Life in the Later Lane
Former art galley president helps people craft their deepest feelings in ‘lasting letters’ to loved ones
Looking out at Monterey Bay from Santa Cruz early one morning last year, a pair of silhouetted...
September 1, 2026
S.F. protest’s Tin Man has a history of making good trouble on behalf of empathy and kindness
Arthur Persyko loves to make trouble. The good kind, that is. As a young man, he protested...
August 24, 2026
Born to dance: Tammy Thornton struts her stuff with the Warriors’ senior dance team
It’s game night at San Francisco’s Chase Center and the Golden State Warriors are not the only...
August 10, 2026
Childhood bond with an older neighbor steered law officer’s choice of career and community work
A tarnished silver coin from 1964, likely worth only $10 to any dealer, reminds Richard Lyons Corriea...
August 2, 2026
As a teacher, playwright & screenwriter, Cary Pepper has lots of inside Hollywood info to share
You probably stream most of your movies. But if you happen to rent a film on old-style...
July 15, 2026
All-women punk band still on stage thanks to leader’s career, which started in a mortuary
Invite Klara Lux somewhere, and she’ll always show up early – except on the rare occasion when...
July 6, 2026
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?”...
June 29, 2026
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...
June 4, 2026
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...
May 28, 2026
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...
April 14, 2026
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...
All Posts
S.F. Deputy marriage commissioner: a busy job basking in the happiness of others
Officiating weddings at San Francisco City Hall can be a busy, busy job. But the reward: basking in the happiness of others. City Hall marriages are performed by trained volunteers, called deputy marriage commissioners. Last year, about 30 performed over 9,000 weddings. Ceremonies start as early as 9 a.m. and continue through 4 p.m. weekdays, ...
Retired hospital nutrition scientist savors new challenges as an art museum docent
Carol Porter was conducting a docent tour in the American collection of the deYoung Museum when a married couple of Iranian descent, recent emigres, asked her a question. “What is the difference between Protestants and Catholics?” She answered the question to the best of her ability, trying to keep it concise in deference to her ...
Later-in-life learners credit Project Read, national one-on-one tutoring project
Ollie Smith grew up in the rural south. School wasn’t easy for him and he dropped out at the end of fourth grade to work on the family farm. In 1967, Smith and his wife moved to San Francisco, where he drove a truck and found a job in construction. He was a good worker ...
Casual Bohemian fits this former social worker, now Zydeco dance teacher
FASHIONISTAS – Casual Bohemian is this 70-year-old’s style. Julia Scott-Jackson, formerly a social worker, is now a Zydeco dancer and teacher. Her hobby is portrait photography. She lives in Pacific Heights. Her favorite places to shop are the Gift Shop at Mt. Zion and Citrine on Fillmore.
New literary & art review showcases the works of Osher Lifelong Learning students
A suburban yogi signs up for a spiritual experience, but gets a little more spirit than he’d bargained for. A young man hitches a ride from an older Texan in 1968 and prepares himself for the inevitable clash of viewpoints. A young woman from Indiana who settled in San Francisco in 1968 remembers her precarious ...
Creating Community – From San Francisco to Japan, officials embracing programs to build human connections, curb isolation
CREATING COMMUNITY – In his younger years, Charles Francis was fearless and unconventional, open to trying new things, many of which he recounted in his memoir, “Encounters.” A writer and photographer for NASA and the Veterans Administration, he would regale his friends with stories of his travels and the unusual people he met. Now 92, ...
