Jan. 16, 2014 the OBHS Presented: Miss Rankin and the Library She Built— Featuring OB Librarian Matt Beatty. Margaret Rankin was librarian at the Ocean Beach Library from 1921 to 1959. A lifelong force in OB, Margaret was largely responsible for getting the current library built and later remodeled. She was also deeply involved in her community seen in news clippings, her own library reports, and photos of the places she lived.
Matt Beatty put on a great program. He has been a librarian at the Ocean Beach Library for eight and a half years.

2015 Winner SD Book Awards- Best Published Local Interest “Ocean Beach” by the Ocean Beach Historical Society (Jonnie Wilson & Kathy Blavatt, eds.)
“Ocean Beach” book by the Ocean Beach Historical Society & Images of America is $21.99 ea. plus tax. This fantastic book is filled O.B.’s wonderful history and images. Available at: OBHS  programs, events, Te Mana Café, Green Store, SDHC, James Gang Company,  OBMA,  Olive Tree Market, Shells, and Bookstar.

HISTORICAL 1887 OB MAP poster shows lovely calligraphy, old street names, railroad lines, beaches, rock formations, sand dunes and springs. The map’s natural aging gives it a wonderful pirate-map quality— $20 ea.  Available at: OBHS Events/Programs, The Green Store, John Baker Picture Frames, OBMA and the Newport Ave. Antique Center. Proceeds go to the OBHS, a 501(c)(3) non-profit org

OBHS Presented: Landscapes Rediscovered by John DeBeck—Nov. 21st.  John DeBeck, former long-time School Board Member presented a program on the recovered San Diego Unified School District art collection, an extraordinary project he accomplished that benefits historians, school children and all San Diegans. When serving on the School Board, John found out that the district owned a significant amount of W.P.A. and donated art that had gone missing or was set aside. These works, approximately 100 canvasses of landscapes, seascapes and people (many of children), were unseen by the public for decades. These include depression-era paintings from acclaimed San Diego artists Charles Reiffel and Maurice Braun, including landscapes of Point Loma.  This rediscovered art was brought back to the public… but sadly we learned much is still missing or deteriorating because of lack of funding and interest in restoring the art.

The OBHS Presented: San Diego Yesterday
Richard Crawford, Oct. 17, 2013, San Diego today is a vibrant and bustling coastal city, but it wasn’t always so. The city’s transformation from a rough-hewn border town and frontier port to a vital military center was marked by growing pains and political clashes. Civic highs and criminal lows have defined San Diego’s rise through the 19th and 20th centuries into a preeminent Sun Belt city. Historian Crawford recalled significant events and one-of-a-kind characters that laid the foundation for the San Diego that we know today.
Richard Crawford is the Supervisor of Special Collections at the San Diego Public Library. He is the former archives director at the SDHS/edited the Journal of San Diego History.

Our Sept. 19, 2013 program “The Incredible and Mysterious Hidden Past of San Diego County” was very informative and interesting.
Noted anthropologist and historian Richard L. Carrico lectured on the hidden past and mysteries of ancient San Diego County. Richard took the audience back thousands of years to explore a people and a land that few know about.  Richard delve into possible meanings of prehistoric rock paintings (pictographs) and carvings (petroglyphs) that dot our landscape, he discussed Kumeyaay knowledge of our vast universe, explore Kumeyaay pharmacology as shown through native plant use, detail the ancient roots of Indian gaming in the region, and explain how at least one local Kumeyaay holy man got the best of the Christian devil. He spoke on how Indians cured and treated some common ailments, or how some of our mountains were formed, how the pine trees moved from the coast to the Cuyamacas, or the Kumeyaay name of Ocean Beach, Mission Valley, and San Diego, and how Kumeyaay made pigments. If you missed this facinating program or want more infonation: http://www.rockhilllearning.com

The Ocean Beach Historical Society Presented San Diego’s Waterfront Through the Eyes of a Child Featuring Jim Bregante August 15th

We learned so much as we stepped back in time with Jim Bregante’s historical presentation of San Diego’s Waterfront and Little Italy. We took a historical journey along the waterfront and Little Italy, from the 1930’s to present, narrated by Jim Bregante, a native San Diegan. An experienced speaker, Jim is a Docent for the San Diego Maritime Museum, a member of the San Diego History Center and the Italian Historical Society of San Diego. Jim shared his experience of growing up in Little Italy, near all the vibrant waterfront life, via a PowerPoint presentation with pictures from historical and family archives…. Depicting his family’s start in the fishing industry, his experiences on the waterfront as a youth and life in Little Italy; Jim’s memories were shared and treasured to our group.

Wow what a program July 18th, 2013…and an what amazing lady that Carol Sing is! Inspiring and funny video clips filled the night.
In the tradition of Florence Chadwick, champion swimmer Carol Sing spent her formative years in Ocean
Beach. Living blocks from the beach gave her a love for the ocean, having a positive lifelong role in her life.
Since the 1960’s, Carol spent the next 25 years raising her family at Mt. Helix. However, her mom and twobrothers still lived in O.B. She continued her swim skills by coaching, lifeguarding and teaching water exercise classes.
Later, struggling with an empty nest and the death of her mom, Carol went back to the solace of the ocean. Great joy came into her life by swimming with La Jolla Cove Swim Club. She also started on her long distance journey to channel swimming, which in 1999 enabled her at age 57 to become the oldest women in the world to swim the English Channel. An amazing achievement when you hear the tale!

The Ocean Beach Historical Society had a record number of new members sign up at the 2013 OB Street Fair, many of the young people. It was great to see all the interest in our history. Thanks to all that helped at the OBHS Booth and those that put on the event.

The OBHS Presented: WONDERLAND 100 Year Celebration!
JUNE 20, 2013 Featuring  Author Jonnie Wilson—When Wonderland opened on July 4, 1913, it drew a crowd of35,000 people to Ocean Beach, then a community of only 300 residents. Although this early amusement park— the first to be built in the city of San Diego—only lasted for three years, its brief existence was pivotal to the development of O. B. Wonderland’s many attractions, included the largest roller coaster on the West Coast at the time, some unusual—even bizarre—things that happened at the park between 1913 and 1916, and the connection between this fabled resort and D. C. Collier, the real estate developer many call “the true father of Ocean Beach.” Jonnie Wilson is on the OBHS board and an author and Co-author of the “Ocean Beach” book.

The 19th Annual OB EXPOSED! was a photo perfect night! Photographic Impressions of Ocean Beach & Point Loma filled the Masonic Center on Fri., May 17th.

Congratulations to OB EXPOSED! 2013 WINNERS: Best in Show: Don Johnson – O.B. Phil #1, Color: Ray Hitchcock – Sunset Splash, Black & White: Don Johnson – O.B. Phil #1, Special Effects: Fran Del Santo – Electric- A Young Woman Writing in Her Journal Vintage: McElwee/Peace, Vince Adami – Looking North of OB from Cliff Area (1917), People’s Choice (voted by show attendees): Jane Swanson – Dog Explores Cave at Sunset Cliffs

Thanks to Donors (all those Great Refreshments): Point Loma Masonic Lodge; C.J.’s Catering & Speciality Baking; European Cake Gallery; Newbreak Coffee at the Beach, OB Business Center; OB People’s Co-op; OB QuikStop; Olive Tree Market Place; Pepe’s and Shades. Also, Thank You to the OB Business Center, Judges Joe Ewing & Steve Rowell, volunteers, and participants that help make this a fabulous event. 

Start clicking those photos for next years as we celebrate the 20th OB EXPOSED!