When 96-year-old Senior U.S. Circuit Court Judge J. Clifford Wallace steps into his chambers each morning, he’s defying our culture’s expectations of aging. Having served on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 1972, he plans to continue until he’s 100 or older, according to a recent article in The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Wallace isn’t alone in rewriting the retirement rulebook. Here in San Diego County, we’re experiencing a silver hair revolution. Nearly a half-million residents — 470,000 of us — are over 65, comprising 14% of our vibrant population. By 2040, this number will swell to over 20%. And let me tell you, this gang (yes, I am a card-carrying member) is not sitting around watching reruns of “Golden Girls” (though, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love Betty White?). Today we are watching Jean Smart re-invent herself in “Hacks.”
My own journey reflects this shifting paradigm. In 1993, a divorce left me with two daughters, ages 8 and 11, and the urgent need to reinvent myself professionally. While working at Connect, an incubator without walls for early stage tech and biotech companies, I learned what it would take to start a company, and I started what has become Athena STEM, a global leadership development program.
Life had more surprises in store. I met my second (and last!) husband Neil Senturia, and together we dove into the emerging tech world, founding a software company in 1995. Over the next two decades, I helped launch several companies, including Proflowers.com.
By 2015, as I was about to become a grandmother, many of my peers were planning traditional retirements — you know, the kind where you actually retire. I wanted to explore different questions. What truly motivates me? What makes me excited to start each day? I’ve always said my hobby is “starting things,” and having achieved some reasonable financial independence gave me the freedom to choose my next chapter.
This led me to run for San Diego City Council in 2016, where I served for four years. One of my proudest moments was championing SDSU West despite early and significant opposition. I read the documents on both sides, and I realized its potential to drive regional economic development. Now we have Snapdragon Stadium and the beginning of an innovation district in Mission Valley.
After leaving City Hall in 2020, I embraced new challenges. During COVID, Neil and I wrote a book about Gina Champion-Cain and her Ponzi scheme because jigsaw puzzles weren’t exciting enough. I also helped my youngest daughter with her newborn twin sons — nothing keeps you young like two babies who think sleep is optional.
Next, Neil and I started a company that failed. I was depressed and exhausted. But I bounced back into the fray, and last summer I ed Neil one more time as we started an artificial intelligence software company.
Today, my calendar is full. I divide my time between my grandchildren, our AI company, and community service through organizations like the San Diego Jewish Women’s Foundation and San Diego Downtown Rotary Breakfast Club. My involvement with ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) allows me to the next generation of innovators.
The traditional notion of retirement is dead. Today’s 65+ generation isn’t settling for rocking chairs and quiet afternoons — we’re more likely to be found rocking startups and quieting skeptics. This monthly column will spotlight the diverse and inspiring ways other “older” San Diegans are approaching their post-career lives, proving that the only thing “senior” about this cohort is our inability to sit still and memories of when phones still had cords.
As for the legacy I hope to leave? It’s in the eyes of my grandchildren, in the initiatives I’ve helped launch, and in knowing that in some small way, I’ve contributed to making San Diego a better place. My story is only one of thousands in our city.
I look forward to introducing you to other “olders” and their stories of pushing back against the dying light.
Please the conversation and send me your suggestions. You can reach me at [email protected].
