Encounters

For the next few weeks, I plan to write short notes about some of the interesting people I have known and spoken to. There will be some famous people, some who influenced me, and a few with "titles". I should not try to put these into datal order, but just as I think of them. 1.When my first wife and I lived in San Francisco, we became members of a babysitting co-op, most of whose members had some connection to the U.C. hospital system. Dianne Fienstein's former husband had been a top doctor at UCSF, and they had a beautiful home on Forest Hill, in San Francisco. I was always happy to leave our own home and spend an evening at "DiFi's" home. She always welcomed me warmly; the daughter never woke up; the furniture was very comfortable; and I could enjoy music from a wide selection of cd's on the sound system there. Meeting the future senator took place sometime before she became Mayor of San Francisco. 2.When my first wife and I moved to Berkeley, we again joined a babysitting co-op. The house where Mario Savio (a principal figure in the free speech movement) lived was quite near our own home. I don't think I have ever seen a home in such a mess. I particularly remember that the refrigerator was sorely in need of defrosting. I was glad that I only had to spend one uncomfortable evening in that house, but it was interesting to meet Mario Savio in person.