Profile by alex stuwe

Compassion Has a New Name: Wolfgang

By Alex Stuwe

Wolfgang was born in Germany and lived there until he was 26. As a young adult in Germany he made money by starting up a stained glass business with his friend. As well as a home restoration business. Though it didn’t pay a lot, it was enough to support him. He finished his masters in sociology at the University of Berlin. He later came to the U.S. and soon be-

gan work as a handyman in Georgia. Subsequently traveled through the United States and ended up in San Francisco. In San Francisco he continued work as a handyman as well as a counselor in a group home and started studying psychology. He finished with a masters in psychology in 1987

and as part of it started working with the health department in the city and county jails.

Wolfgang Stuwe works at the Health Department in San Francisco.

He has been working there for 26 years dealing with endeavors in medicine homelessness and well as poverty within the city. He occasionally works in soup kitchens to help feed the homeless. For other such projects he does not take credit for himself but instead as a group effort. “It was not a solo effort its not just my endeavors its not just my work but going back to 1985 and 1986 when the first notices came out that a disease came out and affected people and it was initially classified as a gay disease and there were some very forward thinkers and upright people around that immediately HIV was not a gay disease but an opportunistic disease that preyed

on people who had unhealthy habits and lifestyles who did not do anything to protect themselves.” In a world of people heavily disliking the government, Wolfgang shines on as one of the few good governmental workers.

He works for the people instead for himself. He enjoys what he does and gives it 110% to complete what he needs to. Wolfgang

is told to do so. His compassion and energy

for his job is easily seen by anyone who has

goes to work to actual- worked with him. ly work; he doesn’t just punch a timecard and wait until he gets off, but works and doesn’t stop working until he

Though he may seem all work and no play, Wolfgang is a very active individual outside of his work. Wolfgang likes to travel with his family as well as exercise. Along with his exquisite taste in food, he and his wife Leslie tend to a small garden that they maintain in their backyard. Wolfgangs compassion for making a healthy lifestyle for people in the big city has carried into his home life.

With fresh produce from their garden they like to spice up their meals. Along with eating healthy, Wolfgang exercises regularly to help stay in shape. In fact, this lifestyle was a choice he made in response

to December 2000, Wolfgang suffered a heart attack due to an unhealthy past of smoking.

After his heart attack Wolfgang quit smoking and began his path to living a healthy lifestyle and it lead to what it is today. He exercises regularly to stay in shape. He runs almost everyday and enjoys going on long bike rides occasionally. Wolfgang just recently competed in the bridge to bridge run in San Francisco which helped benefit the special olympics.

“If you do good things, good things will follow” -Wolfgang Stuwe