Cricket Rubino
Community
Leader with
a “Can Do”
Spirit
J
anice Hathaway was born in
1947 in Sacramento, California.
She moved to Morgan Hill in the
1970s, married her true love, and made
it her life’s work to enrich the lives of
the youth and seniors in our community.
She is one of the most cheerful, can-
do people you’ll ever meet. And chances
are you have met her, but you know her
better as Cricket.
“My given name is pronounced ‘Ja
NEES.’ People always had trouble with
it. My grandmother began calling me
Cricket and the name stuck.”
Cricket’s father, John Hathaway,
made boilers for the trains that carried
passengers and freight along the
Southern Pacific Railroad. Her mother
Joyce worked for Crocker Bank (before
it became Wells Fargo) and retired as a
bank vice president.
Music was part of the Hathaway
household. John was immersed in it, Jim
played drums, their mom was musical,
and for Cricket, it would become a
theme throughout her life.
“In high school I joined the drum
and bugle corps, which got me into
music, marching and pageantry. I
learned to write music and sang with
an a capella choir. I might not have
tried any of it if my brother John hadn’t
encouraged me.”
In fact, while John was at San Jose
State University, he befriended a fellow
student, Mike Rubino. They were both
on active duty in the Air Force Reserve
and played in the Governor’s band.
100
Written By Robin Shepherd
“One day John asked if I’d go out
with his friend Mike. When I hesitated,
he said, ‘C’mon, we’ll double date!’”
Cricket, who was 22 at the time, said
she was “definitely smitten.”
According to Mike, “She was
beautiful, and we both had this connec-
tion with music and pageantry. We hit it
off from the start.”
For the three years they had a long-
distance relationship. Cricket lived in
Sacramento, attended Heald Business
College and worked part time at a bank.
Mike lived in San Martin and taught
Music, Choir and Band at Live Oak High
School in Morgan Hill.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
WINTER 2020
After college, Cricket worked in the
trust department at Wells Fargo. She
was soon transferred to the bank’s San
Jose office where she worked in their
real estate department and then with
the bank officers as platform secretary.
“It’s funny. I spent more than a
decade in banking but never really
worked with money!”
Cricket and Mike married in 1974
and celebrated the births of their
daughter Brandi in 1977 and son Mike,
Jr. (Mikey) in 1980. She traded her
banking career for the chance to be at
home and involved with their kids.
While her kids were enrolled at PA
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