As a child, Don Brenon sang and danced with some of Hollywood’s greatest stars. He went on to act in nearly five dozen movies. At 87, though, life has taken some tragic turns. Now his neighbors are playing starring roles in helping him through.

“Thank you for all your years,” event emcee Cathie Peacock told the crowd at a late October luncheon. “Your talent, your wisdom and your expertise have served as an example for others to follow.” Those years tallied in the thousands, which accounted for the enormous amount of talent, wisdom and expertise packed into the Tuolumne
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The following is a chapter from Don Brenon’s 1995 autobiography,  Acting with the Movie Stars. To read more about Don Brenon and his great neighbors, from a feature that appeared in the Winter 2012-’13 FAN, click here. By Don Brenon  My grandmother died in 1938 at the young age of 49, suddenly, while I was
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Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) in the spring and summer of 2012 expanded its reach to provide bus service from Sonora, Jamestown and Groveland to the park’s Big Oak Flat entrance station, Crane Flat and Yosemite Valley. Service is daily from Sonora, Jamestown and Groveland. The bus departs from Sonora’s Best Western at 8am,
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In her mid-60s, Julie Gonzales discovered art and has been creating mosaics and other colorful pieces ever since. Though it’s difficult for her to explain the origin of this obsession, it’s no surprise she’s fall in love with a visual medium. She’s lived most of her life without sound.

Fairness and tolerance play key roles in Murry Francois’ relationship with his wife, Beverly. She puts it this way: “We don’t tread on each other.”

There’s a movement to put a vibrant new face on senior centers as legions of Baby Boomers – whether they like it or not – attain “senior” status. The goal: refashion these sites into community hubs meeting multigenerational needs.

By Cynthia Stratton What makes a great neighborhood?  Great neighbors, of course.  Chuck and Camilla Peterson of Sonora Hills know they have both.  The active couple, both in their early 80s and married for 58 years, has lived in this close-knit retirement community since 1993.  They consider themselves fortunate to have made “many wonderful, wonderful
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Two recent issues of CHISPA tell the story of a pioneering Tuolumne family that left its mark through hard work and devotion to community. What follows is the story behind that story – who wrote it and why, and how the passion to create can overtake you at any age.