School Name Stories: On Tuesday, May 9, 2017 the Milpitas Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously to name three educational sites for historic Milpitas residents: Mabel Mattos, former Milpitas Mayor Ben Gross and Josephine Guerrero.
Milpitas People and Places
School Name Stories
Three Educational Sites Named for Historic Milpitas Residents
Mabel Mattos Elementary SchoolNew Milpitas Elementary School on McCandless Drive Named for Mabel Mattos
The Board also voted to name the location of the Milpitas Unified School District and the San Jose-Evergreen College District extension buildings for former Milpitas Mayor Ben Gross, a civil rights and union activist, who became Milpitas’ first black city councilman, and in 1966, California’s first black mayor of a sizeable city. He was also instrumental in the development of the Sunnyhills housing development, the first successful integrated housing development in California.
Mabel Mattos Elementary School
Dedication on August 7, 2018
On Tuesday, August 7, the Milpitas Unified School District held the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mabel Mattos Elementary School, the first new school since Milpitas High School was built 48 years ago.
Born in Madera, CA, Mabel Mattos grew up in a farming family in the hills east of Milpitas. She was one of the earliest members of the Milpitas Historical Society and one of the most valuable contributors to the knowledge we have today of the events and people of early Milpitas. She was also one of the founding members of the Green Thumb Garden Club and was active in many other groups in the Milpitas community.
Mabel Mattos's Family and School Principal Jackie Vo-FelbingerMabel’s family attended the ceremony: (l-r) her son Jim, granddaughters Sarah and Emily, daughter-in-law Karen, and grandson Jim Jr, with new Mabel Mottos School Principal Jackie Vo-Felbinger second from right. Jim gave a moving talk about his mother Mabel, and the new principal spoke about the bright future for the K-2 students who will be the first classes at the new school.
Milpitas Unified School District and
San Jose-Evergreen College Extensions
Named for Milpitas Mayor Ben Gross
They voted to name the future elementary school on McCandless Drive for Mabel Mattos (1923-2013), one of the earliest and most contributory members of the Milpitas Historical Society. Mabel joined the Society as soon as it was formed in 1980 and contributed her great knowledge of local history to many of its projects. Her kindness and interest in sharing all of her knowledge is remembered by all who knew her.
In addition to Mabel’s son, Jim, Harriett McGuire, longtime member and officer of the Society and Mabel’s niece, Margaret Rodrigues, also spoke in admiration of Mabel Mattos and in gratitude to the Board for choosing to honor her in this way.
Family Resource Center at
Robert Randall Elementary School
Named for Josephine Guerrero
A third site, the Family Resource Center at the Robert Randall Elementary School, was voted to be named for Josephine Guerrero (1920-2016), a local businesswoman and strong supporter of the Milpitas Library, who was the first assistant postmaster of Milpitas, served on the Planning Commission, was president of the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce, and founded the Milpitas Business and Professional Woman’s Club.