By Louise “Lou” Fischer–
Since Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement, there have been many testimonials to her leadership, her political instinct sharper than her favorite Manolo Blahnik stiletto heels (lavender, of course), and her extraordinary ability to unite a fragmented and undisciplined caucus. (Maybe the threat of a stiletto to the forehead had something to do with their compliance?) While there are many reasons to admire her, one of my favorites comes from a surprising interaction in 2007 that, by now, she probably forgot—but I never will.
In the early 1990s, I had a tangential relationship to Congresswoman Pelosi; I volunteered on some of her campaigns or those she supported, and I would see her from time to time at various events. In the 2000s, when I got more involved in political organizations, we’d run into each other and I’d always introduce myself as, “Lou Fischer from xxxx,” the xxxx being whatever organization or group I was involved with, be it the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, or Emerge California, or any of the campaigns with which she was affiliated.
While, by now, I have many Nancy Pelosi stories, my favorite involves a “perfect storm” of serendipity—or being in the right place with the right person. In 2007, my father came to visit me, and, while trying to find “Dad-friendly” events, I figured the annual “clean-up event” at the AIDS Grove in Golden Gate Park would be a good choice. He seemed ambivalent, but when I mentioned that “the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi” would be there, that excited him.
Here’s where the serendipity and my knowledge of the trails of Golden Gate Park contributed to the memorable occasion. As usual, I was running late. After we parked and headed to the entrance of the Grove, I saw one of the paved trails leading to the back and convinced my Dad to cut through to the back entrance. After a minute or two, an entire convoy of big SUVs drove up, parked beside us, and Nancy Pelosi popped out of the back door. I immediately launched into, “Hi, Speaker Pelosi, Lou Fischer from xxxx, this is my father David, visiting from Connecticut.” She said, “Hello, Louise,” (she always calls me by my full name!) and graciously shook my father’s hand and welcomed him to San Francisco. They exchanged a few words that I couldn’t hear, and, next thing I knew, Speaker Pelosi said, “I’m going to take a little walk with the good doctor for a few minutes” and they both walked away from me, including all the Capitol Police who were supposed to be guarding her.
I figured that, whatever this was, I wanted to be in it, so I tried to follow, but the Capitol Police made it clear I wasn’t going anywhere. I watched their interaction with pride and a certain amount of wonder—what are they talking about? My primary guess was it had something to do with healthcare; my Dad, a world-renowned physician and pioneer in cancer research, shared the same commitment as Nancy to affordable healthcare and had spent years fighting to make coverage available and affordable.
Meanwhile, as time ticked by and I wanted to get going, they were still talking, but by now had stopped under a tree. Every few minutes, one of the muscular Capitol Police guys made a move and Nancy raised her hand as if to say, “Just another minute.” At this point, there was a part of me that was all, “Hey, I want my Daddy back now, he came here to see me!” Finally, she waved us all forward and said something to the effect of, “Enjoy your visit with your father; we had such a nice chat.” And off she went to the big crowd of people waiting for her in the Grove.
Being that I am my mother’s daughter and a bit of a “busy body,” I grilled my father on what they might have talked about—ending the Iraq war, national security, affordable health care, increase to minimum wage, climate change, education, stem cell research—a gal wants to know! My Dad’s response gave me nothing: “Sorry, Louie, HIPAA,” meaning that whatever was said had something to do with someone’s private health information and he wasn’t saying a word. For the next few days, I tried to get him to spill the tea, but he wasn’t budging. He passed away in December of last year and he took that secret with him, so I’ll never know whom they were talking about.
A year or two later, I was excited to attend one of Nancy’s famous January gatherings she has for her “VIPs” (Volunteers in Politics). At the “grip and grin” picture line, before I could blurt out who I was, she said, “Hi, Louise,” but instead of, “How are you?” she said, “How is your father?” To me, that moment exemplified true leadership—graciousness, humanity, and attentiveness in a way that makes people feel truly seen—a rare combination of kindness and strength, the likes of which we are unlikely to see in future (or current) elected officials. To Nancy Pelosi, I say thank you for your service. You are a true icon.
Louise “Lou” Fischer is a Program and Project Supervisor at the California Public Utilities Commission. She is a former “San Francisco Bay Times” columnist, San Francisco Commissioner, California Democratic Party Assembly Delegate, and a former Co-Chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club.
Thank You, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
Published on November 20, 2025
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