Patricia Wolk:
CLASS OF 1951
Cleveland High SchoolClass of 1951
Seattle, WA
California State University Class of 1981
Fresno, CA
Patricia's Story
Life
Life is good. I'm healthy, married 55 years to the same man, two daughters are graduates of UC system. Both live in Seattle, each has two daughters. I love to contra dance, swing dance, enjoy folk concerts, jazz concerts, and music festivals. My hearing is excellent. I wear glasses. When I accept a job, I follow through--though I have a tendency to procrastinate. I work hard in the garden and have created a beautiful paradise in the middle of Fresno. You can see it on Facebook: The Wolk Garden.
After high school, I lived in SF for 6 years as a single and danced with an amateur folk dance group. Taught briefly at Arthur Murrays but the pay was poor.
In 1957 I returned to Seattle, worked and attended night school at U.W.
1958 married Richard Wolk, m.d.
60 son Brian born in Pt. Reyes, CA
63 daughter Abby born in San Rafael, CA
66 daughter Amy born in San Rafael, CA
67 studied and taught ecology in San Rafael
61-68 Active in Peace movement
68 son diagnosed with leukemia
68 daughter Amy diagnosed with diabetes
69 organized "Candlelighters: Parents of children with cancer"; Conquest of Cancer Act grew out of our movement.
70 moved to Houston for son to be treated at MD Anderson Hospital and husband to train as an oncologist
73 son died in Houston
73 moved to Fresno
74 president of elementary PTA
74 Girl Scout leader
75-91 Host parent to 10 International Exchange students including Sweden, France, Italy, Finland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Germany--Sent daughters to Germany (Abby 1981-82) and Switzerland (Amy 1984-85) for a year on ICYE program.
81 earned BA in education, Liberal Arts, Dean's Medal
84 earned Masters in English
84 took mother Abby home to Ireland for her 85th birthday traveled thru Ireland, England, Wales
84-91 taught English at CSUFresno
86-90 Travels to Italy, France, Greece, Sweden, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Spain, Greece
89 Photographer/ exhibit "Twenty Women Committed to Change"
91 Photographer/exhibit "Kalimera Means Good Morning: Images of Greece"
96 Bulgaria Koprivstitsa Folk Festival
99-04 Travels: Peru, Turkey, Thailand
Photographer for Fresno's Women Built House: Habitat for Human...Expand for more
ity
Photographer for Sierra Music & Art Institute summer music camp 85-2012
2003 My garden was on Fresno Master Garden tour
2001-05 President, Fresno Folklore Society
2005 Imported a teak house with stage from Indonesia for garden concerts.
1992-2008 Concert Booking and publicist for Fresno Folklore Society
2008 Received Horizon Award from Fresno Arts Council for community service
2008 Worked on Obama Campaign
2008-Present I sing with the Raging Grannies
2008-Present I belong to a Book Club. Most favorite non-fiction book at present is THE INVENTION OF NATURE: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf
2012 Worked on several political campaigns including Obama for a second term.
2016 Traveled to Oaxaca with friends. Stopped in Houston to spread husband's ashes on our son's grave.
2017 Attended Women's March in Washington DC. for single payer health care, and Women's rights and Environmental concerns and so much more.
I repeat: Life is good. I refuse to be bored.
For stress relief, I work in the garden, dance, listen and dance to Greek music. After an intensive week of community activity, I crash and read a riveting escape book. The latest was a Donna Leon that takes place in Venice. The most recent favorite film is "Beyond Silence" a German film about a young musician born to deaf parents.
The latest concerts I've produced are: Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Marley's Ghost, Hans York's CD--Young Amelia-- release concert, John McCutcheon, Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, David Francey, Cerro Negro and Eva Scow.
Bill Moyers is my hero. He is a journalist in the truest sense of the word. He investigates, asks thoughtful questions, presents both sides and is very literate.
Timothy Egan is my favorite environmental & political columnist. he writes for the NY Times.
My husband of 58 years died just short of his 86th birthday. He was loyal and responsible to the end, paying off the bills the morning before he died. His physical presence is missed but life goes on.
I just celebrated my 83rd birthday. A knee replacement has me walking a bit more carefully but hasn't slowed me down.
I repeat: Life is good.
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