Scott LeVander
Former Metro marketing director Scott LeVander died over the holiday weekend, several days before his 50th birthday. He joined Metro in 1993 and spent five years during a period of rapid growth. He contributed to Metro‘s expansion into Silicon Valley community weeklies and publications in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Former Metro Santa Cruz publisher Jeanne Howard described him as “a jolt of energy.”
Born in Seattle, LeVander was raised in the Santa Cruz area. He had been a partner in a local advertising agency and played minor-league baseball for the Oakland A’s before joining Metro. He later worked for the San Francisco Chronicle.
He died of an illness that worsened after he was hit by a car while in a pedestrian crosswalk in 2008.
“I will always cherish the opportunities Metro Newspapers has provided me. It has been an incredible experience,” he wrote when he left the company in 1998 to move to Colorado. “I hope to be remembered as a hard working, dedicated and conscientious employee for Metro Publishing Inc.”
LeVander had two children, daughter Brooke, 18, and son Jackson, 12.
Smokin’ John
John was amazing with his abilities as a chef and friend (Ex-Councilmember Diquisto Dies at 83,” SanJoseInside, June 29). His washing machine smoked turkey was legendary. He was an outstanding captain, councilman and mentor to many. John, you will be missed.
Jim Allen | San Jose
Bridge to the 19th Century
The baby boom generation is now coming to the age of retirement, and has need of the health care and retirement benefits they have paid into and earned. The Tea Party/our current Republican Congress wants to take it all away in the belief that privatizing Medicare will save it, in the name of kicking the can.
I don’t know if this is balanced, but believe it’s not fair. I call this belief an attempt to build a bridge to the 19th century, and it makes me wonder what planet are they from? Fair or unfair, the question is not “what planet are you from”? It is what planet are we on?
Bruce Gabriel | Santa Cruz
