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Bruce Bonacker passed away on August 3, 2017

August 7, 2017 by Elizabeth Weise

Screen Shot 2017-08-07 at 3.39.13 PM
Bruce Bonacker

By Michael Rice, past president, Glen Park Association

Bruce Bonacker, architect, community activist, historic preservation advocate, and long-time Glen Park resident, passed away on August 3, 2017, at age 69. Bruce had been in treatment for over a year for a rare form of cancer, but he was engaged in Glen Park Association work, in his usual insightful and vigorous way, until about a month ago, when I last spoke with him.

Bruce is survived by his sisters Jeanne Baum and Elizabeth Stevens, both in the Albany, New York area, as well as his four nephews and nieces and numerous grand-nephews and grand-nieces. His sisters were with him in San Francisco when he passed away.

I had the pleasure of working with Bruce on many Glen Park planning, housing, and historic resource issues. Bruce, in fact is one of the main reasons I became active in the Glen Park Association, about 15 years ago, when we debated different sides of a local issue. We served together on the GPA board all the way up to 2017. As I wrote in an interview with Bruce in the December 2016 Glen Park News:

“Bruce and I have sometimes disagreed on issues and strategies, but his opinions and counsel have been a big contribution to the Glen Park Association for many years. He twice served as GPA president, and is currently on the GPA Zoning and Planning Committee, and the Glen Park Greenway committee.”

[Please see this story for more about Bruce.

Bruce grew up in the Albany, NY area, completed an architecture degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, then served in VISTA, aiding migrant agricultural workers in upstate New York to develop their own homes.

He moved to San Francisco in the late 70’s, and came to Glen Park in 1980, buying a home on Van Buren Street. Along with his GPA efforts, I am still compiling a list of Bruce’s other committees and organizations he helped in San Francisco.

Bruce was a long-time board member, with a stint as president, of San Francisco Heritage, the architectural preservation organization. Donations in his memory can be made to San Francisco Heritage.

A memorial service is planned for later.

 

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IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Arlington Path Beautification
Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. to noon
Meet at 300 Mateo (x Arlington) for an exciting day of weeding, watering, seed collecting.
Tools, gloves and good company provided.


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Glen Park Association is at Glen Park Greenway.
3 days ago
Glen Park Association

Saturday’s Glen Park Greenway Work Party is Cancelled.

“I’m very sorry to say that
we have cancelled our Work Party for this Saturday July 12, along with all organized volunteer activity on the Greenway until further notice.
As you may have read in the news, our fiscal sponsor, San Francisco Parks Alliance (SFPA), has shut itself down. Just as SFPA has shut itself down, the Greenway, as an organized part of SFPA, has also been “shut down.” We are busy looking for a suitable alternative fiscal sponsor that is willing to replace SFPA. That search is going well but it is a slow process. We had hoped to find temporary ways to enable the Greenway project to function responsibly as a community activity without a fiscal sponsor. Sadly, despite our best efforts and the help of many others in Glen Park, we have failed. That is why we must cancel our Saturday Work Party and discontinue future work parties and other organized volunteer activity on the Greenway (like weeding and watering) until further notice. We recognize that the Greenway is public open space and that the organizers of the Greenway project have no control over the activities of you or of anyone else on the Greenway. However, if you do venture onto the Greenway to satisfy your urge for outdoor recreation, please be aware that your activity is not in any way organized or sanctioned by the organizers of the Glen Park Greenway project. I’m well aware of the efforts that many of the
Greenway’s supporters are making to get the Greenway organized with a new fiscal sponsor and I’m confident that this will be arranged within weeks or perhaps a few months.
However long it takes, I will contact you with news of our progress.
Many thanks for all that you do for the Greenway.”

Nicholas Dewar, volunteer Project Director

#glenparkgreenway #glenparksf #sanfrancisco @rafaelmandelmand8 @danielluriesf @crosstowntrail
#crosstowntrail #sfparksalliance #publicspace #nature
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Wonder what’s stopping just organizing it separate from that non-profit. It seems like the volunteers largely come from Glen Park.

Glen Park Association is at Laidley Street SFO.
6 days ago
Glen Park Association

It was a beautiful day for the annual #july4th celebration on Laidley street!

📷: Photos courtesy of Michael Waldstein

#glenparksf #sanfrancisco #laidley
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It was a beautiful day for the annual #july4th celebration on Laidley street! 

📷: Photos courtesy of Michael Waldstein 

#glenparksf #sanfrancisco #laidley
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