Life in the Later Lane
Free speech and anti-war activist Sue Trupin found her niche caring for AIDS patients and supporting black grandmothers
Sue Trupin spent more than a decade living in a countercultural enclave in Canyon, a community in...
She’s a photographer and a flamenco dancer who fights to reduce maternal deaths in poor countries around the world
The difficulties that pregnant women face in impoverished parts of the world can seem overwhelming. But Stacey...
Cathedral Hill doctor became a leader in the treatment and prevention of AIDS.
As a boy, James Campbell spent after-school hours in his mother’s lab. Ruth Campbell was a doctor,...
Through one-man performances, son of Holocaust survivor shares history with high school students
It’s a shocking and head-spinning image: A Jew in a German officer’s uniform is being ministered to...
Being an ‘old soul’ isn’t just about age but an attitude – best nurtured by intergenerational contact
SF SENIORBEAT GUEST COLUMN – There’s a corner of Gen Z internet culture that has popularized the...
How a dedicated teacher of young children became a dedicated civic volunteer.
Sharon Yow’s father drove a truck and tried his hand at farming. Her mother worked a switchboard...
Famed boogie-woogie pianist embroiders her performances with her own hand-crafted art
Caroline Dahl has never forgotten the glamorous, red-haired woman in a sequined dress she saw at a...
The biggest, best walk – and bath of a lifetime.
Tina Martin SENIORBEAT GUEST COLUMN – I love San Francisco, and I love to walk. So when...
‘So hard, all the losses and pain:’ Personal and world tragedies led daughter of Holocaust survivors to life of helping others help others
Juliet Rothman was living in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1992 when her 21-year-old son Daniel attempted a double...
Rock ‘n’ roll and diamonds shaped the life of Arthur Indenbaum
By the time he was 12, Arthur Indenbaum had been playing the piano for four years and...
A lucky phone call steered him into a 54-year career as a shipping executive.
Tony Hanley felt stuck. He’d flunked out of San Francisco City College and was working at an...
He rode the rails, he slept on the streets, Kevin Fagan spent decades reporting on the homeless for the San Francisco Chronicle
It's a Friday night at Chief Sullivan’s, an Irish-themed bar in North Beach, and The Irish Newsboys...
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Former NBA star can credit talent, team-first philosophy for success from USF Dons to Knicks and Bulls to USF director job
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 ...
Spanish-speaking child in ‘English Only’ era becomes school principal and champion for bi-lingual education and community
Pilar Mejia was born 74 years ago in a small town in Ecuador. As the first grandchild on her mother’s side, she received a lot of attention. “Even at that young age, I recited poetry and was cheery and outgoing.” But that changed when she was six and her family moved to southern California. Although ...
Fascination with the subconscious leads woman through two dreamy careers
Much to the chagrin of her schoolmates, she was the girl in the front row with her hand always in the air — asking questions. Naomi Epel is a self-starter driven by abundant curiosity. The questions she has been asking as an adult are about dreams and the subconscious. “Every dream has multiple levels of ...
Former Gap exec aims to democratize organic food, starting with her line of granola and crackers test
Over 30 years, Theresa Petry vaulted up the rungs of retail, from vice president at Restoration Hardware to director of merchandising at the Gap. She oversaw retail stores that spanned the U.S. – Mervyns, TravelSmith, Joyus.com – most with a focus on fashion. “I was successful throughout my career in retail and in each job ...
Photographer finds cheer and sees art in the colorful combinations of clothing and masks he encounters
Randall Whitehead thrives on beauty and creativity – in the objects, people and environments that surround him. He’s an award-winning architectural lighting designer and author who lives in a magnificently decorated – and lighted – home on Potrero Hill that’s been featured in several magazines. He’s worked his magic on the homes of celebrities, including ...
Maker of hand-printed books faces an unraveling, then begins to read the hidden thread in her own story
Like so many young people, Leigh McLellan had not clearly fixed on a career when she entered college. A course in graduate school piqued her passion for creating hand-printed books. It was a career she pursued for 15 years – before suddenly giving it up. McLellan, like many young people, had more to discover about ...







