Becky Gordon made lanyards holding keys and charms in the Girl Scouts. In college, she taught herself to crochet and made necklaces of fine gold thread and beads. After moving to San Francisco in 1975, she became an avid quilter and fabric collector. “As far back as I can remember I’ve done some sort of ...
Valerie Watson started dance lessons at age four and a half. At nine, she created her own choreography, charging friends a nickel for Saturday morning tap classes. “My parents didn’t know that by giving me dance lessons they were preparing me to follow my destiny,” she said. Now 80, she’s still dancing. “As long as ...
At an early age, Wendy Bertrand developed a fascination with the use of space in and around buildings, particularly the out of the ordinary. It all started with sleeping arrangements in her childhood and summers spent in Mexico. When she was six, her divorced mother bought a vintage 1918 cottage in La Jolla, Calif. Initially, ...
On a video tribute friends made to celebrate her 90th birthday this year, one of them called Shelley Fernandez a “warrior for service.” Fernandez has dedicated her life to helping others. She was an innovative educator for disadvantaged youth, a women’s rights activist, a promoter of judo in San Francisco and internationally, a founder of ...
In high school, his favorite sport was baseball. But when he watched a teammate hit a big home run over the right field fence, he knew he didn’t have that in him. He turned to basketball, grew to love the game – and reached stardom. Over a more than 30-year career in professional basketball, Bill ...
Her father joked that Maureen McVerry came out of the womb and took a bow. The third girl born to the family in three years seemed destined to be in the spotlight. “At five, I sang ‘St. Louis Woman’ in a show and nailed it,” McVerry said, “and I wasn’t nervous at all.” From her ...
