Published in the Castro Courier
September 2010

In early August, the Center for Learning in Retirement celebrated the opening of its brand new facilities at 50 First St.

The unique organization, which has been active for more than 35 years, has been undergoing a transition from its former role as an extension program for the University of California, Berkeley, to being an independent non-profit group.

“CLIR is basically a community that offers classes and activities,” president Robby Kiley explains. But as the members come pouring in, excited and ready to learn, it becomes clear that the program is also about “culture, friendship and inspiration,” just as the brochure suggests. Most of the seniors are retired, and CLIR gives them a place to forge new acquaintances and sharpen their knowledge with peers.

According to the Bay Area Census, approximately 7,000 residents in the Castro district are over the age of 50. It’s no surprise, then, that there are so many CLIR members from the area, such as Donald Gibbs, Evelyn Forsman, Richard Magary and Carlyn Halde.

When asked what they love about the program, and what keeps them coming back, their answers all centered around a common theme of community.

“It’s a wonderful organization in that it welcomes people regardless of race, color, creed or orientation of any kind,” Gibbs, a professor in East Asian Language from the University of California, Davis, asserts. Gibbs has been a member since 1999, and he helms many of the talks.

“I enjoy all the peer lectures,” says Halde, a former microbiology professor and Castro resident, “because they are given by people who have years of experience talking about a certain subject…It’s a varied group of people.”

Margary agrees, “I personally enjoy the new folks that I’ve gotten to meet, from all kinds of backgrounds and interests, and have made some good friendships that go beyond the sessions that we have here.”

When asked how she got involved with the program, marketing wiz and star member Pat Tibbs replies, “A neighbor of mine heard me say that I was retiring, and she said, ‘Do I have the group for you!’ She was right. I’ve been here ever since, and I can’t imagine being without it.”

Tibbs, who guided our tour of the new facilities, has a professional background in marketing for non-profits, and as such she contributes her skills to the organization by managing the CLIR website, creating marketing materials and press releases, and promoting CLIR events.

This kind of participation is what makes the group work. Everybody lends their skills. On the day of our visit we even got to witness a peer-led discussion about Mary Ellen Pleasant in a series that the center likes to call, “The Zany History of San Francisco.” For the series, a member volunteers to research one historical aspect of the city by the bay, and present their findings before the other members.

Membership for the group is 250 dollars per year, with the option of an additional 50 dollar program called Special Audience, which gives members access to a wide variety of music, lectures and theater productions. CLIR accepts new members throughout the year.

Events scheduled for September include a guest lecture from author Agatha Hoff and a presentation about Norway by Dick Ingraham. Throughout the year there are weekly art classes, Spanish and French conversation classes, book and movie discussions and current event round-ups.