When Hillbrook middle school students hit the streets of downtown San Jose in spring of 2018 as part of a “Reach Beyond Week” exploration of the history and future of the Silicon Valley city, they had an impressive tour guide: former San Jose mayor and current Hillbrook grandparent Tom McEnery (grandfather to Emma in 5th grade and Izzy in 2nd grade). McEnery was mayor of San Jose from 1983 to 1991 and is credited with revitalizing the city’s downtown. During McEnery’s two-terms in office, he brought the light rail into downtown and oversaw the construction of many of San Jose’s most iconic features such as the Arena, the Tech Museum of Innovation, the Fairmont Hotel, the Children’s Discovery Museum, and the McEnery Convention Center, which is named in his honor. His influence on San Jose is still felt today. Looking back at his productive terms in office McEnery says, “People in San Jose deserve the best: good museums, good schools, theaters, sporting events, a good police department, and they didn’t have that. I had the ability to be the leader of a city that was ready to move forward and create a better San Jose.”
Though no longer an elected official, this father of three and grandfather of six is still involved in San Jose and passionate about its history, as well as its future. When he met with Hillbrook students studying the city for their “Reach Beyond” deep dive, McEnery helped connect San Jose’s history of industrious and visionary business and civic leaders with its position today as the epicenter of innovation. He talked about the importance of civic engagement, which he learned from his father, and led students through two important pieces of San Jose: the Peralta Adobe, which was built in 1797, and the Fallon House, built in 1855 by an early mayor of San Jose, Thomas Fallon. McEnery told students that the story of San Jose is the story of America: “This valley is what America is – a place where hopes and dreams have a chance of being fulfilled. No place else have they been fulfilled as well as this valley. People in this valley changed the world. Bill Hewlett, David Packard, Gordon Moore, A.P. Giannini, Paul Masson, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and so many others. They weren’t always successful, but dreams seem to have a better chance here than anywhere else in the world.”
Asked what today’s students need in order to be successful tomorrow, McEnery points to Hillbrook’s core value, “take risks.” He reflects, “Hillbrook’s efforts to inspire kids to take risks and color a bit outside the lines speaks to me because finding success requires risking failure. You have to be willing to go for it, and that is what people in this valley have done for generations.” As McEnery looks to the future of San Jose and the Silicon Valley, he says we may not yet know what the next generation of jobs will be, but knowing how to think, how to work with others, how to listen, and how to lead will always be necessary, “Look at the type of people who have been drawn to this valley, true pioneers in technology, medicine, agriculture, and business; it all happened in this valley. Nowhere are we better equipped to handle the challenges of the future than right here in Silicon Valley because we understand you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to go for it.”
Though he loves history, McEnery is always moving forward. He remains active in numerous San Jose and Silicon Valley business efforts. He is an owner of the San Pedro Square Market, a bustling hall filled with food vendors and local purveyors, as well as the Irish Innovation Center, and Silicon Valley Global in Downtown San Jose, which houses and funds start-up technology ventures. McEnery has served on the Board of Directors of the San Jose Sharks; he helped start the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, and co-founded San Jose Inside, a website devoted to the culture and politics of San Jose. McEnery has also written two plays, Swift Justice and A Statue for Bill Clinton, as well as a book, The New City State: Change and Renewal in America’s Cities, published in 1994. Additionally, McEnery has taught at Stanford, and at his alma mater, Santa Clara University, and says it is among his most rewarding work; “I loved engaging with students and being challenged by them. To me, education is all about how you capture a person’s mind and inspire them to learn, whether that’s in grammar school or graduate school. Teachers play such an important role in our lives, encouraging and inspiring us. I’m grateful and still remember all the teachers along the way who influenced me.”
McEnery is delighted by the education his granddaughters, Emma and Izzy, are receiving at Hillbrook. He’s been on campus several times for Grandparents and Special Friends Day among other events, and says each time Hillbrook impresses; “Emma and Izzy are always reading something great or engaged in a project of interest at Hillbrook. I think Hillbrook does a great job of teaching kids how to think and to ask questions. Beyond that, it’s also an incredibly happy place full of caring people, and that’s great, too.” And as for his job as “Grandpa” of six he says, “It’s a delight. It’s the best. I am lucky to have them close by where I can spoil them. I also really enjoy watching my children parent. I worried about whether anything we did sunk in, and I can see that it has because they are just incredible.”
Tom McEnery is a visionary…while he sees things as they are he also sees possibility and what the future can be and moves in that direction with strength and purpose.