City College of San Francisco / Spring 2006

Contents

Letter from the Editor

    In this issue of Etc. Magazine, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of City College of San Francisco by profiling several of its more memorable students who have informed, inspired and even rocked our world.

    City College is a remarkable institution that has produced some extraordinary people. We believe that reading their stories will serve as motivation and as tales of caution for those of you who are still preparing to make your mark on the world.

    Immigrant and public servant W. Michael Blumenthal found the land of opportunity manifest itself here at City College. In “Advice From the Secretary,” Alex K. Fong chronicles his inspiring journey from surviving the Holocaust to his appointment as the 64th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

     Sadly, Terrell Anderson will never have the opportunity to show how far he would succeed.
In an in-depth look at the unsolved murder of City College’s basketball team captain, Dan Verel reveals in “Remembering Terrell” how Anderson continues to inspire family, friends and fellow teammates.

    In his story “History of City College Goes ‘From Dreams to Reality,’” Alex Mullaney profiles professor Austin White’s tenure at City College, and the book he’s working on, “From Dreams to Reality,” which provides an insider’s account of City College’s past. In “City’s Shack Lady,” Steve Mowles shows how alumna Jane Cryan has preserved a piece of San Francisco’s past by saving the city’s 1906 earthquake shacks.

    No, we did not leave out our most famous and infamous alum, O.J. Simpson. In “Fallen Hero” Dan Sankey tracks his rise as a football hero — that began here — to the day his career was destroyed with his arrest on suspicion of murder.

    In this issue you will see that City College students are as colorful as the city in which they reside. You will also read about the unusual lives of modern-day burlesque entertainers, roller derby girls, HIV/AIDS activists on the ride of their lives, twins separated at birth, and the inhabitants of the city’s 6 a.m. bar scene. And, naturally, discover San Francisco’s wild side.

     We hope these stories give you reason to take pride in our school and to strive to leave a mark as distinctive as those who came before us.

— The Editors