When Christine Davis took over the Air Systems Foundation in 1997, she thought it would be wild to have a spaceship to put on display at the foundation’s annual car show and other community events. Her husband John Davis, a car enthusiast who founded San Jose-based mechanical contractor Air Systems Inc. in 1974, gave the idea a thumbs-down.
“So I went to the four or five guys who would actually build the thing out of sheet metal and they said, ‘That’s doable,’ ” Christine Davis recalled.
That’s all she needed, and Messenger II — Messenger I is a race car — made its debut that December, delighting visitors for most of the next two decades.
The steel spacecraft has been grounded for more than a decade now, stored behind Air Systems’ headquarters off Story Road in San Jose. Recently hired employees had no clue what it was or what it had been used for, current Air Systems President Will Stringer told me. It was clear Messenger II had reached the end of its long philanthropic mission.
The Messenger II, a sheet-metal spaceship created in 1997 by San Jose firm Air Systems Inc. for its foundation, was retired on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Employees from Air Systems Inc. pose with the Messenger II, a sheet-metal spaceship created in 1997 for the company’s foundation, at its retirement celebration at the company’s San Jose headquarters on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
The Messenger II, a sheet-metal spaceship created in 1997 by San Jose firm Air Systems Inc. for its foundation, flies with the help of a crane to show off its light and smoke effects in this undated photo. (Courtesy Air Systems Foundation)
People tour the Messenger II, a sheet-metal spaceship created in 1997 by San Jose firm Air Systems Inc. for its foundation, in this undated photo. (Courtesy Air Systems Foundation)
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The Messenger II, a sheet-metal spaceship created in 1997 by San Jose firm Air Systems Inc. for its foundation, was retired on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
On Tuesday, Air Systems employees gathered for a celebration of Messenger II’s history and to say farewell to the mock ship, which would be decommissioned and mostly recycled.
Messenger II was a hit from the start, Christine Davis said. The ship would fly through the air — with the help of a Bigge crane — and make a landing complete with light and smoke effects. Emblazoned on its exterior was the message “Building Our Children’s Future.”
Through another bit of trickery, the crew that had supposedly been aboard would climb out of the hatch, put down the gangway and invite curious kids to explore the switches and computer displays inside. In addition to the Air Systems car show, the spaceship would make appearances at other community events like the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy’s Pumpkins in the Park.
Air Systems Foundation has continued its charitable work without the spaceship, granting about $4 million since its inception toward children-centered causes, including providing scholarships and supporting other nonprofits with youth-focused programs including the Children’s Discovery Museum, Bill Wilson Teen Center, Unity Care and Second Harvest Food Bank. Christine Davis recently stepped away as the foundation’s president and has been succeeded in that role by former Air Systems CEO Art Williams, who retired from the company last year.
“It’s sad to see the spaceship go, but everything has its time,” Christine Davis said. “And 30 years is good for a spaceship.”
LAUGHS IN LOS ALTOS: If the current state of the world is bringing you down, there’s good news on the horizon. The Los Altos Stage Company’s Follies fundraiser is back with three nights of satirical comedy and music. The theme, “Make America Laugh Again!,” should give you a good idea where this one is headed.
Chris Reber is back as director, and Follies vet Vicki Reeder returns as a writer and cast member, which means the sketches — poking fun at everything from local politics to Washington, D.C. — are in very good hands. It’s a bit of a “choose your own adventure” when it comes to the performances at the Bus Barn Theater: Sept. 30 is preview night with just the show at $90 ticket, Oct. 1 is “Champagne and Cookies Night” with tickets going for $140 apiece, and Oct. 2 is Gala Night, with a 5 and 8 p.m. performance and a reception at the Los Altos Community Center (and a $190 ticket price).
You’ve also got your pick of emcees: Los Altos Mayor Sally Meadows and Vice Mayor Larry Lang will perform the duties Wednesday; Los Altos Village Association Executive Director Scott Hunter and President Shannon Geary will take the reins on Thursday; and Larry Chu Jr. and former Los Altos Hills Councilmember Courtenay Corrigan take the stage Friday night. You can get tickets and more details at losaltosstage.org.
GENEROUS HARVESTS: The end of summer proved to be a good fundraising season for two Santa Clara Valley nonprofits. Cancer CAREpoint CEO Pam Klaus is thrilled that the agency’s garden party on Aug. 30 raised more than $1.275 million to help fund its free programs and services for Bay Area cancer patients, their families and caregivers.
The event at the Montalvo Center for the Arts in Saratoga was attended by 300 people. Erin Baxter, who co-chaired the event with Sandi Frazer, said. “It was like family, we all came together. I know of no other organization that accomplishes what CCP does in an event, so much passion and care for huge needs in our own backyard.”
And Filoli’s Harvest Gala on Sept. 18, chaired by Maggie Hazelrig and Sharon Seto, brought out 450 people and raised a record $880,000. The historic Woodside estate also announced two $1 million commitments — from David Wollenberg and the Wollenberg Foundation, and San Mateo County, championed by Supervisors Ray Mueller and Jackie Speier — to support its future.
Among the attendees was James Brayton Hall, CEO of The Garden Conservancy, who helped celebrate Filoli’s being awarded the prestigious Jean and John Greene Prize for Excellence in American Gardening, which includes a $45,000 grant for restoration efforts.
OUTDOOR TYPES: By a lot of measures, San Jose Family Camp in Tuolumne County is great way to get into the outdoors during the summer for a reasonable price. But even that price is out of reach for some families, which is why Friends of San Jose Family Camp and Project Hope hosted a fundraiser last year to provide 12 “camperships” for this summer.
They’re doubling down on their success with a goal of sending 24 families to camp next summer through the second annual Wilderness Within Reach fundraiser on Oct. 3. The 4 p.m. event at the Leininger Center at Kelley Park will feature a lasagna dinner, camp-themed games and crafts, a campfire and a silent auction. You can get more information and tickets at www.friendsofsanjosefamilycamp.org.