- such as the Cross Roads, Snow White Drive-in, Five-Spot, Hi-Ho Hamburgers, A&W Root Beer -- those places represent a more peaceful time. It is important now and for the future to display those times, a comfort place for people to go and reminisce. I sure hope that the city fathers do their best to keep those places special in their hearts and preserve as much of those buildings as possible.
A park would be great in the Depot area and incorporating the Cross Roads into it would be a great salute to Santa Cruz.
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