Bay Area

IN MEMORIAM: Frankie Jacobs Gillette

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1925, Frankie Jacobs Gillette was the third of three daughters and a son born to the late Natalie Taylor Jacobs and Frank Walter Jacobs. In 1932, her father, a Baptist minister, was called from Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, to Messiah Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Conn., where Frankie attended local public schools. She was a graduate of Hampton University and Howard University, where she received a Master of Social Work degree.

Published

3 years ago

March 19, 2022

Oakland Post

Frankie Jacobs Gillette

April 1, 1925 – February 26, 2022

Frankie Jacobs Gillette, beloved aunt, friend, retired social worker and educator, entered into eternal rest on Feb. 26, 2022, in San Francisco, California, after a brief illness.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1925, Frankie was the third of three daughters and a son born to the late Natalie Taylor Jacobs and Frank Walter Jacobs. In 1932, her father, a Baptist minister, was called from Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, to Messiah Baptist Church in Bridgeport, Conn., where Frankie attended local public schools. She was a graduate of Hampton University and Howard University, where she received a Master of Social Work degree.

Frankie’s social work career began with community organizations in Illinois, New Jersey and Michigan. In California, Frankie was a federal government administrator implementing War on Poverty programs operated through the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity/Community Services Administration.

Frankie grew up in the church and was a faithful supporter of her church home in San Francisco, Bethel A.M.E. Church. In 2010, she was honored as “Christian Woman of the Year.” Frankie was an active parishioner until her death, and was instrumental in church improvement activities, fundraising initiatives, and the installation of an elevator on the church grounds.

Frankie’s local community involvement was extensive and frequently honored. She shared her fundraising and mentoring talents freely. Notable activities included: Commissioner, San Francisco Human Rights Commission; Member, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau; Chairperson, San Francisco-Abidjan Sister City Committee; and Trustee, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. She was most proud to be a founding Board Director of the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD).

On the national level, Frankie was National President (1983-1987) of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. During her tenure, Frankie was recognized by Ebony magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Black Americans” for 1984. Frankie also held life memberships in the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the Links, Inc., and Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.

Frankie was preceded in death by her parents, three siblings and her loving husband and true soulmate of 46 years, Maxwell C. Gillette. Married in 1976 by distinguished theologian Howard Thurman, they lived their lives guided by his admonition to “ask what makes you come alive and go do it.”

She will be lovingly missed by her two nieces, Renata Henry, and Karen Sarjeant (Larry), her grandnieces Kiera Henry, Nicole Henry, and Shani Sarjeant, and her grandnephew, Omari Sarjeant, and several nieces and nephews in the Bay Area and throughout the world.

A memorial service will be held at Bethel AME Church, 916 Laguna St., San Francisco (415) 921-4935 on March 26, 2022, at 1 p.m. COVID-19 safety protocols will be observed; masks and proof of vaccination are required.

Please consider memorial contributions in Frankie’s honor to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and/or the Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco.

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Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.