Personas

Sharon
53 years old
Free-spirited philanthropist

Sharon is a 53 year old woman who spent the first 8 years of her life living on Alcatraz. Her father worked as a prison guard and moved his family into the island community of about 300. Her family was one of the last to live there when Alcatraz was a federal penitentiary and remembers watching the last inmates get on the boat to leave Alcatraz in 1963 when it was shut down.

Sharon would take the ferry back and forth to school in San Francisco everyday. Sometimes the waves were too ruff for the ferries to run and the kids would delight in a day off. She remembers the island as safe place to live with plenty of other kids as playmates. Sharon is interested in sharing her experiences with others while revisiting some of her roots and possibly reconnecting with some of the people she knew growing up on Alcatraz.



John
42 years old
Fun-time Dad







































John is a 42 year old divorced father with 1 kid, Luke aged 8. John works hard during the week as a financial consultant in the Bay Area. On weekends he likes to take Luke on outings to discover new things to keep him from being glued to TV and video games. John also enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and camping, biking, surfing and kayaking. Like everyone in the Bay Area, he’s heard of Alcatraz but has yet to go visit the island.

John is comfortable using the web for checking e-mail, playing fantasy sports and finding activities to do with his son. He’s mostly interested in up-to-date information about local events that are happening during weekends, but has a hard time locating this info on the web.



Haruko
34 years old
Tourist











































Haruko is a single 34 year old Japanese woman from Japan. She loves to travel and her favorite activities include sight-seeing, dining in fancy restaurants and shopping. She is interested in visiting the best, most popular places in California while she in the state, and San Francisco is on her list of places to go because it offers all three of her main interests.

Haruko is still planning her trip from online recommendations, as well as tour books and word of mouth. She loves American movies and has seen the Clint Eastwood movie, “Escape from Alcatraz,” so she is interested in exploring the island. She is specifically looking for a personal experience where she can have a knowledgeable guide explain what she is viewing.




Larry
70 years old
Retiree











































Larry is 70 year old ex-inmate from Alcatraz. He now lives in an assisted living community in Arizona. Although he can’t get around as well as he used to, Larry enjoys playing golf on the local course and wii bowling when he’s at home.

Larry was sent to Alcatraz when he was 20 years old for multiple armed robberies. He spent 4 years at Alcatraz before being transferred to another penitentiary when it was shut down. He’s received past invitations in the mail to previous alumni reunions, but he feels that Alcatraz is a shut chapter in his life and isn’t sure he wants to revisit his experiences on the island. Some of his family is not aware that Larry did time at Alcatraz.

There is a shared computer lab in the assisted living community, where Larry has his own computer set up. He mainly uses it to write e-mail to his grandchildren. Larry gets most his information in newspapers and magazines, and a few Web sites that have been recommended to him.