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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Foster grandparent goes extra mile to help at-risk children – whose determination ‘never fails to amaze’
When Carol Chuo retired in 2017, she decided to “take what I know and turn it into pure fun.” Having spent 23 years working and playing with children as a teacher’s assistant for the San Francisco School District, raising two daughters along with five grandchildren, she volunteered to be a foster grandparent. She said it was ...
Architect with a hankering for history documents the work of earlier Bay Area women in her profession
Inge Schaefer Horton was helping set up an exhibition of the work of European women architects when one of her American friends told her “it is a shame” female architects in the United States had only Julia Morgan as a role model. That was 1987 in San Francisco, when the Organization of Women Architects was ...
‘Wandering bard’ delivers care and calm through ancient tales of adventure and delight, fidelity and hope
Once upon a time, before the written word, there was the oral tradition. Skilled storytellers addressed people’s hopes, fears and dreams by weaving a good tale. “Fairy tales, also known as ‘wisdom tales,’ were told to adults in olden days,” said Olive Hackett-Shaughnessy. “Life was hard and in the magical delight and adventure of ...
Parkinson’s patients gain strength in darkened boxing gyms as well as light, airy ballet studios
Rebecca Lum never thought she’d find herself in a boxing gym. But there she was in a dark room, one wall plastered with pictures of “mean-looking” boxers and heavy metal as background music. But it’s where she first found relief from the stiffness of Parkinson’s Disease. After years searching for a diagnosis for the wild ...
At 86, veteran travel agent still cruising along, with special advice for seniors
When people ask “What’s next?” Martha Nell Beatty responds, “Where’s next?” The consummate world traveler has visited more than 110 countries and five continents in her 86 years and still has many miles to go. When interviewed she had two trips booked back to back — first off to Portland and then to Cabo San Lucas. She’s no vagabond; travel ...
Reframing Aging – ‘Older ≠ Lesser’: City embarks on effort to squash aging stereotypes
If it’s Wednesday, you’ll find 76-year-old Annie Biderman at her Spanish class –unless the retired nurse has decided to go birdwatching or spend extra time working out on the elliptical machine in the basement of her Glen Park home. If it’s Thursday, Susie Tyner, 73, is playing the steel drums in a band she organized, ...
