This Month in History is a feature in PB Monthly highlighting local happenings from yesteryear. John Fry is a writer, publisher, historian plus co-founder and president of the Pacific Beach Historical Society. He also is the author of “Images of America: Pacific Beach” and “Pacific Beach Through Time.” He can be reached at [email protected].
125 years ago — September 1899
Miss Lu B. Jennings was welcomed back at the opening of Pacific Beach’s one-room schoolhouse on Garnet Avenue. The school opened “with 28 scholars, every seat being occupied.”
Owen Taylor was appointed postmaster at Pacific Beach after the resignation of William F. Luddington. The community was abuzz with the news that it now was connected with a telephone line.
100 years ago — September 1924
Work on the new San Carlos streetcar station in La Jolla Hermosa was to be started at once. It was to be modeled after Mission San Carlos in Monterey, California. Designed by Eugene M. Hoffman, the structure was to contain a “commodious waiting room, with ticket offices and facilities for handling express and freight.” The structure thrives today as the La Jolla United Methodist Church.
75 years ago — September 1949
St. Andrews by the Sea Episcopal Church opened for business at 1050 Thomas Street, after being moved intact from 3940 Mission Boulevard. Father John S. Parke was the rector. Before being moved to the Mission Boulevard location the church had served a congregation in Logan Heights.
50 years ago — September 1974
The new phone books from Pacific Telephone company were larger than the previous year — 2,104 pages in length. There were 54,000 more numbers than in 1973. A crew of 298 people fanned out across San Diego, delivering the books to 380,600 customers.
Zachary Zzyzwynn, of 4130 Haines Street, was second from last in the metropolitan directory. A company called Zzzzzzzzz was last.
25 years ago — September 1999
Reverend Quentin Garman, who started Christ Lutheran Church with 42 people in a remodeled radio repair shop on Cass Street in 1947, died of heart failure at his home in Carlsbad on Sept. 9. He was 80 years old.
The congregation had grown to 600 members by 1954. In 1979 he created Luther View Apartments for low-income seniors on Cass Street. He retired in 1981.