Scott Hafner & Bill Glenn

If you ask Scott Hafner to define who his heroes are, he would tell you that they are “…the people who do great work, generously, selflessly, quietly, in the shadows…” while his husband, Bill Glenn, would add that those he found heroic are those who try to “…further the cause of justice and to alleviate the suffering of the poor.”  Without realizing it, both have done an amazing job of defining exactly what it is about each other, both individually and as a couple, that makes them such extraordinary men.

And it is because they are such extraordinary men who have worked generously and selflessly that makes them so deserving of being recognized for their leadership, service and philanthropy at the 2012 Light In The Grove event of the National AIDS Memorial Grove.

The accomplishments of these two men over the past three decades is nothing short of astonishing. Currently, Bill is a psychotherapist and spiritual director in private practice in San Francisco and Sonoma County.  In addition to that “…I do volunteer work at San Quentin state penitentiary as a part of Insight Out.  I serve on the board of the Morris K. Stulsaft Foundation, which funds organizations that provides services for underprivileged youth(0-24) in the five county Bay Area.”

Scott (and his brother) are the managing partners of their family’s small vineyard and winery in Alexander Valley. “We farm 100 acres of grapes, making 15,000 cases of wine each year and provide the livelihood for 14 families, most of whom have worked with us for over 20 years.”

Over the past three decades, Bill has served on numerous boards of directors , including the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (where he was President of the Board), 18th Street Services and the ACLU Gay Rights.  Glenn also was the Executive Director of Continuum for seven years.

Scott equally has served on numerous boards of directors, including the AIDS Project Contra County (where he was President of the Board) and the Horizons Foundation (where he was also President of the Board).  Hafner also serves on the Board of Trustees of Connecticut College and is the only only out member of the Board.

When talking to them about what compelled them (and continues to compel them) to become involved in efforts in the AIDS community one cannot escape how their deeply-rooted faith permeates their work.   Of particular note is the fact that both men are founding members  of the Center for Gays and Lesbians in Ministry and Religion at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley.

Explaining what drew him to becoming involved in the HIV/AIDS struggle, Bill commented “…it felt incumbent upon me to serve to the maximum of my ability a community that I love, one that held for me so much that I hold dear–the freedom to become a human being, to love with abandon, to assist in the task of offering hope to those caught in all sorts of binds around human sexuality, a community so suddenly beleaguered.”

For Scott, he simply remarks “I became involved in the AIDS community….as a way to take care of friends.”  Scott recalls that “when we first moved to Santa Rosa I worked with Food for Thought, standing outside of the local supermarket asking for food donations for the food bank.”

Bill’s involvement in the Grove dates back to “an early planning meeting at Isabel Wade’s house,” where he was invited because “I had been raising some money at SFAF, and Alice and Isabel were trying to understand the funding landscape.”  Additionally, Bill was one of the dignitaries who dedicated the South Portal at the 1995 World AIDS Day and gave the keynote at the World AIDS Day Observance in 2004 in the Grove.

Bill and Scott are quick to add “…we have our names in the Circle (of Friends), and are great supporters of John Cunningham, Margarita Gandia and Vivian Stevenson, Susan Sachs and so many other board members, past and present.”

When asked how they would describe each other, Scott says of Bill that “…he does his work more than anyone else I know. People love him, with good reason. I am forever grateful that we’re together.”  Bill describes Scott as his  “…deeply generous, compassionate, warm, funny, wise husband.”  Bill and Scott met 31 years ago, while running in the Berkeley Hills and have been together ever since.