Richmond Roundup

Fulton Playgound director retires
After 31 years of service to the SF Recreation and Park Department, long-time icon at the Fulton Playground Janice Gloe has retired.

During her years of service, Gloe worked in all areas of recreation, from Tiny Tots to seniors. She also worked on the "Hands Around the Bay" program, which brings physically-challenged people in the Bay Area together for outings and parties.

At Gloe's retirement party at the center, held April 30, about 250 people stopped by the playground to say goodbye.

"Janice has been a friend, guide, mentor and leader to thousands of individuals who have crossed her path," said Mike Xavier, who used to work with Gloe at the center. "She always has her own special way of creating a positive impact on the lives and families she met."

Cafe Riggio to close July 3
John Riggio has been a purveyor of fine food on Geary Boulevard for the past 26 years. On July 3, he serves his last meal and rides off into the sunset.

"The time has come for me to retire, enjoy some independence and move on to doing a lot of the things a retired restauranteur does," Riggio said. "I will definitely miss the many generations of our customers who put the 'family' into this family business."

The Italian restaurant, located on Geary between Fifth and Sixth avenues, is recognizable by its large painting of a court jester wearing a colorful hat.

POA, Giants support youth
The SF Police Officers Association (POA) has pledged to make a positive impact in the lives of Bay Area youth.

The POA has long supported the one of the groups that help achieve that purpose, the UCSF Pediatric Unit, which specializes in the treatment and care of youth with life-threatening illnesses.

This year, each time a San Francisco Giant hits a home run during the Major League baseball season, the POA will donate $100 to the UCSF Pediatric Hospital. As of presstime, the SF Giants home run count was at 44, bringing the POA's donation to the pediatric unit up to $4,400.

SF State awards degrees
Sean O'Leary, a San Francisco native and Richmond District beat officer, recently earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from San Francisco State University (SFSU). O'Leary began his university education in 1981, but life Ð in the form of four kids and 14 years with the SF Police Department Ð intervened. Now, armed with a diploma, he plans to retire from the force in nine years and return to SFSU to attain a teaching credential.

Meredith Edwards Wampler, another Richmond District resident, received her doctoral degree at both SFSU and UCSF as the first graduate of the joint doctoral program in physical therapy science. Wampler will return to SFSU in the fall as a member of the physical therapy faculty, and she plans to continue pursuing clinical research at UCSF's Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Locals graduate on East Coast
Locals attending college back east recently participated in commencement exercises and now await the next ventures in their lives.

Hailing from the Richmond District, both James Athearn Folger and Nicole Tsen Lew earned bachelor of arts degrees from Connecticut College, which is known for its liberal arts curriculum. Brooke Bengier earned her bachelor of arts degree from Colgate University in New York, and Thomas Jefferson Davis earned his bachelor of arts degree with a major in government and legal studies and minor in Spanish from Bowdoin College in Maine.

The Sunset District's Peter J. Byrne was among the 4,469 graduates of the Fordham University in New York, earning a bachelor of arts degree from Fordham College at Rose Hill, which is distinguished by its Jesuit educational tradition. In Philadelphia, Lowell High School alumnus Kirsten Elizabeth Hawkins participated in a graduation ceremony at Bryn Mawr College, earning a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology, Magna Cum Laude.

Filmmaker featured
Richmond District filmmaker Sam Ball will have his 30-minute documentary "Poumy" shown during the Jewish Film Festival, which will be held July 21 to Aug. 8.

Ball's film frames the life of 92-year-old Andree "Poumy" Moreuil, who evaded the German army after it invaded France and joined the French Resistance to actively fight against the German occupation.

The film festival is held at several Bay Area locations. "Poumy," which is in French with English subtitles, will be shown at the Castro Theater on Tuesday, July 26, at 3:45 p.m.; Mountain View Century on Sunday, July 31, at 1 p.m.; and at the Roda Theater in Berkeley on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 2:30 p.m.

For more information about the festival, call (415) 621-0556.