San Mateo was way ahead of the pack

A demonstration of the relatively obscure sport (if memory serves, some of us incorrectly referred to it as “paddleball” in those bygone days), complete with an upbeat photo op was sent not long ago to our editor’s desk by Jim Nantell.

He was then a San Mateo civic official who was on the scene at that time in a Hillsdale Shopping Center courtyard; the aim was to promote the new sport to the eager (well, maybe not so eager) masses.

That was way back in 1975. But the hoped-for pickleball craze didn’t really take off at that time. It took awhile — actually quite awhile — for pickleball to catch on in a big way. It has. Finally.

It has become a new exercise staple in some high school physical education classes. The sport even has its own official association; there are pickleball professionals too.

Not everyone is thrilled with this relatively low-key activity and its booming popularity, however. It has its detractors. Quite a lot of them, actually.

Some who live near a pickleball court dislike the “pock-pock-pock” sound of the solid racket making firm contact with the durable plastic orb. And don’t ask tennis enthusiasts who now have to share time on their courts with the persistent pickle people. They aren’t happy.

The way things are going, though, they may soon be in the minority, if they aren’t already.

MARY JANNEY DIES AT 87: The recent passing of Mary Janney deserves a mention. She was a tireless and thoughtful advocate for the residents of Burlingame — and for young people in surrounding communities as well.

For nearly 30 years, beginning in the tumultuous 1970s, she served on local public school district boards (Burlingame Elementary and San Mateo Union High) and then on the Burlingame City Council where she was mayor for a time.

“She had more energy than anyone in the room,” recalled Joe Galligan, a council colleague and close friend.

Her tenure as a trustee on the elementary board was dominated by the stressful related issues of a dramatic enrollment decline and the need for multiple school closures. She helped to navigate that extremely contentious period with grace and fairness even as anger and bitterness roiled the community.

She was also active in a variety of Peninsula service agencies. She moved to Southern California in 2007 to be closer to her family. She died at the age of 87.

HE FLUNG DUNG AT THE YOUNG: Here’s a good example of creative, spur-of-the-moment resistance in the face of aggressive behavior. According to a Redwood City police report issued late last year, four rude youngsters were yelling profanities and raising a ruckus in a stable. A displeased employee there, fed up with the bad behavior, found a ready solution happily to the youthful naughtiness at hand: Airborne equine excrement. In other words, he lobbed globs of horse manure at the offending kids. They fled the premises in a hail of pony poop. Mission accomplished. Giddyap!

WILL GALATOLO CASE EVER END?: As the interminable legal maneuvering proceeds in the case against the former chancellor of the San Mateo County Community College District, Ron Galatolo, it’s useful to point out that the investigations have been ongoing since the first Trump administration. With actual charges against the ex-chief executive finally in place, will there be a resolution to these matters in 2025? Don’t bet your Christmas bonus on it.

SWANTON MAKES THE NEWS: You know it’s wet out there when local TV weather people mention impressive rain totals reported in Swanton, the tiny village located east of Davenport, not far from San Mateo County’s southern-most tip. Unfortunately, Swanton and its environs have also been in the news over the years due to severe damage caused by wildfires.

John Horgan has been writing about San Mateo County’s ins and outs, to the tune of an estimated 7 million words in all since 1963, beginning modestly at the defunct Burlingame Advance Star. He can be contacted by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com or via instant messaging on Facebook and Instagram.