Warren E Hyde Junior High School (Now Middle School) Namesake

Warren Eugene Hyde was an orchardist of Apricots and Prunes. I have fond memories of playing in the orchards of Cupertino, all throughout childhood -- even as late as high school. I remember when my best friend at the time  circa 1974, ate so many apricots, he got diarrhea so bad, it lasted for days (or at least adding the 'for days' part to the story makes it sound better). The bike ride home was incredibly uncomfortable for him -- burned into my memory.

Warren E. Hyde was born on Nov 9, 1866, 11 years after his brother George, and died at the ripe old age of 90 on July 15, 1957. He is buried in the Madronia Cemetery located at 14766 Oak St. Saratoga.

According to the June 17, 1898 San Francisco Call newspaper, Warren and Mabel Roseveare were married in San Jose on June 14, 1898 by Rev. F.S. Lawrence.

According to Healdsburg Tribune, Number 157, May 13 1926, Warren was Chairman of the voting board of the California Prune and Apricot Growers Inc and re-elected at their annual meeting held in San Jose.

According to the Vasona Branch of the Packing Houses of Santa Clara County, a Wiki for recording and sharing history of fruit-related businesses in Santa Clara Valley.

The California Prune and Apricot Growers (commonly known as Sunsweet) is a long-lived co-operative for prune and apricot growers. Founded in San Jose in 1917, the company adapted to changes in marketing and in the locations of the crops. The company has also handled prune and apricot-related products, including canned prunes^[1], prune juice, and apricot pit oil^[2]. The company is currently based in Yuba City.

The association was started in the spring of 1917. Early management included Frank Coykendall (who sold his Andrews and Coykendall Ham Company to avoid conflicts of interest) and office manager Samuel Squibb^[3].

The co-operative initially served only for negotiating and marketing, but relied on independent packers to actually handle the crop. For the 1917 season, the association got commitments from farmers producing 75% of that year’s crop. Forty-five packers around the state were signed up to actually handle the crop. The San Jose list includes many of the smaller dried fruit packers^[4]:

Last, but not least, Warren had an older brother, George who passed away in 1933. I wonder if George had lived into 1957, we might have gone to the George E. Hyde Jr. High School, instead of Warren Eugene Hyde. We know more about George than we do Warren.

For more about George see George_E._Hyde

George E. Hyde was an orchardist and businessman, best known for his George E. Hyde & Company cannery in Campbell.

George E. Hyde was born in 1855 in California, was a machinist foreman for the California Rolling Mills in 187x, and was married and had his first son in 1880 according to the census. The family lived at 225 Shotwell Street out in the Mission District. "Campbell the Orchard City" said he moved to Benecia in 1882, then to Saratoga in 1886. In 1900, he was listed as an orchardist. He was also listed in the San Francisco Call 1900 list of delivery spots for California Cured Fruit Association on the "west side" of the Santa Clara Valley. Hyde was active in local boosterism; he shows up in San Francisco Call 1902 as part of improvement society trying to get railroad linking Cupertino to Mountain View, and represented San Jose Chamber of Commerce in visit to LA in 1903^[1]

A 1906 city directory shows him as a manager at the Rosenberg Brothers plant in San Jose; he was manager when the Ryland Street plant burned on November 10,1906. A 1910 City Directory lists his residence as Prospect Road; in the same directory, George E. Hyde & Company was a fruit packer near the SP depot, managing with Ruel K. Thomas. (Thomas shows up as owner of Campbell Realty in 1911.)

George Hyde also did land development, such as the Alice Ave housing and the industrial area on Dillon. Warren Hyde was George E. Hyde's younger brother.

George Hyde died on June 27, 1933after a long illness.

Preserving THE PAST / Great-grandson of Campbell cannery founder has jam-making in his blood (2002)

An article about great-grandson Jerry Hyde noted^[2]

"In the early part of the 20th century, Hyde's great-grandfather George started the Sunnyside Ranch in Campbell, amassing hundreds of acres of apricots, prunes and peaches. By 1914, he had a cannery and drying yard to process his own fruit and others. The Southern Pacific Railroad track ran alongside, providing passengers, in season, with a captivating view of 25,000 fruit-drying trays."

"A progressive employer, Hyde built a cafeteria and social building for his workers and a day nursery and playground for their children. Hyde, the family historian, still has some of the vividly colored fruit labels and a panoramic picture of the cannery with employees in front."

"Like many others, the cannery business did not survive the Depression. Sunsweet, the growers association, owned it for some years. During the early 1960s, during Hyde's college years, the Santa Clara Valley began the transition out of agriculture that is virtually complete today. The former cannery now houses offices, but the original sign on the building remains."