“I don’t think about ‘aging’ gracefully. I try to‘live’ as gracefully as possible.”
Age 70
CURRENT INTERESTS: Painting; vocal study and performance; travel; hiking, cycling, and weight training; non-profit fundraising
CAREER: Secondary school educator; Director of Continuing Education, St. Mary’s College; Training Director and Vice President, Learning and Development, various Bay Area corporations
The first thing people notice about Pat is her bright, warm energy. She has endless interest in people and loves to forge connections between them. Meanwhile, she keeps her eyes trained on new horizons.
Since leaving the workplace, I’m using my skills in important community organizations. As I cultivate donors for Berkeley Repertory Theatre and do fundraising for Ashby Village, I get great pleasure from engaging people.
While I was working I didn’t have the time, energy, or psychological space for the things I love doing now. For example, I performed choral music at UC Berkeley but later got too busy with work and family to sing. About ten years ago, I began performing with the San Francisco Choral Society. Now I’m studying voice, so I can improve and enjoy performing even more.
Another thing that’s really important to me now is painting. I’m intrigued by the creative process, and I surprise myself when I enjoy the end result. It’s so liberating to explore a level of artistic expression I haven’t experienced since my teens.
Finally, I want to keep fit and healthy as long as I can. I bicycle, hike, and train with weights—I live in my gym clothes most of the time! It’s all so I can continue doing the things I love to do.