To Tulancingo, with love To Tulancingo, with love (November 11, 2005)

A relationship that has lasted for more than 22 years
by Jerri Long

A small sign on the western post of the Pleasanton arch says, "Tulancingo, Mexico: 2,300 miles," with an arrow pointing south. That might sound very far away, but to dozens of Pleasanton residents, the route has become a shortcut to lifelong friendships.

Over the past 22 years, delegations from Pleasanton and Tulancingo have been exchanging visits as a meaningful part of the international sister city program. Bob Athenour, co-founder of the Pleasanton-Tulancingo Sister City Association, had a specific goal in mind when he sought out a sister city for Pleasanton: "We wanted to tear down the stereotypes on both sides of the border," he told volunteers at Museum On Main just prior to the opening of the current special exhibit titled, "Hands Across the Border," which highlights the sister city relationship.

But first, just the right city had to be found. In 1982, Athenour and the other co-founder of PTSCA, Steve Noble, had begun discussing with city leaders the concept of a sister city in Mexico. Athenour, who taught Spanish at Amador Valley High School and also was a travel agent, began searching for a city similar in size to Pleasanton, and also one off the tourist track in Mexico. A friend told him of a place 60 miles northeast of Mexico City in the state of Hidalgo, so Athenour detoured in January 1983 to check it out.

"I saw Tulancingo, and, as far as I was concerned, that was it," he recalls. Like Pleasanton, Tulancingo is located in a valley. In those days, one of Pleasanton's main businesses was The Cheese Factory, and Tulancingo also had a cheese factory and was surrounded by agricultural areas.

On his return to Pleasanton, Athenour reported his find. Mayor Bob Butler sent an official letter to Tulancingo's mayor, Eric Saucedo, asking if his community would be interested in a formal sister city affiliation. They were, and each city drafted proclamations to make the alliance official. On July 31, 1983, the first delegation from Pleasanton headed south, bearing gifts for Tulancingo, including local wines and cheese, a painting of our downtown and a clock engraved with the names of the 14 adult delegates.

The visitors were overwhelmed by the generous hospitality they were shown by their Mexican hosts. The guests were wined and dined and given tours of Tulancingo's 1816 cathedral, the ancient pyramids of the Sun and Moon and the modern satellite Earth station -- the only one in Mexico. Before they returned, the Pleasanton visitors were hugging their Tulancingo hosts like family members, making plans for the return visit. They in turn opened their homes to a delegation of 17 Tulancingo visitors Sept. 19-23 that year, and so the pattern was established.

By 1985, PTSCA invited high school students who had taken at least two years of Spanish to apply for a youth exchange program. Now five teenagers travel to Mexico each June, bringing back with them their "brothers and sisters" for a Pleasanton visit in July.

"After participating in the Tulancingo (exchange) program this past summer, I find it hard to tell others about my experience," confesses Natalie Kleffman, a senior at Foothill High School who went on the Tulancingo student exchange program. "It is the feeling of complete and total security in a foreign country. And it is making friends in two months that you feel closer to than people you've known for two years."

Many projects and gifts have impacted both cities. Visiting delegations have brought so many gifts to Pleasanton that a special Tulancingo Room was established at City Hall in 1993. PTSCA member Corrinne Maviridis has helped to curate the exhibit that includes tapestries, paintings, handmade clothing and a 15-foot fiberglass statue.

Pleasanton has also found many ways to help its sister city, including donating police and firefighting equipment, providing wheelchairs to the needy and refurbishing Asilo de San Jose, a shelter for girls ages 6-15. But perhaps the most dramatic effort of "Hands Across the Border" came after a flood in October 1999 inundated 70 percent of Tulancingo and the surrounding area.

"There was six feet of water on Main Street," recalls Athenour, "and more than 150,000 were left homeless." He tells with pride how the PTSCA Relief Fund quickly reached $57,790. "We organized it so that every bit of the money went to where it was needed," he reports, noting that volunteers quickly distributed 104 blankets, 85 mattresses, 89 jackets, 50 sets of kitchen utensils, 42 two-burner stoves, 50 cases of water, 15 pairs of firemen's boots and 164 elementary school uniforms.

"The true beauty of the program is what can't be explained," Kleffman said. "It is the feeling of unconditional love from people who were strangers a month ago."

Other sister cities

Watch for future articles about our sister city links with Blairgowrie, Scotland and Fergus, Canada.
A taste of Tulancingo

What: "Hands Across the Border" exhibit featuring 22 years of art, gifts and memories celebrating the sister city relationship between Pleasanton and Tulancingo

Where: Museum On Main, 803 Main Street

When: Open through December 1. Museum is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday-Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

How: $2 donation
Upcoming events

PTSCA is holding its third annual POSADA celebration 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 18 at the Veterans Memorial Building, 301 Main St. POSADA is a traditional Christmas celebration practiced in Mexico and Latin America countries that depicts the journey of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem to await the birth of Jesus. This interactive program will feature school children from Pleasanton telling the story in song and verse. In keeping with tradition, a candy-filled pi–atas will be provided for the children. Call Pat Murray at 846-2673 or Jorge Victoria at 462-6723 for additional information.
Want to get involved?

Find out about becoming part of the Pleasanton-Tulancingo Sister City Association by visiting www.ptsca.org online or by calling Bob Athenour at 846-2966. Who knows? You may find yourself making a 2,300-mile journey to begin new friendships.

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