May 11, 2019
AGING ARTFULLY – ARTIST PROFILE: ISABEL FERGUSON
Isabel Ferguson turned 102 in November 2018.
I bring Isabel lunch every couple of months. While Isabel’s vision and hearing are greatly diminished, she still enjoys sipping fruit wine, is still writing monologues and creative in her own way. Isabel and her friend, Grace, and Grace’s dog, Lucee made a short video recently. This video shows Isabel romping outdoors to the music of Pan’s Flute.
June 11, 2017
AGING ARTFULLY – ARTIST PROFILE: DOROTHY TOY
Dorothy Takahashi Toy turns 100.
Dorothy Takahashi Toy, who began her dancing career in the 1930s and “just lived tap dancing”, turned 100 on May 28! Dancing with her long-time partner Paul Wing, Dorothy appeared on national and international stages, television’s Ed Sullivan Show and in several films before settling down in the Bay Area after the war.
Toy and Wing performed together for many years at the popular San Francisco nightclub Forbidden City — being the first Asians to break the color barrier there — and Dorothy continued to perform professionally through 1971, while traveling and raising her children along the way. Dorothy enjoyed dancing so much she was quoted in Aging Artfully as saying, “We starved so we could dance. We loved it so much we’d do anything just to keep dancing.”
I recently joined in celebrating Dorothy along with her friends and family at the beautiful Oakland Asian Cultural Center. She was warmly feted and gracious to all, while her videos from the 1930s, 40s and 50s played during the party. View an exhibition of Dorothy’s clothing and costume work open today through July 7, 2017 at The Oakland Asian Cultural Center: http://oacc.cc/
February 2, 2017
AGING ARTFULLY – ARTIST PROFILE: ISABEL FERGUSON
Isabel Ferguson turned 100 in November.
Surrounded by about 45 close family and friends, she was grandly feted at her grandson’s home in Orinda, CA, where she appeared radiant, proudly thanking everyone and even reciting a poem. It is truly inspirational how Isabel’s passion for poetry, theatre, and art continues to enrich her life, and others she encounters, after so many decades.
Stagebridge Senior Theater Company in Oakland, CA, beautifully celebrated Isabel with songs, stories and of course a huge cake. Isabel still takes acting classes at Stagebridge, writing and performing her own monologues, although her diminished hearing finally has prevented her from ensemble acting.
Isabel carries a cane that sports Clark Gable’s face many times over, but she rarely needs it for walking. Her apartment, where she lives alone and thoroughly enjoys soups, is like a small gallery surrounded with her many objets d’art. She has a neighbor or friend who rearranges things for her every once in a while to replace current paintings with older ones on her wall.
I was fortunate to attend both events, above, and to share some hearty lentil soup with her.