InMenlo.com was launched by three longtime Menlo Park residents in June 2009. One of the new breed of “hyperlocal news sites,” we focus on the people, places, organizations and events that make living in Menlo Park and neighboring Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside distinctive and special.

Founders

• Linda Hubbard first moved to Menlo Park a really long time ago (long enough that she started kindergarten at Hillview School and graduated there from 8th grade in the days it was a K-8).  Following her four years at Menlo-Atherton High School, she went “SoCal” to attend UCLA and stayed too long in the Southland. After stints at the Los Angeles Times and Modern Maturity [now AARP The Magazine], she moved back  to Menlo Park in 1990 with husband Chris Gulker (who passed away in 2010, see below). She found some things had changed — and some things remained the same. When she’s not making assignments, editing and writing for InMenlo, she’s enjoying adventures with husband Dennis Nugent, her classmate from M-A.
  See Linda’s articles here on InMenlo.

• Chris Gulker has been:
  * a dishwasher
  * a merchant mariner
  * a cab driver
  * a tow-truck operator
  * a bartender
  * a freelance photographer (credits: Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Glamour, NY Times et al.)
  * a staff photographer at the L.A. Herald Examiner
  * a photo editor at (the old) San Francisco Examiner
  * the founder of examiner.com and co-founder of sfgate.com
  * the tech columnist for The Independent, London
  * Director, Publishing Marketing, Apple Computer
  * VP of marketing at a couple of startups
  * an evangelist and  product manager at Adobe Systems
  * a blogger at InMenlo, who can’t believe he’s lived here for 20 years now.
  See Chris’ articles here on InMenlo.
  Note: InMenlo co-founder Chris Gulker passed away on October 27, 2010.

• Scott Loftesness has lived in Menlo Park for many years and is a big fan of most things Menlo.  Before retiring, he was a payments strategy consultant at Glenbrook Partners.  During their morning walks together one several years,  Scott learned a lot about photography from Chris Gulker — especially about the power of black and white! No longer active with InMenlo, these days one of his passions is street photography – see his personal blog.
  See Scott’s articles here on InMenlo.

Current Contributors

• Irene Searles is an East Coast transplant who first landed in San Francisco to work for Citigroup Private Bank. She took a break from financial services to attend the California Culinary Academy and spent a short time as the Pastry Chef at Ristorante Vivande in Pacific Heights. Now a Woodside resident, she has had a number of exhibits at Flea Street.exploring a renewed interest in photography. Observes Irene: “Contributing to InMenlo is an amazing way to see and share all of the interesting people, activities and events around town.”
  See Irene’s articles and her photography here on InMenlo.

• Laura Hamilton moved to Menlo Park from the Midwest about a decade ago, first to the Willows and now Ladera. She and her family were drawn to Menlo Park’s location between San Francisco and Silicon Valley because they felt it was a great place to raise their children. She worked in the commercial photography business for over 10 years and now has a portrait business that occupies much of her time. She loves photographing children and families.
  See Laura’s photography here on InMenlo.

• Robb Most has loved photography from youth. In high school he was photographer for the local Congressman, Pete McCloskey. Currently, he practices “volunteer photography” for non-profits. His goal is to show that beauty is all around us whether it be in nature or in people. At events, he seeks to tell the story of the event through photos. When not taking photos, he practices yoga and oversees his company, Mind Garden.

Past Contributors

• Scott R. Kline has worked or lived in Menlo Park since 1982. He and his wife Patricia founded a furniture business here, which they ran for 17 years. Their daughter Sara graduated from M-A after attending Oak Knoll and Hillview. At age 50, Scott scaled back the furniture business and decided to pursue his love of photography as a career. He photographs for InMenlo with particular interest in those passionate about their hobbies or careers.
  View articles with Scott’s photography here on InMenlo.

• Jym Clendenin, who passed away in November, 2024, thinks Menlo Park’s best attributes are its attractive housing, friendly residents, and just-right downtown, not to mention the near perfect weather. He worked nearby at SLAC for 33 years as an experimental and accelerator physicist, retiring in 2008. He stayed active throughout his life — running, biking, backpacking, cooking and reading as well as unearthing facts about Menlo Park’s little known corners and hidden past.
  See Jym’s articles here on InMenlo.

• InMenlo weather watcher Bill Russ, who passed away in March, 2024, called Menlo Park home since 1952. He started measuring rainfall, using dual gauges in his backyard because, he says, “It’s something old guys do.” When not occupied with the weather, Bill, with spouse Sally, applied his vigor to walks around Menlo and active participation at the New Community Church. He retired as InMenlo weather watcher as of September 30, 2020
  See Bill’s articles here on InMenlo.

Care to join us?