The Veterans Wall of Honor was founded in 2012 by Attorney Bridget Wilson and Benjamin Dillingham to honor LGBTQ veterans for their service in U.S. military service and afterwards their contributions to the LGBTQ and local community. Located in the auditorium of the San Diego LGBT Center, the Wall includes FOG veteran honorees: Michael Klein, Robert Bettinger, Lester Lefkowitz, Frank Stefano, John Keasler and others.
FOG member Judge Guido Casari will be, thanks to the work of his husband Larry Kam and Frank Stefano, inducted into the Wall this year. The ceremony of induction will take place at the San Diego LGBT Center at 6 pm on November 7th. All are welcome to attend.
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Thank you to the over 100 guests who attended FOG’s 31st anniversary banquet held at Bali Hai on beautiful Shelter Island. This banquet had its largest attendance ever!
Special recognition was given to all those who contribute to make FOG a vital and thriving organization throughout the year. An annual membership meeting is held before the dinner where business updates are presented to the membership and officers are elected. Next year’s banquet will be on Thursday, October 9, 2025. Please support the organizations that generously contributed prizes for our 2024 banquet raffle: Bali Hai Restaurant Cygnet Theatre Diversionary Theatre Japanese Friendship Garden La Jolla Music Society La Jolla Playhouse The Old Globe San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus San Diego Symphony Orchestra The early August weather was perfect for our annual picnic on Paradise Isle in the middle of Mission Bay. About 70 FOG member turned out with offerings of food, games and friendly conversation. Jay, Alan and Luciano did a great job of pulling it all together.
---Lester Lefkowitz, who considers himself to be “85 years young,” has had a wealth of life experiences that couldn’t all be shared in this brief introduction. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Lester has been a Boy Scout since 1942 and a Brotherhood Honor Member of the Order of the Arrow. He says his most outstanding honor was to serve in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. Professionally, he worked with developmentally disabled adults at the ARC of San Diego, and later as a Disability Evaluation Analyst for the State of California. In 1987, be began a 17-year career with the County of San Diego as a Medi-Cal Determinator, then in Support Services. He is a survivor of prostate cancer, and has devoted his life to volunteering with the American Cancer Society, most often doing outreach at Pride festivals. He was an active member of SAGE San Diego when it was still in existence, and is an active member of FOG (Fellowship of Older Gays). Lester also says that music and singing have helped him in many ways to lift his spirits and others, so he contributed to the campaign to save the San Diego Opera, an organization that has been a focus of his lately. He dedicates this honor to his partner of 42 years, Dr. Arthur Uribe.---from the San Diego LGBT Center's Veterans Wall of Honor Archives |
Our organization began when our two founding members met through an ad one of them had placed in a local newspaper, looking for like-minded gay men over 40 who wanted to “socialize and pursue educational, entertainment and cultural interests”. The first meeting took place on September 7, 1993 with 10 people in attendance and we now number around 200 members. Learn more on our About page.
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November 2024
Join usWe cordially invite all gentlemen who would like to have a chance to socialize, engage in one or more of our many monthly activities and gain new friends, to join us. You would be most welcome, indeed.
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