RIP Greg of 24th Street

We were sad to hear about the passing of Greg Gutknecht earlier this week, the affable and talkative gentleman who had become a fixture on 24th Street and around Noe Valley. Greg had been homeless for 10 years, picked up work at the Farmer's Market, frequently did odd jobs for area merchants, and as one local put it “was just a sweetheart.” He had a place to call home the last couple years and had been doing well.

Greg collapsed in front of Bernie's coffee shop on Monday morning. According to the staff in Bernie’s, EMTs worked for more than 30 minutes but were unable to revive him. 

There are flowers and notes in front of Bernie’s from those who miss him. We’d like to post more details about Greg. If anyone has stories of his life and/or photos please email us, post in the comments or tweet us @noevalleysf.

Update: There will be a memorial potluck for Greg this Sunday the 25th at Valley Tavern at 3PM.

Ruth Asawa, 1926-2013

Sad news from SFGate today: renowned sculptor, art advocate and Noe Valley resident Ruth Asawa passed away yesterday at the age of 87. Ms Asawa served on the SF Arts Commission and on the board of trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Franicisco. Most recently her Hyatt on Union Square Fountain was saved by the SF Planning Department from removal to make way for a new Apple store.

In 1942, Ms. Asawa was interned with other Japanese Americans at the age of 16, and it shaped how she thought about the world. She believed in making art accessible for all:

"Art is for everybody," according to Asawa. "It is not something that you should have to go to the museums in order to see and enjoy. When I work on big projects, such as a fountain, I like to include people who haven't yet developed their creative side — people yearning to let their creativity out. I like designing projects that make people feel safe, not afraid to get involved."

In addition to creating large public installations, Ms Asawa founded the Alvarado School Arts Workshop which was later expanded to 50 public schools in San Francisco. In 2010, the School of the Arts high school was renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.

[Official Site: Ruth Asawa]
[SFGate: Sculptor Ruth Asawa dead at age 87]
[Video via KQED Spark: Ruth Asawa]

NVV Dec 2012: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

December 2012

Front Page: Life at the local Fire Houses (the kind that still have active crews); A profile of Upper Noe Neighbor's Vicki Rosen; A profile of local bars, bistros and wine shops that seeks to dispel the belief that Noe Valley is full of sleepy old people.

Letters: One resident is unhappy with the NVV's recent "good report card" for Scott Wiener; Another appreciates coverage of families dealing with recent fires.

Feature: Local senior centers keep their doors open through tight times.

Cost of Living in Noe: "There's not of lot of [sales] difference to report this month." Still expensive. Solution: "Buy a condo."

Store Trek: DAVIDsTea.

Rumors: A promo for 24 HoliDAYS on 24th St; A promo for the recently released Noe Valley Guide to promote the neighborhood to tourists; Cliché Noe owner wants to create a Noe Valley Museum and bring back the Pioneer - "the first motor car built on the West Coast" to the shop where is was built on 24th St and that could house it permanently [Ed.--cool!]; Someone cleaned Harry Aleo's plaque; Election results ("Maintaining an Election"); The Tech Search Party is February 2nd; Bidding farewell to Claire Pilcher, founder of Friends of Noe Valley, who died recently at the age of 73.


[The Noe Valley Voice]