By CLAYTON PARK

The 2001 History House Honors Celebration took place as planned Sept. 25, but with the tragic events of Sept. 11 still fresh in people's minds, the gathering had what History House operations director John Nordstrand described as an "emotional edge" to it.

An estimated crowd of nearly 100 people turned out to help honor the coordinators of the City's 13 Neighborhood Service Centers (also known as "Little City Halls"). Also receiving an award was Carla Main, a former Fremont NSC coordinator who now works with the City's light rail project.

Several local dignitaries were also on hand, including Deputy Mayor Tom Byers, City Councilmembers Richard Conlin and Jan Drago and Department of Neighborhoods director Jim Diers.

The evening coincided with the third anniversary of the grand opening of History House, a museum in Fremont whose mission is preserving the histories of neighborhoods throughout the city. Nordstrand said the purpose of the event was to recognize the contributions of the NSC coordinators, the folks "in the trenches" who act as liaisons between the City and the neighborhoods for which they are responsible.

While the gathering was billed as a celebration, the mood was somewhat subdued in light of the recent events on the East Coast. But many e-mailed the History House afterwards to express their appreciation.

"I can't begin to tell you how honored we all felt," wrote Karen Ko, University District NSC coordinator. "As Jim Diers so aptly described it, being recognized by the people and organizations in the neighborhoods is the bottom line for us. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." (