Life in the Later Lane
Playwright Lynne Kaufman, the author of two dozen plays and five novels, is still going strong, despite some hiccups
The day after Lynne Kaufman retired in 2005, she woke up in tears. “What had I done?”...
A win for people power: Supervisors and mayor restore millions of dollars in cut to services for city’s most vulnerable
A months-long campaign by advocates for seniors, the disabled and other vulnerable populations has convinced San Francisco's...
Following in the footsteps of heroes: My visit to the cradles of Civil Rights
SF SENIORBEAT COLUMN – March 17, 1886. A date you probably never considered. Carroll County, Mississippi. A...
Couple’s script for their own movie? Shared creative passions and a bent for banter
“I'm Chiquita Banana, and I'm here to say, bananas have to ripen in a certain way,” Margot...
Social justice lawyer and activist infusing others with her love of SF’s Great Blue Herons and dedication to conservation
One day in 1993, on her daily walk from her Richmond District home to Golden Gate Park’s...
Nonprofit director is happy to bug you, whether you’re 2 or 92, about saving the wild
If you grow up in Los Angeles, where do you find the wild? Norm Gershenz is not...
Bass playing lawyer takes on the landlords when seniors call for help
During the day, you’ll find Thomas Drohan in court or at his law office on Mission Street....
Former SFSU teacher shifts to helping union workers build leadership abilities
Like some people need coffee, Joan Wong needs to walk – and talk. Mornings, she puts in...
Joe Edley, a three-time national champion, has been racking up great Scrabble scores for decades
Joe Edley tucks his co-authored book, “Everything Scrabble,” under his arm and surveys the room. Around him,...
Robert Wachter, the doctor who is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to treat patients
Robert Wachter is the doctor who oversees all the other doctors at the University of California, San...
Couple beat ‘fast furniture,’ pandemic and other challenges to keep upholstery shop going for nearly 50 years
J & G Upholstery stretches back farther than it looks from the sidewalk on Balboa Street. Stacks...
As the city’s older population swells, seniors who can no longer live at home face high costs, limited choices
EDITOR'S NOTE: See full profiles of the seniors interviewed by clicking links within the story. A panoply...
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KCSM jazz man has been a nightclub owner, Oakland Raiders player , reporter and marriage counselor – but music is what makes his soul sing
It’s a typical Saturday morning for Sonny Buxton. He’s up early, fixes himself a bowl of oatmeal and gathers up a stack of CDs he’s going to play during his morning broadcast at KCSM. By 8.45, his son is at the door of his South San Francisco home, and they drive to the College of ...
Parklets are the latest focus of veteran San Francisco transit activist, who highlights barriers to seniors and those with disabilities
A friend said that to understand activist Bob Planthold one might be best advised to start by watching “Crip Camp,” the film backed by the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions that documents the rise of the disability rights movement. With its theme of “Nothing about us without us” – a protest against policy that affects the ...
WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? I resurrected a relationship with an old friend: the piano.
For me, the pandemic emphasized life is short, and time is precious. It’s not like I didn’t already know that; it’s just that the pandemic brought my feelings into sharp focus. I began thinking what I could do within my control at this late stage of my life that could bring me pleasure and satisfaction? ...
Many ‘angels’ guided gay activist through life’s turmoils, and eventually, to executive roles in counseling and social responsibilty
When he was 15, Duff Axsom said, he met “one of the most important people in my life.” It was Genevieve Fiore, women’s rights and peace activist, and the founder of the Colorado Division of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A member of one of the UNESCO Youth Clubs, he met ...
One of nation’s first, ordained female Presbyterian ministers can’t stop doing what she thinks is right
Every Thursday afternoon before 5 p.m., the Rev. Glenda Hope picks up her Black Lives Matter sign and walks over to Geneva Avenue for her weekly vigil. Within a few minutes, neighbors and friends arrive, hoisting their signs. While some drivers honk, most do not. “Still, it makes a difference,” she said. Hope has devoted ...
Storied San Francisco dance school owes its existence to a feisty wife whose legacy is a dance “family” of 70 years
The trajectory of Micky Powell’s career path was lovingly set over 40 years ago by her mother, a professional ballet and Armenian folk dancer. When Ruth Jevarian retired in 1974, she turned her Inner Sunset District school, Star Dance Studio, over to her daughter. “It was a natural thing; the studio was in the basement,” ...
