Interesting People
Giant Steps
Crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon is an achievement. Doing it 30 consecutive times is monumental. That’s what Pocket resident Jim Geary accomplished at age 79.
He’s worn out hundreds of running shoes since taking up the sport in 1968 at Marine Corps officer candidate school. The retired attorney estimates he’s run almost every race, from 5 kilometers to marathons, in the Sacramento region.
Life Lessons
Jilian Bar-or has a sign in her office that reads, “This is the Work.”
It’s a reminder why she loves her job as head of Shalom School on Sierra Boulevard.
“I’m so committed to the work Shalom School is doing,” says Bar-or, entering her 12th year at the school. “We serve such a specific purpose in the region that’s very important and valuable.”
An independent day campus that serves students age 2 through sixth grade, Shalom School offers rigorous academics and a nurturing environment rooted in Jewish traditions.
Class Of 60
In September 1964, a handful of teachers, 12 students and a secretary held the first classes of what would become Sacramento Country Day School.
In March 1986, a baby was born at Sutter Memorial Hospital who would eventually attend Country Day for 13 years, making her a “lifer” of the independent PK-12 school. That baby was me.
The school’s educational philosophy said its students were to be “grounded in the academic disciplines, proficient in reading, speaking, writing, listening, and mathematics, and with a development of perceptual awareness and creative talent through music, art, and writing.”
As Country Day celebrates its 60th year, a lot has changed. But I can confirm the original philosophy still rings true.
Star Turn
When the call came saying Roberto Fatal’s short film “En Memoria” had been accepted to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival out of 8,000 submissions, Fatal almost crashed the car.
Back home in Land Park, Fatal told co-writer and girlfriend Ali Meyers-Ohki. Then they called the cast and crew.
It was a dream come true for the team that brought “En Memoria” to reality.
“I’ve been in love with movies and sci-fi since I was a child,” Fatal says. “But being queer, in the closet, Latino and mixed Indigenous, I didn’t see a lot of my community in sci-fi, which scared me a little bit. I’d think, Oh, my God, I think this means we don’t make it to the future!
Homecoming
Javier Plasencia is the new director of education at the Crocker Art Museum. He oversees eight programmers and educators in the planning and execution of more than 300 programs to serve about 35,000 people each year.
The job is a homecoming for Plasencia, who grew up in Pocket-Greenhaven. His experience includes work with the arts and design team at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York and Museum of Modern Art.
Most recently, he was program manager for the Museum Studies Master of Arts program at University of San Francisco. He recruited, advised and taught graduate students.
Wellness Doctrine
Dr. Scott Fishman could have retired last year. Instead, he opened a new door to continue his work in pain management.
Fishman became executive director of the UC Davis Office of Wellness Education. He’s the Jacquelyn S. Anderson endowed chair of wellness for the organization. He’s also a professor emeritus for UC Davis Health Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.
“Jacquelyn Anderson was a patient of mine who had cancer, and when she passed away, her husband Jim left us a gift of $5 million that founded this organization,” Fishman says.
