Al Werry

From Palo Alto Wiki

Al Werry was born in Mayfield (now the California Avenue district of Palo Alto) in 1889, and once had the distinction of being the oldest living Palo Alto native.

Werry attended the old Palo Alto High School on Channing Avenue until the 1906 earthquake "knocked the pudding" out of the school. Never one for school, he attended a technical academy, then became an electrician's apprentice. In 1911, Werry went into business for himself as an electrician in downtown Palo Alto.

Werry is best remembered as the owner of Werry Electric, which remained a downtown business until 1985. A devoted family man, Werry and his wife Frederika raised three children here: Alfred Jr., Ellen (now Bergren) and Kathryn (now Childress). He always maintained that he had "a peach of a life."

According to an interview conducted in 1994 as a part of the Palo Alto Centennial, in Werry's opinion, Palo Alto peaked in 1914, and has been going downhill ever since. Nevertheless, he "enjoyed watching the changes from horse and buggies to trolley cars and automobiles on University Avenue." His own first car, a Ford he bought for $560, had one major annoyance for Werry. "The car had all these darn arms that were in the way, and I couldn't sit close to my girl." He also remembers scratching out a living during the Depression. "It was tough, but we made it," he said.