This morning I checked my Gmail, took a quick look at Metroblogging San Jose, and then glanced at MercuryNews.com. What caught my eye was the story about a house fire near White and McKee Roads.

I lived in that neighborhood in the early 70s, and as I read the article it brought a flood of memories. The house that is now destroyed had belonged to one of my neighbors. Though Mr. Tanner, the gentleman who lived there, and I never spoke he would always wave as I passed by with my young son.

Mr. Tanner had a presence, an easy self-assurance that could be felt on our streets. I had heard rumors that he had been a policeman, but I didn’t know the rest of the story…Francis Carl Tanner Jr., was the first black police officer in San Jose, and from what I have now learned, one of the best. We moved across town in 1979 and I didn’t hear of Officer Tanner’s death in 1991.

This morning, standing in front of the Tanner home, my thoughts were with Mr. Tanner’s wife and daughter during this tragedy.