Courts and Cohorts:

An inmate author does his best to save children from a life of crime.

An actress struggles to regain her life and livelihood after losing both legs in a crash.

The wife of a socially prominent attorney leaves her husband and children to marry a convicted murderer.

A wife-attorney defends her White House advisor-husband after he is photographed in the arms of another woman.

You met these remarkable people on the pages of Life & Style in 1996. Our writers and photographers took you into their worlds for a moment, to ponder their dilemmas and learn about what makes them tick.

And then, because the news is the news, they vanished from our view.

But their stories did not end once you had read about them. Here, we catch up with several of 1996’s most memorable people.

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When we wrote about the staff--ages 60 to 81--at the Fullerton Tennis Center, they were deftly running the operation with little fanfare and plenty of devotion. Since then, the Fullerton City Council has honored and publicly thanked the crew for running the courts with such dedication.

Considered unsung heroes of city government for their work ethic and initiative, the seven seniors earn $6 an hour, no benefits.

“They are the most dedicated people I have ever seen. I don’t know what will happen if they go,” said Jean Davenport, who teaches private tennis lessons at the public courts.

If a crew member is ailing or on vacation, the others pitch in to pick up the slack and cover.

Bob Hall has had to reduce his hours because of vision troubles, and Rich Tourne, a former Hughes Aircraft engineer who plays in two orchestras, is running things for now. In slow times, he still practices his horn; the center’s acoustics are good.

Nobody said you can’t enjoy your work.