Remembering two people who left their marks in San Francisco

This morning, I read about two recent deaths of former San Francisco residents on sfgate.com.

I didn't know either of these people personally, but I'm aware of the legacies that they've both left in our City.

Trevor Hailey created the Cruisin' the Castro walking tour in the late 80s. By the time she retired, and handed the "Cruisin' the Castro" tours over to someone else in 2005, she had led an estimated 4,000 excursions through the heart of the city's gay community, interweaving history, anecdotes and personal reflections.

I went on the walking tour last year, which is now operated by the new owner, Kathy Amendola. I enjoyed the tour tremendously, and learned a lot about the history of our neighborhood.

I walked past the Bank of America on the corner of 18th and Castro (the heart of The Castro) earlier today, and saw that there were already several bouquets of flowers and cards left in honor of Trevor. I had heard so many wonderful things about this woman. I'm sorry I never had the opportunity to meet her.

Jack Mitchell also passed away this week. He and his brother were co-founders of San Francisco's Mitchell's Ice Cream, which has become a San Francisco institution. The original ice cream shop opened in 1953, and is still in it's original location. You can also find Mitchell's Ice Cream served in local restaurants and cafes throughout the city.

Even though I didn't know either of these people, I'm happy to know that they were here, and that they made a difference in our City in their own way.