The Retirement Center is excited to be partnering with the UCSF Retiree Association to offer a monthly learning series in the 20-21 academic year.
History of Golden Gate Park, February 10, 10:30AM
In 1870, an act from the state legislature created Golden Gate Park, which skeptics said could never be built atop San Francisco’s 1013 acres of windswept sand dunes in an unincorporated area of the Peninsula known as the “Outside Lands.”
Through a display of the creativity and can-do spirit, however, that has always been a part of San Francisco, first superintendent William Hammond Hall – a surveyor, designer, and a determined engineer - and master gardener John McLaren figured out a way as the park rose from the City’s western sand dunes. Since then, it has stood as a haven from urban life in a growing city and as an important partner in the City’s historical key moments.
Join fellow retirees and historian-in-residence Christopher Pollock online to learn about the history of Golden Gate Park as we celebrate its 150th birthday!
Designing for the Homeless, January 21, 10:30 am
Davis presents a perspective, considering the personal concerns of the homeless, the social costs of homelessness, and organizational and design issues. He examines problems of community fit and site planning, building design and organization, and interior layout and suggests how to weigh costs and optimize expenditures.
Sam Davis is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley where he taught from 1971 until 2009. He served as the Interim Dean of the School of Social Welfare on the Berkeley campus (2011-12), as Interim Dean of The College of Environmental Design (2008-09), as Chair of the Department of Architecture (1993-96), and as Associate Dean of the College of Environmental Design (1998-2002). He has written three books on housing, The Form of Housing, The Architecture of Affordable Housing, and Designing for the Homeless: Architecture that Works. He received a Humanities Research Fellowship from the University of California and a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work on homelessness.HISTORY OF GOLDEN GATE PARK, Christopher Pollock, FEBRUARY 10, 2021
DESIGNING FOR THE HOMELESS, Sam Davis, JANUARY 21, 2021
Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness to Heal Depression
Presented on December 9, 10:30 am to Noon (recording available soon)
Stuart Eisendrath, MD, resident alum, professor emeritus of psychiatry at the UCSF 
Weill Institute for Neurosciences and former director of the UCSF Depression Center presented on harnessing the power of mindfulness meditation to heal depression, based on his book “When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression.”
Andreea Seritan, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry and interim 
director for Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry at UCSF's Langley Porter Hospital and Clinics
The triple challenge of COVID-19 pandemic, shelter-in-place, and historic wildfires brought to light the pressing need to build new and maintain our existing resilience skills and stay connected to each other, albeit through virtual platforms. During this program, participants will be able to identify individual resilience-enhancing strategies and ways to maintain their emotional wellness.
Presented October 13, 2020, Presentation Slides
RESILIENCE IN UNCERTAIN TIMES, ANDREEA SERITAN, UCSFRA, OCT 2020
Getting Dirty is Good at Any Age, Stephen Andrews, UCSFRA, Sept 2020
Stephen Andrews, Soil Scientist, Educator, and Natural Resources Specialist explores why soil, the most complex biological material on earth, is good for us and our health.
Presentation Slides includes suggested reading materials
Container Gardening, August 2020
Laurel Nagle, a Master Gardener
Learn how to grow almost anything in containers (no yard required)! Providing seasonal color to homes and businesses, container gardening is a fun way to develop your green thumb. Vegetables, flowers, even small trees can be easily grown with the right materials and techniques. Strategies for less-than-perfect environments and long-term maintenance, plus review some helpful resources.
Presented on August 19, 2020, Presentation Slides