The Ocean Beach Historical Society on August 17, 2023, presented the NTC Centennial program, by Eric DuVall. The program was full of information and humor as we learned the history and celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Naval Training Center. OBHS programs are always Free!
The Ocean Beach Historical Society, July 20, 2023, program San Diego Women in World War II , presenter Linda Canada, at Water’s Edge Faith Community, was insightful and covered many personal experiences during WWII . Once the shock of the bombing of Pearl Harbor subsided, the women of San Diego had to deal with a number of issues at home. For most married women, their husbands immediately wanted to join the war effort, which put instant pressure on them to become the heads of household, parent their children, and maybe be the breadwinner all at the same time! For single women, there was the challenge of losing their social lives as sweethearts and friends joined the service and were sent far away. For all women, there was the challenge of transitioning from a male-dominated world to one where they had to learn to be responsible for their own actions and plan for their own futures. We heard actual stories and the real experiences of San Diego women as they lived through this tumultuous period of history.
The Ocean Beach Historical Society program paid homage to this incredible O.B. artist on Thurs., June 15, 2023, A Retrospective: Ocean Beach’s Extraordinary Artist Charles Faust, Presented by Kathy Blavatt & Eider Demello, at Water’s Edge Faith Community, O.B.
Charles Faust was a modern-day Renaissance man. He was among the echelons of Ocean Beach’s most famous artists. He was multifaceted in various mediums in the fine art world, commercial art and illustration, design, and structural design.
Faust worked for the San Diego Zoo, Lindbergh Field, and he had a vast number of freelance accounts. Faust also worked out of a studio on Voltaire Street in Ocean Beach, where he created many of his signature sand castings that were displayed at commercial buildings and homes on the peninsula. We saw a presentation and original samples of his incredible art in multiple mediums. All this for FREE!
A Return to the Cradle of Bitchin, brought a crowd of over 150 guests to Ocean Beach Historical Society and Point Loma High Alumni Association program, Thurs. May 18t, 2023, at Water’s Edge Faith Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., as we returned to the Cradle of Bitchin with author A. Lee Brown and sculptor Richard Arnold. Lee and Richard are longtime friends, and are both former Pointers, Qwiigs and OB Lifeguards. The program will be based on Lee’s recently published book Cradle of Bitchin, A Story of Mentors, Watermen, & the Sea. While “Cradle” explores the California beach culture’s inherited Hawaiian concepts of Kumu a’ o (mentorship of the young) and Lokahi, (the unity between the sea and humanity) it is also a memoir of a youth and adolescence in the Ocean Beach of the 1950s and 1960s. In the words of Richard Arnold: “My Dad died when I was five and the Ocean Beach lifeguards became my surrogate fathers. Those fellows taught me how to harvest and respect the sea and the way of the Waterman. As I look back to those times I realize I could never have had a more bitchin childhood.” We (including generations of PL Grads) had a very Bitchin evening!
WOW!!! Randy’s photographic program was marvelous. What talent and what an amazing family with some of the best historic photos we’ve seen.
Thursday, April 20, 2023, Ocean Beach Historical Society presented: Through the Lens, A photographic Family Legacy, featured Ocean Beach Photographer Randy Dible, at Water’s Edge Faith Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Randy Dible’s family have been in the photographic and film industry for decades. They produced movies, photography, and film equipment. Randy showed incredible creative work from generations of his family and himself including his surf photography… a total of 400 images!
All Ocean Beach Historical Society programs are FREE!
The Ocean Beach Historical Society Wisteria Garden Party/Fundraiser on Sunday, March 19, 2023 was glorious. The music wonderful! Billy Lee’s Swing Band were the perfect band for our event. Other featured local guest musicians/singers included Claire Roberts, T.J. (Antonio Johnson) sang It’s a Wonderful World, and harmonica player Craig Klein. The Opportunity Drawing was a hit and the Wisteria was blooming! Thank you to Pat & Susan James, the Titlow family, Ocean Beach Historical Society, volunteers and donors for making the party a great success.
Congress of History San Diego & Imperial Counties invite you to the
Come One, Come All! Community Events that bind us together, Conference 2023
Fri., Feb. 24, 9 am – 4 am & Sat. Feb. 25, 2023, 9 am – 1 am
at S.E.S. Portuguese Hall of San Diego at 2818, Avenida de Portugal, San Diego, CA 92106
“Celebration. Commemoration. Remembering coming together after the past several years of staying apart.”
As people, we are social beings, who gather for many reasons: to share joy, to honor others, to remember good times, or to make our voices heard.
Learn about gatherings that were pivotal in keeping traditions alive. At Come One, Come All! This conference showcases events has inspired us to gather, be they happy or serious. Don’t miss Eric Duval’s talk- The “Tail” of the Ocean Beach Kite Festival at 2:30-3:15, Fri., Feb. 24.
Come to the 2023 conference. Enjoy speakers, meet and mingle with history-loving organizations.
Conference two-day costs: $35 per adult, $25 per Senior (65+), and $15 Student are free
You may mail in your check or pay by check or cash at the door. We look forward to seeing you on February 24 and 25, 2023. More info. at: https://congressofhistory.org/
Ocean Beach Historical Society Presented: Coastal Scrub to Garden Fair, by Nancy Carol Carter, Thurs. Feb. 16, at Water’s Edge Faith Community – 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. After many years of debate and controversy, a formal plan for the landscaping and planting of San Diego’s City Park was adopted in 1902. Much of the original plan was shelved when preparations for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition began in earnest.
When the Olmstead Brothers Landscape firm bowed out of the Exposition team, opportunity fell to two “accidental landscapers.” Balboa Park historian Nancy Carol Carter describeed how this precarious predicament resulted in the richly planted and beautifully maintained grounds of the Exposition, which won praise as a “Garden Fair.” This lively program introduced a wide cast of interesting characters and is illustrated by numerous vintage photographs showing how the Exposition forever changed Balboa Park and influenced horticulture in all of southern California. Thank you to those that attended the exciting program Ocean Beach Historical Society on February 16th, 2023!
The Ocean Beach Historical Society presented: Thursday, January 19, 2023, Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage, at Water’s Edge Faith Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, at 7:00 pm.
OBHS began our 2023 Lecture Series with a one-hundred-year-old cold case murder mystery! A few years ago, Richard Carrico brought us the story of Fritzi Mann, the young San Diego “Butterfly Dancer,” whose body was found on a Del Mar Beach in 1923. The crime was never solved. A century later, author James Stewart believes that he has put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
James Stewart gave an outline of his book Mystery at the Blue Sea Cottage, A true story of murder in San Diego’s Jazz Age, OBHS lectures are always FREE.
The Ocean Beach Historical Society wishes you Happy Holidays.
The Dec. Sea Scroll End of 2022 is available online on the OBHS ARCHIVE page. The printed Sea Scrolls version (mailed to OBHS members) will be late due to the holidays.
There will be NO OBHS December Program, but we suggest you visit the OB Christmas Tree at the foot of Newport Ave. We hope to see you at the Jan. 2023 OBHS Program.
Santa was our jolly special guest at our November OBHS Program. The OBHS Board joined in the fun as Elves and Santa’s Helpers.
Ocean Beach Historical Society 