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Blog archive

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

Beyond the Village – Suzi and Phil Hoge

By Susan Kujawa
Posted: 05/01/2023
Tags: bios

Pasadena Village members Suzi and Phil Hoge are long-time residents of South Pasadena.  After volunteering at a school during college, Suzi became a teacher, and eventually a school principal in the Pasadena Unified School District.  She has also acted as a school administrator in both the Pasadena and Glendale districts.

Phil’s roots to the community go way back to his 1972 graduation from Blair High School.  Phil and Suzi met at the University of the Pacific, where Phil was studying law.  They married, and Phil became a lawyer while Suzi began her teaching career.  When Phil became disenchanted with the adversarial nature of his profession, he was inspired by Suzi to go into education.  He ended up back in the Pasadena Unified School District, teaching history at John Muir High School until he retired.

Phil and Suzi raised their three daughters in South Pasadena.  Their oldest daughter, Laura, followed her parents’ career path and is now a Special Education pre-school teacher in San Diego.  Their middle daughter, Karen, who has Down’s syndrome, works two days a week at Kidspace, and volunteers one day a week at Descanso Gardens.  Suzi explains:  “One of the benefits of being rooted in this area, is that there are lots of available resources”. 

The youngest daughter, Jeanine, left the nest, eventually settling in Cape Town, South Africa.  She is a solar planner; she draws up the electrical plans for solar panels installed throughout the world.  It was in South Africa that she met the woman who became her wife.  Phil traveled, during the pandemic, across the globe to attend her wedding. Explains Phil, “I wasn’t going to miss that wedding!”

Travel was on Phil’s agenda when he began thinking of retirement.  Unfortunately, he retired at the beginning of the COIVD-19 pandemic, and had to put his travel plans on hold.  However, he made good use of his time in South Pasadena.  He joined the South Pasadena Kiwanis Club, whose mission is to provide leadership and growth among children of all ages.  He also stays connected to Muir High School as a volunteer.  And now, three years after he retired, he and Suzi are finally going on their long-delayed cruise of the British Isles.

Suzi retired from work in 2015, but, like Phil, she quickly immersed herself in her community.  She became a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, a women’s educational sorority.  She joined the Pasadena Civitan Club, a 93-year-old service club whose main goal is to promote employment of people with disabilities.  And she still works occasionally as a coach for new principals. 

It was through Civitan that Suzi learned about Pasadena Village.  Suzi was interested in having the Civitan Club host a table at last May’s inaugural Older Adults Information Fair at Jackie Robinson Center.  As a result, she met the Village's Executive Director Katie Brandon, who was chair of the event.  Suzi says, “I visited the Pasadena Village table during the Fair and that planted the seed. We finally joined the Village in September.”

Both Suzi and Phil became quickly involved in Village activities.  Suzi joined the Book Club, the urban walkers group, and Easy Walkers.  In addition, she is helping to plan the Village Visitors program.  Phil, the history buff, enjoys the Great Decisions discussion group, and is also involved in the Men’s Time brunch and the neighborhood gatherings.

So why did they join the Village?  Phil explains some of his reasons for joining: “I’ve found a stimulating group of people at different stages of their lives. We still lead very active lives, but we know things change. It’s nice to make connections with people who are at different stages. I’m happy to help others, to be of service. And I also feel I’m learning from others.”

Suzi adds, “Phil and I have had many frank discussions about growing older.  We both feel it is important, as a couple, to have separate activities.  One of us will die first, that is a fact.  So we want the other one to have supportive connections.  We have both seen examples of a partner being adrift after their loved one is gone.  We don’t want that to happen to us.”

Pasadena Village is happy to welcome Suzi and Phil into our community.  They are contributing to the Village in many ways and are reaping the rewards of membership in their own lives.

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