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CHANGING OF THE GUARD! by Mary Moore Gaines
 Stepping forward into the leadership role for 2010 is former Chair of Marketing, Gayle Geary (right) as President . She will be ably assisted by:
- Mary Moore Gaines, Immediate Past President
- Aurele Carlat, Vice President
- Nina Huebsch, Secretary
- David Berg, Treasurer
- Board members
- Eva Auchincloss
- Lynne Fox
- Jack Herndon
- Claudia Lewis
- Jeff Maltz
- Susan Poor
- Steve Taber
- Glady Thacher
From the bottom of my heart I thank the Board, the officers, key volunteers, donors and members for all you have done to make this first year, and a difficult year it has been, such a grand success. SFV has come a long way, with of course still a long way to go, to realize our vision to nourish, enrich, and enhance the experience of aging in our community with a membership that reflects the diversity of our city.
Special thanks to Jack Herndon and Eva Auchincloss, our Founding Treasurer and Secretary, respectively. We couldn’t have done it without you!
I am anticipating a wonderful year ahead with increasing membership, more and more dedicated volunteers, continued rich programming, lots of parties and great ideas we haven’t even thought of yet!
Wrapping up 2009
The members’ holiday party was a huge success. Glady Thacher graciously open her home to one and all. There were nearly 70 members there to meet and greet each other. The potluck proved to be a delicious example of our members’ talent in the kitchen. A big thanks to all the cooks! We celebrated our first successful year by saluting all the volunteers and members who have pitched in to keep the organization going.
 However, the extra special recognition was reserved for our Founder, President and Interim Executive Director all rolled up in one person, Mary Moore Gaines. It has been Mary Moore’s leadership and unending commitment to the Village that has brought together this new community of friends. No words are sufficient to express our gratitude.
We’d also like to recognize Caroline Getz (granddaughter of member Kris Getz) who provided musical talent; the two Enterprise gals who keep the food flowing; Ralph Beren’s humorous opening; and all those who contributed to the festivities with wine, champagne and other refreshments. We are a community that knows how to have a good time. The pictures from the evening tell the story.
SPOTLIGHT ON OSCAR E. QUISTEBERG by Marsha Robertson
There’s a saying attributed to F. Scott Fitzgerald that seems appropriate for the start of a new year: “Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” And it may also apply to many members of San Francisco Village, including Oscar Quistberg.
 Oscar grew up in Eastern Washington and spent four years in the Air Force, but it was his decision to follow the advice of President Kennedy and join the Peace Corps in 1964 that signaled a new beginning. After training in both Northern Illinois and Hawaii, Oscar was assigned to Malaysia and became a peripatetic X-ray technician. Traveling through remote jungle mountains with a team of native Malayans, Oscar headed a crew that operated a portable x-ray machine that screened locals for tuberculosis. Thanks to the new technology, many native people were helicoptered to hospitals where their TB could be treated. At the end of his assignment, Oscar toured with a fellow Peace Corp volunteer through countries that currently dominate the headlines – India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq as well as Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.
Upon his return to the States, Oscar relocated to San Francisco, enrolled in night school at USF, and entered the brokerage business. Working for internal auditing departments at such companies as Sutro & Co. and Charles Schwab, he married bought a house and had two children, Frank and Kirsten, as well a foster daughter, Danielle.
In 2000, life slowed down considerably when Oscar had a stroke at the age of 60. Once his wife passed away, Oscar faced the inevitable challenge of starting over -- but he looks to the future with optimism.
“Developing a life on my own during the last ten years, I am happier than I was for a very, very long time,” admits Oscar. “But the worst thing about being on your own is finding new friends.” It was serendipity when Oscar discovered that Lewis Butler - who had served as director of the Peace Corps in Malaysia during Oscar’s 1960s stint – was also a member of San Francisco Village. Although the two have not yet connected, Oscar was intrigued with the potential of socializing with like-minded people and joined the Village in April of 2009.
A member of numerous SF Museums including the California Academy of Sciences, Oscar looks forward to participating in future social activities. In fact, Oscar takes it one step further, volunteering to treat a fellow member to an outing at any SF organization where he is a member. Take him up on it!
Ask Nina - New Beginnings: What is the one thing I can do to feel/get more organized in the New Year? Deal with the mail before it gets into your mailbox.
 We get so much junk mail and too many catalogs to even count. You can do something to stop some of what comes to your address.
To stop credit card offers:
Opt-Out Prescreen will allow you to opt out of receiving credit card and insurance offers. Call 1-888-567-8688 (888-5-OPT-OUT) from your home telephone, or visit their website at http://www.optoutprescreen.com.
Other direct mailers:
• Abacus Direct: Email your removal request to
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• ADVO, Inc.: Call 1-888-241-6760 or complete the form at www.advo.com/consumersupport.html
• Acxiom U.S: To request an opt-out form, call 1-877-774-2094 or complete the form here: http://www.acxiom.com/opt-out-request-form
• Direct Marketing Association: Visit www.dmachoice.org (online registration is free, while it costs $1 by mail)
• Publishers Clearinghouse: Email your removal request to
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• Val-Pak: Visit http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm
Catalogs:
Catalogs may stop coming when your other removal requests are processed, but you can always call the catalog company directly and ask to be removed. Also, you can try to stop catalogs using Catalog Choice.
For junk mail that still gets to your address:
Never bring it into your house. Have your blue recycling can or a waste basket available near where you collect the mail and put it into the recycling IMMEDIATELY so it never gets into your house!
From the Acting Executive Director by Mary Moore Gaines
 The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
....Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (1871 – 1922) was a French novelist, critic and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time; earlier translated as Remembrance of Things Past).
The theme of this month’s New Year’s Newsletter is ‘new beginnings.’ The Proust quote seems particularly appropriate. Having new eyes instead of seeking new landscapes speaks to me of fresh inner vision. A new way to look at ourselves, at the choices we are making and have made, the relationships we have, or don’t have, and especially what new beginnings are desirable and possible for each one of us.
All of us are aware of the extreme polarization that exists in our country and in our society. We are inevitably part of that sad phenomenon. Speaking for myself, I find myself hardly able to wait until someone I ‘disagree’ with has finished speaking so that I can counter. Or, worse still, sit silent and judging . . .
Our new beginning can be to step back, really listen to the one who is speaking to us, reserve judgment and suspend disbelief. Rather than spend our energy defending our position, because it seems too scary to do otherwise, perhaps we can summon the courage and the grace to take the risk of new eyes leading to more inclusive, nuanced points of view.
Whatever else, this new beginning will open us up to richer conversation in a more relaxed atmosphere so that we can continue to learn and grow. As San Francisco Village grows we want to be truly open to all who want to be part of us. The diversity we seek will enrich our lives in countless ways and will make the world a better place for us all.
Blessings on us all on our New Year’s real voyage of discovery – not seeking new landscapes but having new eyes.
“Ending the first year by beginning to give back”
On December 17th Village members and volunteers gathered to give three hours of their time to help at the San Francisco Food Bank. It was a chance for us to get to know one another while “giving back”. An added bonus was making friends with another volunteers group, RSVP (The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program). If there is sufficient interest we’d like to continue the practice once a month. If you would like to volunteer call Gayle at the office 387-1375. We will do our best to set up car pools.
Announcing a New Program Series – The Art of Living
After weeks of brainstorming, dreaming, talking and finally planning, a sub-committee of the Program Committee composed of Glady, Claudia, Gayle G., and Mary Moore have designed a new program series for SFV members and their friends called “The Art of Living.”
This program will take place monthly on the second Thursday, from 1:00 – 2:30 pm. The first session will be at Eva Auchincloss’s home at 3620 Lyon, across from the Exploratorium. Good parking. Please call the office to reserve your place. If you would like a ride or can offer a ride, let the office know.
The program is free to members. We ask that guests make a donation. The program will be interactive, around a subject addressing the art of living, in all its many facets. Each month we will have a guest facilitator who will speak for about 20 minutes and then open the floor for conversation. The title of the first program will be “Sacred Aging – What’s That?”
Our speaker on January 14th will be Ellen Benjamin, Spiritual Director, Educator, Group Facilitator. Ellen discovered her passion at midlife and became a Spiritual Director after thirty years as a corporate Executive. Since 2004, she has had the privilege of guiding others seeking to find a spiritual practice in the midst of their everyday lives. Ellen works with groups and one on one with people seeking deeper meaning in their lives. Because of her affinity with older adults, and out of her work as a Spiritual Care Partner at The Jewish Home, a provocative workshop called "Sacred Aging" has evolved. She will give us just a taste on January 14.
Watch for the announcement of further speakers. We are confirming with Cathy Murphy of Home Instead to lead us on February 11. The working title is “The 70-40 Dilemma – How Generations Communicate With Each Other, or Don’t”
If you are interested in exploring the art of living, please mark your calendar for the following dates: 1/14; 2/11; 3/11; 4/8; 5/13; 6/10; 7/8; 8/12; 9/9; 10/8; 11/11; 12/9.
We are excited about this new beginning!
 San Francisco Village ProgramsCome and bring a friend. For more information or to RSVP for a SF Village sponsored program, call us at 415-387-1375 or email us at
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To view our calendar, go to our website.
San Francisco Village Programs – January
Wednesday, January 6
Lunch Bunch Goes to Noe Valley
1-2:30pm, Cost: Self-pay, $10-$15
Alice's Restaurant (Northern Chinese)
1599 Sanchez Street at 29th Street
Hosted by: Eleanor Kent
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP
Thursday, January 7
San Francisco Village Chat – Introduction and Update
4:00pm-5:30pm, Cost: Free
3620 Lyon Street near entrance of Exploratorium
Hosted by: Eva Auchincloss
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP
Thursdays, Jan 7, 14, 21, 28
Beginning Yoga Class taught by Aurele Carlat
9:00am -10:15am, Cost: For SF Village members $7/class
Location: 120 St. Germain Avenue near Twin Peaks
Hosted by: Aurele Carlat
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP
Wednesday, January 13
Play Reading Group
5:00pm – 7:00pm, Cost: Free
Hosted by: Sarah Goldman
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and get location of program
Thursday, January 14
Introducing the ‘Art of Living’ Monthly Series – Second Thursdays
First Session - “Sacred Aging – What’s That?”
Facilitated by Ellen Benjamin, Spiritual Director, Educator, Group Facilitator
1-2:30pm, Cost: Free to SFV members; non-members, donation requested
3620 Lyon Street near Exploratorium entrance (good parking)
Hosted by: Eva Auchincloss
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and for more information
Tuesday, January 26
SF Village Volunteer Day at the Food Bank
9-12noon, Cost: Free
900 Pennsylvania Avenue
Hosted By: Nina Huebsch
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and for more information
For directions: http://www.sffoodbank.org/about_us/directions.html
Thursday, January 28
New Estate Tax & IRA Considerations, moderated by Tammy Haygood
6:00pm – 7:30pm, Cost: Free
2654 Union Street near Divisadero
Hosted by Jeanne Lacy
Call 415-387-1376 to RSVP
San Francisco Village Programs – February
Thursdays, Feb 4, 11, 18, 25
Beginning Yoga Class taught by Aurele Carlat
9:00am -10:15am, Cost: For SF Village members $7/class
Location: 120 St. Germain Avenue near Twin Peaks
Hosted by: Aurele Carlat
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP
Wednesday, February 10
Play Reading Group
5:00pm – 7:00pm, Cost: Free
Hosted by: Sarah Goldman
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and to get location of program
Thursday, February 11
‘Art of Living’ Monthly Series – Second Thursdays
Cathy Murphy, Home Instead on "70/40 Intergenerational Communication"
1-2:30pm, Cost: Free to SFV members; non-members, donation requested
3620 Lyon Street near Exploratorium entrance (good parking)
Hosted by: Eva Auchincloss
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and for more information
Wednesday, February 17
San Francisco Village Quarterly Members Meeting
Hold the date, more details to follow.
Tuesday, February 23
Members at Home: Art, Wine and Conversation
6:00pm – 7:30pm, Cost: Free
Hosted by: Fran and Bud Johns
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and to get the location of the program
Wednesday, February 24
Spirituality Group
5:30pm – 7:30pm, Cost: Free
San Francisco Foundation, 225 Bush Street near Sansome
Hosted by Glady Thacher and Diana Arsham
Call 415-387-1375 for more information
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