Author Archives: Bill Halamandaris

Becky Simpson remembers watching her little brother die of pneumonia when she was five.  Two years later her sister almost followed him.  The house was so cold, she recalls, it was warmer outside.  She also remembers making, at that tender … Continue reading →

I was late to marry.  As soon as I approached puberty, my father began drumming into me the notion that marriage was most important decision of my life.  He told me to wait until I finished my education and warned … Continue reading →

When you are a boy playing soccer, probably the last thing you are thinking about is being safe.  For twelve-year-old Sead Bekric it nearly was when artillery shells blew up the ground beneath his feet in Bosnia. The last memory … Continue reading →

A few years ago, I visited San Francisco for a board meeting of the Jane Goodall Institute. Though I arrived late in the day, I was determined to get out of the hotel and enjoy the city. As I began … Continue reading →

When I was thirteen, my Father told me he was dying.  He had been to the doctor for the annual physical required by his company, expecting nothing and feeling fine only to told he had black lung.  There was nothing … Continue reading →