Really good connections are always made through people.

Lena Ewoldt Farrell was one such person. With her warm and unifying manner, she laid the foundation for the lively and diverse exchange between Kiel and San Francisco. We had to say goodbye to her at the beginning of the year, but we look back with gratitude on our time together.

Lena was always curious about the world, about other people and countries. As a stewardess and later with her husband John, she traveled extensively. The connection to her family in her native Schleswig-Holstein always remained important to her. Her son Mark Farrell and her nephew from Germany, Thomas Ewoldt, regularly saw each other at family reunions. They eventually developed the idea for a stronger connection between Kiel and San Francisco. The PowerPoint presentation to promote the twinning to the two mayors was created at Lena's kitchen table. Naturally, she was present at the signing ceremony in 2017.

On the American side, Lena was a member of the board of the Sister City Committee, the sister organization of The Bay Areas e.V., and brought the partnership to life with warmth and energy. When a visit from Germany was announced, she made contact with interesting people and projects in the region or spontaneously organized tickets for the San Francisco Symphony. She was just as enthusiastic about the connection between the Ocean Film Festival and Cinemare in Kiel as she was about the German swimmers she welcomed to the Lighthouse Swim off Alcatraz and the Amici meetings at the Southend Rowing Club. She very often invited visitors to her own home and, as a hostess, easily created opportunities for new contacts and projects.

We are delighted that so many people are now shaping the connection between the two cities in Lena's spirit and bringing it to life at various levels.

Photos: Pepe Lange