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...
All Posts
Neighbors giving back make the world a better place – for themselves, too
CREATING COMMUNITY – Al Crowell arranges speakers and dinners for Sierra Club meetings.Margaret Graf advises the city on senior issues and launched “Senior Power!”Ed Mason monitors Google commuter buses for violations of city regulations.Ellen Zhou searches for seniors to serve on San Francisco’s Civil Grand Jury.Arete Nicholas answers community questions and teaches workshops on gardening.Jerry ...
Experience, maturity give senior volunteers a leg up and new life in San Francisco supervisors’ offices
“It’s good to be around people and around the supervisor. I’m honored to be in his office. This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.” – Nancy Young Jesus Barragan remembers a caller to Supervisor Hillary Ronen’s office who had received a notice from Medicare saying her payments were going to be ...
Kids, parents, grandparents and all kind of trucks: Enjoying the magic at McLaren Park
It was a big day in McLaren Park– warm and sunny – perfect for parents and grandparents to enjoy the magic combination of children and trucks. The Park and Recreation Department’s second annual Big Truck Day, on Oct. 10, drew more than 400 children and nearly as many parents and grandparents. Beeps, hums and roars ...
Homeowner seeks lodger. Renter seeks home share. Home Match puts them together.
Joyce Calagos, 71, a homeowner in the Crocker-Amazon neighborhood of San Francisco, is determined to live out her days in her own home. Social Security isn’t going to cover all her expenses. So, she began looking for a roommate. On the other side of the coin is David Reffkin, 67. He’s looking for a room ...
Accumulating wisdom: from teen Olympian to gay pioneer to new discoveries at 67
From reaching for gold at the Olympics at age 14, and coming out as gay in Portland, Ore., from letting go of a 30-year marriage to walking 500 miles along Spain’s Camino de Santiago, Carolyn Wood has accumulated some wisdom. That was in evidence Tuesday, Aug. 28, at the Institute on Aging, when Wood read ...
Dedicated China volunteer eventually adopts, now hoping for grand-panda kids
Carol Magidson, having no children of her own, adopted a giant panda. And someday, she hopes to be a grand-panda-parent. In the late 1960s, Magidson and her mother went to London specially to see the giant pandas and became entranced. After many trips to China to visit and work in the panda reserves, Magidson,78, adopted ...
