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SPOTLIGHT ON TOM BENET by Marsha Robertson
 For a copy boy at the San Francisco Chronicle to rise through the ranks and become chief editor of the editorial board, he would need considerable talent -- and respect for the crystal clear sentence. And that was indeed the case for SF Village Member Tom Benet, whose 45 years at the Chronicle were filled with heart-stopping deadlines, rewrites, front page scoops and provocative editorials. Joining the paper in 1949 when it was just one of four competitors that included the Examiner, Scripps Howard’s News and Hearst’s Call Bulletin, he logged thousands of hours in the press room of the Federal Building, pounding out newsworthy stories for the early edition. He covered trials (“the pressure was intense”) chased after FBI agents with Pierre Salinger (“I was impressed by his no-nonsense swagger”) and handled the City Hall beat in the 1970s, where he wrote about the Moscone administration and shared an occasional lunch with Harvey Milk or Dan White.
But Tom may have come to the business of writing with a homegrown advantage. He was raised in New York City, along with two sisters, by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Vincent Benét and his wife Rosemary, a writer whom he had met in Paris. Growing up in a family of readers, Tom recalls visiting the local library with his father when he was a child and being startled that a resident would ask his dad for an autograph. At home, there was little acknowledgement that his father was a noted poet (“John Brown’s Body”) short story writer (“The Devil and Daniel Webster”) and novelist (“Spanish Bayonet”) . Although he wrote prolifically, Tom’s father died suddenly at the age of 45 and his mother supported the family by returning to work as an editor for the popular Book of the Month Club.
Following prep school at Exeter, Tom graduated from Yale and moved to San Francisco with an offer to try out in a training program for the Chronicle.
In the next few years, he married native San Franciscan Joan Gregory and began raising two daughters, Alice and Rebecca, in a lovely Cow Hollow home that is still a strong reminder of his literary legacy. The walls are lined with books from his parents’ library as well as those he has collected through the years. And he admits that he’s not opposed to pulling an old book from the shelf and re-reading it many years after the first introduction.
Tom’s current reading list includes:"My Paper Chase" by Harold Evans; "Cheerful Money" by Tad Friend; "A Place of Public Safety" by Hilary Mantel, and the new edition of Wallace Stevens's Collected Poems.
BOOKS AT YOUR FINGER TIPS by Jacob Young
I have a friend who got a Kindle wireless reader for Christmas and still
hasn’t taken it out of the box. What a mistake! She’s missing a whole world
of reading.
The Kindle, sold by Amazon.com, is a breakthrough for people who love to
read and want a simple electronic device that can hold a whole library of books. Like a computer, it has a flat screen, a built-in keyboard and a wireless connection. It weighs about a pound. The Kindle can’t send email or surf the Internet. But it does one thing really well: In less than 60 seconds the Kindle can download and store an entire book or magazine,
newspaper or music album. And I wasn’t kidding about holding a whole library. The basic Kindle can store 1,500 books. The newer Kindle DX will hold 3,500.
The device has no elaborate commands to master. Once you’ve downloaded
content from the Amazon.com Kindle Storefront, getting started is almost as
quick as flipping open a book. There’s a button that says “Next Page,” and
marking your place for later is just as easy. You can magnify the size of
the type to your liking. And The Kindle comes in two sizes, a basic 6-inch
diagonal screen, and, with the DX, a super-sharp 9.7-inch screen.
It works over the G3 wireless system, which surrounds us all the time so you
don’t need a home wireless router or a broadband connection or even a PC to
happily own a Kindle. The battery lasts about a week on one charge.
Amazon has created a dazzling amount of content for the device, including
more than 400,000 books, from best-selling fiction to new history, self-help
and cookbooks. You can buy a subscription to The New York Times, The Wall
Street Journal or dozens of other papers in the US and around the world.
What’s the downside? At a price of $259 or $489, lots of people think the
electronic reader is expensive. Most books are just $9.99, although you
can’t pass them to your friends like a paperback. Although Amazon and its
competitor, the Sony Reader, dominate the business today, more devices are
scheduled to hit the U.S. market within the next year.
REFLECTION FROM THE INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR by Mary Moore Gaines
The more that you read, the more things you will know. the more that you learn, the more places you'll go.......Dr. Seuss
 The theme for this month’s newsletter is reading. I was Rector of St. James Episcopal Church. The only way I was sure of getting to read was to start a book club at St. James. We read many great books, all of a religious or spiritual nature. We were especially excited about the ‘Jesus Seminar,’ the search for the historical Jesus, and the progressive movement in Christian theology led by Marcus Borg, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time; John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography; and retired Bishop Jack Spong, Why Christianity Must Change or Die.
You may remember that the ‘Jesus Seminar’ was featured on the cover of both Time and Newsweek a few years ago. The Jesus Seminar, composed of approximately 150 scholars from various fields including biblical studies, archeology, anthropology, history, language and science, meets regularly in Santa Rosa, California. Their first big work was to publish a translation of the New Testament featuring the sayings of Jesus in four colors. Red for the most likely; pink for perhaps; gray for doubtful; black for the voice of the community but not the voice of Jesus.
In fact, there are only six sayings in red. They are called the hard sayings of Jesus because they are the most challenging – turn the other cheek; love your enemies; bless those who curse you, etc.
Dr. Seuss’s words were certainly true for me and for the St. James Book Group. The more we learned, the more we were free to explore, to know more, to go more places in our hearts and minds. Our reading gave us a great sense of freedom and empowerment.
Several members of San Francisco Village are planning to start a book group. I am excited to see what form it will take, who will be part of it, what books they decide to read, what places they will go together. If you are interested, please let Gayle Uchida know at 415-387-1375. You will be hearing more very soon.
Ask Nina - There are many ways to reduce your book collection
> donate to your local public library branch
> donate to Friends of the SF Public Library
> sell to used books stores like Green Apple on Clement Street
> have a book exchange party
> offer books to anyone coming into your house.
However, many of us love books and don't want to give any of them away. In fact, many of us may want to catalog the books that we have. There are many software programs that can simplify this task for you. Some of the software programs link into the database of the Library of Congress and actually fill in many of the details about the book.
Here is a link to an article that discusses ways to get started cataloging your books. These are the basic steps that are discussed:
• Organize your library
• Identify each book
• Write or input the data
• Check professional sources for more information
• Be thorough
There seem to be many, many software programs to assist in the creation of a book catalog. Search the internet for book cataloging software. Or, perhaps a member of the SF Village has used software of this type and would like to share his/her experience with it in a future newsletter.
CONNECTIONS by Tom Benet About four years ago, when Benjamin Lewis was deep into his academic  pursuits, he answered an ad (in hopes of making a little extra cash) requesting someone who might visit an elderly woman in a local retirement facility. The lady in question - Anna, in her 90s - turned out to be pretty much room-bound and without much access to the world outside. But, as the relationship continued and developed, Lewis found he had a fascinating companion: a former advocate for liberal causes, a woman well-versed in history, one with a wide breadth of knowledge. They talked and walked together; had passionate discussions about politics and the arts. Lewis learned some vital lessons about human connections and Anna opened herself up to the world outside.
"A new face, a new breath," says Lewis, "wakes people up." This kind of interaction not only extends horizons, he reasons. It provides an important validation for existence.
When Anna died, her family, in appreciation for Lewis's thoughtful support, left him some money which he has used to launch a project called Engage As You Age. It provides - for a minimal fee - friendly, interesting (and carefully-screened) visitors to the elderly or homebound. Anyone interested in his group can get more information by phone at 690-6944, or via the Internet at www.EngageAsYouAge.com.
These visitors - friends might be a better word, since that's what they may become - are often young people in their twenties. Take Stacey, who is in her 20s, and Selma, who is 83 and has macular degeneration. Stacey comes in with books and magazines and reads to her. Says Stacey: "Engage As You Age paired me with an ebullient but lonely 83-year-old woman. She's just as curious and enthusiastic about life as I am...Her face lights up when I knock on the door. Engage As You Age meets both of our needs. I get to do something I feel good about, and Selma gets to talk about what she loves (news, politics, Yiddish) with someone who truly cares."
MEMBERS READING RECOMMENDATIONS
From Margaret Johnson:
Penelope Lively, Her latest, Family Album, is wonderful. Also, Moon Tiger
David Lodge's, Deaf Sentence and Author, Author.
Zadie Smith's, On Beauty and White Teeth.
Stewart Brand's, How Buildings Learn: What happens after they're built; Penguin Books, 1994.
 From Margaret Rafferty
I cannot remember when I did not love to read! Beginning with cereal boxes and newspaper headlines as a first grader and moving up to novels read by flashlight secretly under the covers, I read. In a painting that my mom did of us as kids I am the one bent over a book. These are a few of my most recent reads. First is My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. As a chocoholic I have loved Julia since I first heard her say chocolate on TV. If you too are a cook I think that you will also love this book. Second is Left to Tell by Immaculee Illibagiza Immaculee is a Tutisi. from Rwanda. She believes that she was left to tell the story of the murder of so many of her people at the hands of their countrymen and her struggle to forgive them. Her abiding childlike faith sustains and supports her through her ordeal. Not a pleasant read but I thought a good one. Last, somehow I had never read this one! Even as an adult it is a good read, Madeleine L'Engle's, A Wrinkle in Time.
Fram Babs Barber
3 books that I have enjoyed in the past year or so:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery,
The Guernsey Literary andPotato Peel Pie Society by Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows and
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee.
From Jeanne Lacy
Two books I have read recently that are quite good, very different from each other, are Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I would recommend both of them.
From Nina Huebsch
Books that I like: A junky mystery: Deception on His Mind by Elizabeth George
Understanding another culture through fiction: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
A Swedish mystery: The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Steig Larsson
From Ralph Beren
Following are a few books that I have loved over the years:
Philip Roth: The Plot Against America and American Pastoral
Kazuo Ishiguro, Remains Of The Day
Nevil Shute On the Beach
Robertson Davies: What's Bred In The Bone
Gail Tsukiyama: The Samurai's Garden
There are many others, but I loved each of the books on the list. I will be looking forward to what others recommend.
From Mary Moore Gaines
Good books I've read recently:
Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety
Billie Letts, The Honk and Holler Opening Soon
Alain de Botton How Proust Can Change Your Life
Helen L. Hunt, Faith and Feminism
M.F.K. Fisher, Sister Age
Lily Rubin, Sixty on Up
From Ellie Lurie
The best fiction I've read recently is Deaf Sentence, by David Lodge, a British author. Paper: Penguin, 2008. Funny, but makes telling points about aging and mortality.
The nonfiction book that most opened my eyes in recent year is Illicit, by Moisés Naím. Paper. Anchor, 2005. The dark and sometimes shocking underside of globalization.
From Aurele Carlat
Olive Kitteridge and The White Tiger are some of my recommendation. Also I heard The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo was excellent.
From Sarah Goldman
In looking over books I've read in the last year, here are ones I found absorbing: Don't Call It Night by Amos Oz (novel); Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (short stories); The River King by Alice Hoffman (novel); The Vault by Peter Lovesey (mystery); Run by Ann Patchett (novel); The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunnant (historical novel)
From Kris Getz
I highly recommends Love and Summer by William Trevor, 200 beautifully written pages.
 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
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
To view our calendar, go to our website.
San Francisco Village Programs – February
Tuesday, February 2
Take a Walk in the Richmond before the Lunch Bunch
12:30pm-1:30pm, Cost: Free
Hosted by Mary Ann Faris
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and to get the location of where to meet for the walk
Tuesday, February 2
Lunch Bunch Goes to the Richmond District
1:30pm -2:30pm, Cost: Self Pay $12-$15
Mandalay Restaurant www.mandalaysf.com
4344 California at 6th Avenue
Hosted by: Mary Ann Faris
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP
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
SFV Member to Member Online Community Workshoop
10am-11am, Cost: Free
SFV Office, 3330 Geary Blvd at Commonwealth
Hosted by Gayle Uchida and Rob Rosko
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP. Limited to 5 participants
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
SFV Member to Member Online Community Workshop
2pm-3pm, Cost: Free
SFV Office 3330 Geary Blvd at Commonwealth Avenue
Hosted by Gayle Uchida and Rob Rosko
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP. Limited to 5 participants.
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
Tuesday, February 16
Debut of San Francisco Village Book Club – Reading Out Stealing Horses by Per Patterson
10:00am – 11:00 am, Cost: Free
Books Inc at Laurel Village
Hosted by: Margaret Rafferty
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP and for more information
Thursday, February 18
San Francisco Village Birthday Party and Members
4 - 6 pm, Cost: Free
Presidio Golf Club - 8 Presidio Terrace at the Arguello Gates
Hosted by SFV Board
Call 415-387-1375 to RSVP, ask for or to offer to give a ride
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
Activities of Interest for February
Monday, February 1
Cosmic Dawn: The First Star in the Universe, Dr. Tom Abel, Stanford University
7:30pm, Cost: Adults $12, Seniors $10, Academy members $6. Seating is limited.
California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, parking available
Purchase advanced tickets online or call 800-794-7576.
Friday, February 5
Chocolate Tasting Party for "Go Red for Women Campaign"
4:30pm-6:00pm, Cost: Free. All donations to American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women"
Bittersweeet The Chocolate Cafe
2123 Fillmore Street & California
Hosted by Tammy Haygood and Jenipher Chiang
Call 415-504-9708 to RSVP
Wednesday, February 17
“What Baby Boomers Need to Know About Long Term Care Insurance”, Denise Michaud, CLTC
4:45pm Networking Reception/ 5:15pm Program, Cost: $15 for non Commonwealth Club Members
Commonwealth Club, 595 Market Street @2nd Street
Call 415-597-6705 or visit www.commonwealthclub.org
Thursday, February 18
Great Wines Under $15, Adam Chase, Wine Editor
6:30-7:30pm Cost: $45 for JCC members, $50 for non-JCC members
Jewish Community Center, California Street at Presidio, parking available
For tickets and information: Call Emily Wallace at 415.292.1299 ext. 1137
Monday, February 22
U.S. Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan
8:00 pm, Cost: $ 15.00 for JCC members, $18.00 for non JCC members
Jewish Community Center, California Street at Presidio, parking available
For tickets and information: 415.292.1233 or by email at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Friday, February 26
Sacred Space: Joshua Redman, solo, saxophonist
8:00 pm, Cost: $25 general admission
For information and tickets: www.sfjazz.org or 866-920-JAZZ
Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street near Taylor
LOOKING AHEAD
Sunday, April 11
Spring Concert - Handel's Semel
Presented by San Francisco City Chorus
3pm-5pm, Cost: $15-$18
Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Lakeside @ Eucalyptus
Call 415-701-7664 for more information.
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SF Village
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3330 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, 94118
415-387-1375
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Spotlight on Tom Benet by Marsha Robertson
Books At Your Finger Tips by Jacob Young
Reflection from the Interim Executive Director
Ask Nina - Ways to Reduce your Book Collection
Connections by Tom Benet
Members Reading Recommendations
SF Village Programs
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Welcome to Barbara Champion, our first SFVillage member of 2010.
And a huge thanks to those members who have renewed their membership to remain part of our growing Village.
It’s a new year and we want to grow the Village online community. For those who want to get online and be able to communicate with Village friends, join or start a group with common interests and get to know other Village members, come to a workshop at the Village Office to get yourself online quickly.
Space is limited to 5 people at each workshop so call and RSVP quickly at 415-387-1375.
It will be hosted by Gayle Uchida and Rob Rosko on these 2 dates:
Tuesday, February 9th 10-11AM
Thursday, February 11th 2-3 PM
We will get you registered in the Village community, help you upload a picture, create a profile so you can easily communicate with other Village members and have access to the directory of approved service providers online.
Members Helping Members
Thank you ever so much to Phil Faris and his technical know-how and generosity. He went to a member's home and helped her set up her new PC, enabling her to move off of her 12 year old computer. And another member had Phil troubleshoot a problem via the phone and the computer now prints!
Join SF Village Now!
If you are interested in joining SF Village, please go to our website. or call us at 415-387-1375.
Office volunteers needed for:
Member check in calls,
RSVPs
Monthly Mailings
"The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for."
MEMBER TO MEMBERS WANT ADS
The program committee would like:
1. Member to host programs by providing their living rooms (any size will work)
2. Members to co-host events with other members by providing some of the refreshments.
3. Members to host the Lunch Bunch (April-December). Host selects the restaurant, comes to the lunch, office/program committee takes the RSVPs and makes the reservation. Host can invite non-Village members to the lunches so that they can meet members of the Village in an intimate setting
MEMBER TO MEMBER EXCHANGE
Interest in a book club – Margaret Rafferty, Kathy O'Neil, Jeanne Lacy, Ralph Beren expressed interest. SFVillage BookClub will have its first meeting on Tuesday February 16th from 10 to 11 AM at Books Inc. Laurel Village. The first book is Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson a translation from the Norwegian.
Walking pal - Jeanne Lacy wants someone to walk with at a reasonable pace 1-2x weekly at Crissy Field
New Knee? New Hip? Care to Share? If you’ve had surgery and would be willing to share your experience – and perhaps crutches or other medical equipment as well - with other members and their families, OR if you’re planning surgery and would like to talk to people who have had similar experiences, please let us know. We’re building a list of people willing to share their experiences and will connect them to people who would like to hear about them. To join us, or for more information, please call the SFV Office at (415) 751-2535.
Create Together - Eleanor Kent would like to meet with one or two other artists at her house for a morning or afternoon of drawing, painting, or doing other portable media. She would offer help for a beginner or just work alongside others. Probably 9 AM to noon or 1 to 3 PM, depending on everyone's schedules. Tea & coffee? Noe Valley neighborhood. This might be a one-time event, or continue if it seems pleasant. Please contact the SF Village office for more information if you are interested. (Eleanor’s website is http://www.eleanorkent.net if anyone wants to see some of her work)
FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW
Exclusive SFV Member Benefit
With so many changes in our financial landscape, it is important for everyone to review portfolios and financial strategies on a regular basis. As a participant in our preferred service provider, Tammy Haygood of Edward Jones Investments is offering complimentary quarterly reviews of your portfolio This is an exclusive benefit of your San Francisco membership. Just call SFVillage at 415-387-1375 for an appointment. In home appointments are available upon request.
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