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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Colorful couple share passion for tango – and thrift shopping
Elaine and Carlos Lucha, married for 27 years, share a passion for tango – and shopping vintage, consignment and thrift shops, one of their favorite past-times. “We can get just as good or better at slashed prices,” she said. Carlos is also an artist, who likes to paint his shoes, ties, you name it in ...
Chinatown native and tour guide is a history whiz who helps local filmmakers
Despite growing up in the neglected ghetto of San Francisco’s Chinatown, where most Chinese lived until the 1940s, Dorothy Quock extols its vibrant history and culture in her work today. For the past 28 years, Quock, now 85, has been working for Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours, leading small groups of tourists through its mysterious alleys ...
Maintaining that ‘je ne c’est qua’ into age 60 and beyond
SENIOR FASHIONISTA – Mark Allan Davis, 57, is a musical theater specialist born in Rochester, N.Y. He says his work in dance and theatre took him to Europe, where he learned that “being fashionable and being stylish aren’t mutually inclusive. I collect clothes, then get rid of them, then look for new bargains. Successfully, I ...
Obstacles prove plenty for active woman when a wheelchair enters her life
Peggy Coster’s life at 69 is full and busy. But hers requires a lot more planning – and patience than most people’s. At the age of 39, after having lived a relatively healthy existence, she was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome. Since then, she has had to rely on a wheelchair to get around. And sometimes ...
Pop-Up pairs ‘perennials’ and millennials for conversation– and possible friendships
CREATING COMMUNITY – Manny’s cafe on the corner of 16th and Valencia streets was noisy and crowded. Scattered among the predominant millennials were a handful of perennials – a new term for seniors, as in enduring or existing for a long time – who nervously waited for the announced event to begin. Most of us ...
Matching outfits for him and his sister inspired lifelong interest in fashion
Jerry W. Brown describes his style as “I don’t like paying full price.” So he always picks his clothes from items on sale. SENIOR FASHIONISTA – Actually, his interest in clothing all came from his mother,” he said. “Me and my sister always had matching outfits for church. She hated it but I loved it.” ...
