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More Cross Roads Letters
Dear Editor,
Although a couple of years past teenager in the 1950s, I fully empathize with the Santa Cruz High students of that decade who have written to the Santa Cruz City Council and the Sentinel asking that the former Cross Roads Drive-In in the Depot Park development be preserved.Truly symbolic of mid-20th Century teenage culture and verifiably typical of drive-in restaurant architecture of that era, the Cross Roads ought to be designated as a local historical landmark.The council's announced decision to demolish the Cross Roads reminds one, on a much smaller scale of course, of the Taliban's destruction of the 1500-year-old stone Buddha statues in Afghanistan last year. Whether one ascribes it to fanatical religious fervor or obdurate political dogma, neither decision makes sense from a historical perspective.Santa Cruzans genuinely interested in maintaining vestiges of ALL definable cultures and eras of our local heritage for future generations to experience and enjoy should want this singular remnant of the '50s preserved. Too often one culture's icon becomes the next culture's rubble.Even though our local daily newspaper has not seen fit to print the dozens of letters from 1950s' SCHS students from throughout the U.S. who want the drive-in saved and made part of Depot Park's new museum project, the issue has received wider recognition. For example, the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., made the plight of the Cross Roads its "Story of the Week" in the May 3 on-line edition of Preservation Magazine headlined, At A Crossroads: A California City Longs For Its Small-Town Past.I was a frequent customer of the Cross Roads, whose owners displayed an uncanny knack for hiring personable and efficient young employees -- some of whom were my students at Santa Cruz High School, where I taught U.S. History from 1951 to 1985.
Yours Truly,
Sharmon Nash, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Dear Editor: 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.
Tony Pepper, Newton, Mass., Class of '56
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