JUNE 2022
AFGHAN JOURNALIST SAYED AHMAD SADAT ADJUSTS TO NEW LIFE
INSIDE: REVVED UP ON VINTAGE CARS | ARMY ONCE REIGNED ON NORTH ISLAND
» FROM THE EDITORS
Acts of Kindness
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imple acts of kindness do make the world better. And we are lucky to have met two people this month that reinforce how good deeds, both large and small, can change an outlook — or a life. Artist Joe Kane has spread kindness and cheer with painted rocks he has left in the community for people to find. He had found a painted rock, which got him started with a creative outlet and connected with others who are trying to make a positive impact. Kane also stepped up to help Sayed Ahmad Sadat, a recent immigrant from Afghanistan and our cover story this month. As a photojournalist, Kane also immediately volunteered to take photos of his friend for our story. Sadat, a journalist and an advocate for women’s rights, was forced to flee his homeland last summer. He settled here with the help from U.S. friends. He is one of the luckier ones. He had connections and he had his papers in order when he needed to leave after Taliban took control of Afghanistan. The plight of refugees has been on all our minds, with the headlines and photos coming out of Ukraine. Russian invasion has forced about 12 million people to leave their homes. But these staggering numbers, the largest population displacement in Europe since World War II, represent only a fraction of those fleeing danger and persecution across the globe — more than 26 million in the past decade according to the U.N. The majority of refugees come from only a handful of countries, including South Sudan, Myanmar, Syria and Afghanistan. Many countries with people in crisis don’t make the nightly news. But behind the statistics are humans, each with a story — tales of tragedy and of hope. Sadat’s is one such story. Many in our community stepped in to help change his life; strangers who saw one refugee as a person and a friend. Cheers, Leslie & Martina
IN BLOOM THIS MONTH:
Hibiscus
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Contents JUNE 2022
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COVER STORY
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PITCHING IN
Community helps give Sayed Ahmad Sadat, who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan, a new start in Coronado.
FEATURES
14 DRIVEN COLLECTORS
Car collectors converge as MotorCars on MainStreet returns for first time in two years.
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22 TAKING FLIGHT
Army aviators established first permanent military camp on North Island at turn of 20th century.
DEPARTMENTS
28 DID YOU KNOW?
Naval training in Balboa Park.
30 MADE IN CORONADO
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Joe Kane finds solace and inspiration painting rocks.
36 LOOKING BACK
This month in Coronado history.
38 MILITARY
Local Sailor of the Year a winner with his team.
44 BEACHCOMBER Southern kelp crab.
46 BEACH AND BAY
Endangered least terns cause event to change course.
ON THE COVER Sayed Ahmad Sadat
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PHOTO BY JOE KANE
CORONADO
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PUBLISHER Now and Then Publishing LLC EDITOR Leslie Crawford CREATIVE DIRECTOR/MANAGING EDITOR Martina Schimitschek COPY EDITOR Rose Wojnar CONTRIBUTORS Michelle Delaney, Joe Kane, Nicole Sours Larson, Amy Steward, @coronadobeachcomber
WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT JUNE 2022 » VOLUME 1 » ISSUE 6
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Starting over Afghan journalist resettles in Coronado with help from friends and strangers By NICOLE SOURS LARSON
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ettling into a new community isn’t easy in the best of times. It’s even harder when you’ve come to a new country from a radically different culture after escaping trauma and likely death at the hands of a repressive, hostile regime. Yet Afghan journalist and civic activist Sayed Ahmad Sadat is one of the lucky ones. He received a warm embrace and generous support from both Coronado residents and the San Diego refugee assistance community as he moved into the backyard casita of his sponsor and mentor, Mary Danaher, at the end of 2021. The two met when Sadat contacted her in 2016. At the time, Danaher, a 30-year Coronado resident and retired senior
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executive, was president and CEO of the Coronado Film Festival. “I was looking for a source for a small grant for a short film documentary,” Sadat said. Danaher was impressed with his talent and his commitment to advancing women’s rights and helping Afghan street children. She developed a close relationship with Sadat and his family as she taught him how to write grants and budgets and connected him with grant-making organizations. Danaher, who was named the 2017 Coronado Citizen of the Year, considers the 30-year-old Sadat her “Afghan » Sayed Ahmad Sadat on a hike at Cowles Mountain in San Diego. JOE KANE PHOTO
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“I saw his
incredible curiosity, his hunger for experience beyond Afghanistan, his ambition. He was just nice, and I loved his family. He had a dream, so big, so real. I couldn’t help wanting to support him.” MARY DANAHER
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grandson.” Fearing for his safety as the Taliban surged, Danaher tried to get Sadat a U.S. visa for years but was unsuccessful, especially after the 2017 Muslim travel ban. “I saw his incredible curiosity, his hunger for experience beyond Afghanistan, his ambition. He was just nice, and I loved his family. He had a dream, so big, so real. I couldn’t help wanting to support him. Once he learned how to write a grant, he just took off. He did some amazing things. Whatever he dreams, he makes happen,” Danaher said. Sadat realized he’d have to leave Afghanistan quickly about two weeks before the Taliban swept into his hometown, the northern city of Mazār-i-Sharif, a longtime center of Taliban resistance. His boss at the nongovernmental organization (NGO) where he worked left abruptly for Uzbekistan, absconding with half their project money. When asked why, he told Sadat: “It’s none of your business. You don’t know what will happen.” Mazār fell to the Taliban on Aug. 14, 2021, without a fight from the army or any warlords who had sworn to protect the city. Kabul fell the following day. Once in control of Mazār, the Taliban went house to house, informing residents women couldn’t leave their homes. Days later, bodies began appearing in a pit outside of town. Three of Sadat’s civil activist friends, including two women, lay in the pit, murdered. He learned the Taliban were searching for him. To survive, Sadat would have to leave Afghanistan.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY DANAHER AND SAYED AHMAD SADAT
Top: Sayed Ahmad Sadat takes a selfie in his new hometown: right column: at work in Afghanistan; left column: helping Afghan refugees on their first day of class at Grant Elementary with his friend Ben Jacobs (at right), who his a teacher at the school.
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COURTESY OF MARY DANAHER
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Sadat was fortunate to have foreign friends. He had his paperwork in order and a lifeline to escape, thanks to a well-connected New York-based American female journalist, who wishes to remain unidentified as she continues to help more Afghans flee. Sadat had worked for her as a “fixer,” a locally based assistant facilitating connections and providing translation. They met via a Facebook group in 2019 and developed a close friendship as he helped her with her reporting Afghanistan. Sadat connected her with Danaher as both women worked to get him out of Afghanistan. The journalist understood how to work the system and arranged a flight for him and a female colleague from Kabul on Aug. 26, 2021, the day of the airport bombing. When flights were halted, she worked with the U.S. State Department, quickly redirecting him back to Mazār-i-Sharif to await a new evacuation flight from there. Sadat was then asked to shepherd a group of 50 journalists and civil activists, including two women he had taken under his wing, ensuring they all boarded the last charter flight out of the city to Qatar. He left Afghanistan on Aug. 28, and with a layover in Bahrain, arrived at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., in the beginning of September and was sent to the refugee camp at Fort Pickett, Virginia, where he spent nearly four months. Unknown to Sadat at the time, the Tali-
ban visited his home after he left and beat his parents, threatening to kill them if they had lied about his departure for the U.S. Throughout this harrowing journey, Sadat was in constant contact with both the journalist and Danaher, who volunteered to sponsor him to secure his release from Fort Pickett. The refugees at the camp underwent in-depth vetting and health checks (including 16 vaccinations) and attended workshops explaining life in the United States, their rights as refugees and the asylum application process. Reading materials were supplied in Pashto and Dari, Sadat’s native language. From a humble background — his father supported his extended family with a pushcart selling bananas — Sadat was the first in his family to graduate from a university, Balkh University in Mazār, where he studied journalism and communications. He learned English his last year of high school through an outside course and taught himself computer skills, he said. His supportive family believes strongly in educating women and ensured his two sisters and brother got an education. “My family wanted me to do something good for me and my future,” Sadat said. After graduating from college, he volunteered for an NGO as a writer and education adviser before starting his own NGO. He set up a mobile school for about 60 homeless orphans ages 6 to 14, both boys and girls, taking classes to them in the streets. School lasted two hours daily and
« Welcome Home, an all-volunteer organization with roots in the Jewish community, provided Sadat with a bicycle for independence.
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“It will take some time, but I want to become a journalist and filmmaker.” SAYED AHMAD SADAT
included sports and fun activities. After 10 months, the students could take an exam to enable them to attend private schools with tuition funded by local businesses, and clothing, shoes and food underwritten by agencies and local benefactors. This program gained national attention from Afghan television and support from nongovernmental organizations, including Save the Children and UNICEF. “I didn’t know the importance of what I did,” Sadat said. Later he worked as a television technician and instructor for the U.S. Embassy-funded Balkh University Media Operations Center, gaining journalism experience while also freelancing and publishing two books on Amazon. He continued pursuing grants to support his activist ventures. In 2019, while also working as a “fixer,” he secured an $11,000 grant from the Norwegian Embassy for a women’s empowerment project. He started a program, which employed fellow evacuee Husniah Haidari who is now in San Diego, to train women, especially widows, to repair cellphones, enabling them to support their families. This program, along with his outspoken support for women’s rights and education
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as well as his occupation as a journalist and filmmaker, made him a target for the Taliban. After persuading San Diego Catholic Charities to become Sadat’s case manager, Danaher got him released from Fort Pickett, bringing him to Coronado just before Christmas 2021. Knowing Sadat needed help beyond her capabilities to create a new life here, she called on friends and the community for assistance. She was gratified by the response. “The angels dropped out of heaven to help,” Danaher said. Friends connected her with Welcome Home, an all-volunteer organization with roots in the Jewish community. The organization specializes in “providing microgrants to refugees to overcome obstacles to employment and education,” explained co-founder and Chair Laurie Spiegler. They provided Sadat with a bicycle for independence, gift cards to purchase clothes for job interviews and a much-needed laptop. One of their volunteers, Ben Jacobs, took him for his first visit to a San Diego mosque and connected him with an asylum attorney through the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans. The group liked him so
JOE KANE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY DANAHER AND SAYED AHMAD SADAT
Clockwise from top left: Sadat with Mary Danaher at the San Diego Latino Film Festival in March; on top of Cowles Mountain in San Diego; on the job in Afghanistan; working with children; and showing fellow refugees the Pacific Ocean.
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“There are tens of thousands who are still in life-threatening situations in Afghanistan.” JOE KANE
much they hired him. The Coronado community rallied in support, too. Joe Kane, a former Navy photojournalist, took Sadat hiking regularly and invited him to his home. As a combat photographer in Iraq, Kane had helped many Iraqi colleagues escape, writing letters to the State Department supporting their emigration applications. He understood
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Sadat’s difficult situation. “He’s almost unassuming; it’s easy to underestimate someone like that. He’s so grateful, so modest, living a nightmare but with some light at the end of the tunnel,” Kane said. “There are tens of thousands who are still in life-threatening situations in Afghanistan.” About 80,000 Afghans fled to the United States during those chaotic summer
months last year. Another 45,000 have requested humanitarian parole to come to the U.S., either from Afghanistan or neighboring countries and are still waiting for approval. Retired KNSD news director Irv Kass met Sadat through longtime friend Danaher and is helping him connect with the journalism community. “He’s very bright and a very courageous person who’s been through a lot. I have great respect for refugees. What I like about Sayed is that he thinks big and wants to do something to make others’ lives better,” Kass said. Now that he’s settling in, Sadat’s English is rapidly improving and he’s navigating
the challenges of adapting to a more open culture. With two part-time jobs working with fellow refugees, he’s focused on gaining asylum and assimilating into his new country. But he’s also thinking about his future in the U.S. “It will take some time, but I want to become a journalist and filmmaker,” he said. He’s added one more goal, reflecting his natural desire to improve the world: run for Congress one day in his new homeland. “My greatest hope is that no American will regret letting me come here,” Sadat added. Nicole Sours Larson is a freelance writer.
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This 1931 Ford Roadster has been in the Flynn family for 91 years. Vince Flynn, the car's current owner, learned to drive in the Roadster.
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Car nuts Return of annual event brings together enthusiasts and admirers Story and photos by LESLIE CRAWFORD
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otorCars on MainStreet returned May 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and people were ready for it. More than 400 pre-1973 vehicles were parked on Isabella Avenue, down Park Place and around Star Park for the 32nd edition of the event. The show didn’t officially start until 10 a.m., but people were out in good numbers earlier than that as car owners got situated in their parking spots for the day. Cars on display ranged from hot and fast to Woodie cruisers and were a mixture of original and rebuilt. Some automobiles on display have been completely refurbished with stunning paint jobs in rich, deep colors that tempt you to run your hand along the fender. About 30 Coronado residents participated in the event, according to Karla Puig-Robles, director of Coronado Mainstreet, the nonprofit that stages the The emblem of a 1964 Ford MotorCars on MainStreet event. Shelby Cobra. Resident Bob Bardin displayed a 1909 International Harvester Auto Wagon, the oldest car in the show. The car has wooden spoked wheels Bardin had rebuilt by Amish craftsmen and a 20-horsepower engine boasting a top speed of 25 mph. When Bardin fired up the car, it started instantly with a
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Bill Gise and Martha Kuenhold-Gise next to their 1964 Ford Shelby Cobra at Motorcars on Mainstreet. Bill has owned the Cobra over 50 years. « The row of batteries in Bob Bardin’s 1909 International Harvester Auto Wagon are hollowed out and just for show. Underneath one end are functioning lithium batteries.
loud purr and an occasional popping and stuttering. He let it run for about a minute and a curious and impressed crowd gathered around quickly. Bardin found the car at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum’s Antique Engine & Tractor Show in Vista. “Bill Gise and I were walking around, and we saw this thing and said what the heck is this?” Bardin said. He already had two 1928 Dodge vehicles, but this antique seemed completely different. “When I got
it, it was very complete. It even had the original ignition key.” Gise also owns a few collectible cars, including a 1964 Ford Shelby Cobra that he bought more than 50 years ago, which was on display at this year’s event. Some of his other classics are a Ford GT 2006, a limited-edition model, a Raptor truck, a Shelby GT350 Mustang and 1927 Model T hot rod roadster. Gise used to compete in off road racing including the Baja 1000 and the first Baja 500.
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The Flynn’s Ford Roadster (top photo), was awarded the Mayor’s Choice/Best Coronado Car this year at Motorcars on Mainstreet. More than 400 cars entered this year's event, including this Chevrolet Bel Air.
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Bob Gunthorp, who grew up in Coronado graduating from Coronado High School in 1962, brought his 1966 Mercedes-Benz 250 SE Coupe to the show. He purchased the car, which he dubbed Rot Frau (meaning Red Lady in German) from the original owner’s son and spent almost two years refurbishing it. Rot Frau is one of 20 Mercedes models that Gunthorp owns, in a collection that is still growing. He compiled a booklet about the cars he has acquired, complete with details on how many cars of each model were manufactured, technical information, how he came to buy each car plus fun tidbits about his trials and tribulations along the way. Gunthorp judges the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance
and has been a chief judge for Motorcars on Mainstreet since the event started in 1990. Participating vehicles are judged in seven major categories. Dr. Vince Flynn owns a 1931 Ford Roadster that’s been in his family since the car was new. It was purchased by his uncle in Pasadena, and Flynn has fond memories of driving in the car as a kid. His father, Dr. Stephen E. Flynn drove it for a while. The elder Flynn, who was stationed in Coronado, was a 20-year medical officer in the Navy. During World War II a medallion that identified the car as belonging to a doctor was attached to the license plate, which is still there.
Vince Flynn learned to drive in the Roadster, which he bought in 1991 from his uncle’s widow and has kept in good running condition. Originally, the car was black, but Flynn had the Roadster repainted a velvety blue that was an official color of ’31 Roadsters. The vehicle won the Mayor’s Choice/Best Coronado Car award at this year’s Motorcars event. “The event surpassed my expectations, the cars were amazing and our participants enjoyed a fabulous comeback, Puig-Robles said. When not gathering at the annual car show, the Coronado car enthusiasts meet occasionally for a couple of hours
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Bob Gunthorp bought the 1966 Mercedes he calls Rot Frau from the son of the original owner. According to the son, his father purchased the car with cash and on sunny weekends would drive around with all the windows down, smoking a cigar.
on Saturday mornings with their vintage and classic vehicles to visit, talk shop and share stories. “The weakest part of the car is the nut between the steering wheel and the seat,” was a statement shared on a recent Saturday morning and is the type of banter that defines the light-hearted gathering. It’s a fun group of mostly retired collectors, who gather informally to chit-chat about all sorts of stuff, warmly welcoming newcomers and openly sharing their stories with looky-loos who stumble upon the group. The car owners come from all walks of life. A few went to Coronado High School together in the early 1960s, others came to Coronado via the Navy or other work. Their cars date from the 1930s to recent years, some are being refurbished
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while others were bought ready to drive. There’s even the occasional reproduction. Doug and Christie Curran have a 1971 BMW 1600, which Doug says is really Christie’s car. Christie’s dad was a car guy, and Doug’s fascination with cars started when he was 9 years old when he would run to the gas station after school and get to work. He swept, cleaned windshields, pumped gas and checked oil, saving his money to buy his first car. “Most of us have a lifelong history with cars, we grew up with them,” he said. In conversations about various cars, it’s obvious that a lot of the cars are a beloved part of their owner’s family. “It’s a little fraternity,” Bill Gise said as someone arrived with coffee and started to pass it out. ■
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Army town WIKIMEDIA COMMONS PHOTOS
Top: a panoramic shot of Rockwell Field from the roof of a hanger in 1918. Above: Student officers in training are put to work grading Rockwell Field.
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Military branch the first to set up permanent camp on North Island By MARTINA SCHIMITSCHEK
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oronado and the Navy go hand in hand. The military branch has a huge presence on the island and is an integral part of society. But there was a time when the Army made a home here and North Island, the Birthplace of Naval Aviation, was the center for Army aviation. Aviator Glenn Curtiss set up his flying school on the dusty, scrubby flatlands of North Island in 1911. With mild weather, consistent winds and protected waters, the site ‒ separated from Coronado by a shallow slough called the Spanish Bight ‒ was the ideal spot for the fledgling school and aircraft industry. His first class included three Army officers, one Navy officer, plus
two civilians. By January 1912, Lt. Theodore Ellyson became Naval Air Pilot No. 1 and set up the Navy’s first temporary camp, nicknamed Camp Trouble for the numerous planes that were wrecked. But the Navy moved out by May that year, and the Army arrived in November. It was the beginning of the Army’s 26-year presence on North Island. The Army set up camp at the north end of the island. Tents were erected for the men and materials while the planes were housed in canvas hangars. Aviation was in its infancy, and this was a time of innovation and experimentation. During this time, the Army constantly set
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LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION
Army planes fly over the Spansh Bight toward Coronado in 1920. The buildings of Naval Air Station San Diego and Rockwell Field can be seen on North Island.
and broke speed, height and endurance records. But success also came with failures at a cost of accidents and lost lives. And the dirt runways made for dusty conditions. Aviators asked to be allowed to wear brown shoes instead of black so the constant grime was less noticeable. Curtiss had invited the Army onto his leased land. But his three-year contract with the Coronado Beach Co. was up in 1914, and he left. By that time, the Army’s camp was in full swing, and sturdy, but temporary structures had been erected for the planes and personnel. The Army tried to buy the land from the Coronado Beach Co. without success.
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By 1916, John Spreckels, who headed the Coronado Beach Co., wanted the Army out so he could subdivide and sell lots for homes. According to reports, the Army had 22 buildings on North Island by then, and they weren’t about to leave. Spreckels’ request to vacate was ignored. The fate of North Island changed again with World War I. In 1917, the United States entered the war, and President Woodrow Wilson authorized the acquisition of North Island for a joint facility for the Army and the Navy. The Navy returned and North Island was divided between the two: Naval Air Station San Diego was on the north bay
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS PHOTOS
Top row: Exterior of officers quarters and interior of bachelor officers quarters in the Rockwell Field Historic District. Bottom row: Capt. Charles Lindbergh ready to leave Rockwell Field in the Spirit of St. Louis on May 10, 1927. The 135th Aero Squadron, which trained at Rockwell Field, in Toul, France, with their mascot Rin Tin Tin in November 1918.
side and the Army’s Rockwell Field was on the south ocean side. Rockwell Field was named after 27-year-old 2nd Lt. Lewis Rockwell, a pilot who was killed in a crash at College Park, Maryland, in 1912. He was the Army’s fourth commissioned officer to die in a plane crash.
Both the Army and the Navy started constructing permanent buildings in 1918, many of which are still standing today and are now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Army’s Rockwell Field was designed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style. The
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LESLIE CRAWFORD
A shutter of the old guardhouse at North Island still bear the Army cross.
architect was Detroit-based Albert Kahn, known for his industrial design for the automobile industry. This is the only project Kahn designed in the Spanish style, most likely influenced by the Balboa Park buildings; local architects Frank Meade and Richard Requa were associate architects for the site. The Navy hired Bertram Goodhue, the architect who designed the buildings of Balboa Park for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, to build what is still the administrative core of Naval Air Station North Island today. Although the Army and the Navy would each rather have the other one gone, they cooperated with each other for the most part. In 1923, the Army made history with the first successful air-to-air refueling. The Navy began the use of airships, over the Army’s protests, but the Army provided space to moor the giant dirigible Shenandoah in 1924. In 1928, Rockwell Field was put in the national spotlight when Charles Lindbergh took off from there to fly to New York for the first leg of his historic solo flight across
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the Atlantic to Paris. The Spanish Bight was filled in in the early 1940s as part of a public works project to make the bay deep enough for large ships to sail all the way to National City. The dredging also expanded the base on the northwestern side. North Island was originally 935 acres; now it’s 1,904 acres, according to Navy spokesman Steve Fiebing. Before the bight was filled in, access to North Island from Coronado was via a causeway to a gatehouse that is still standing. The guard station, which is now empty, was built by the Army, evidenced by the Army Air Corps insignia in the shutters. Much of Rockwell Field’s ambitious site plan was unrealized, but a number of officers’ quarters as well as industrial buildings and prefab metal warehouses make up today’s historic district. Some of the buildings along with the island’s first paved runway were completed in 1933. Two years later, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an order to transfer the entire island to the Navy for an air-sea base. Roosevelt, a former assistant secretary to the Navy, signed the executive order in October 1935. Rockwell Field turned into South Field, but the Army hung on for three more years. It wasn’t until Jan. 31, 1939, that the last of the Army personnel left North Island. Since then, North Island has been home base for much of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and is now a master helicopter station with 22 squadrons, Fiebing said. But a century ago, Coronado was as much an Army town as a Navy town. ■
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» LOOKING BACK
Did you know? AFTER THE 1915 Panama-California Exposition, the Navy took over Balboa Park as a training ground for new recruits as World War I, which began in the summer of 1914, intensified in Europe. Most of the exposition buildings were not suitable for use because they were too large or not well-ventilated, but the Navy adapted the available space as needed. The lily pond in the park was used for boating and swimming exercises. Training lasted at the park for just a few years. After the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Woodrow Wilson authorized North Island to be used jointly by the Navy and the Army. Recruits moved over to North Island’s Naval Air Station San Diego until the Naval Training Center San Diego in Point Loma was commissioned in 1923. During World War II, the Navy again took command of Balboa Park, renaming it Camp Kidd after an admiral who was killed at Pearl Harbor. Balboa Park became off-limits to civilians and was used for training, education and as an extension of Balboa Naval Hospital to accommodate the overflow of injured soldiers and house nurses. When the war ended, the Navy relinquished all of Balboa Park, except for the hospital, back to San Diego. ■
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LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION
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» MADE IN CORONADO
Rock on Artist Joe Kane finds positive outlet embellishing stones By SAMANTHA BEY AND MARTINA SCHIMITSCHEK
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photographer, musician and artist, Joe Kane is most fulfilled when creating things to share. That’s how he got started painting rocks. A few years ago, he was out with his kids in East County and found some decorated rocks with a message to post on social media when found. He went online and discovered the idea of painting rocks and leaving them for people to find has become a worldwide phenomenon. He decided to try his hand at it. For Kane, rock painting was therapeutic as he was getting ready to retire from the Navy in 2020. Kane first arrived in Coronado in 1995 with the Navy, where, during a 26-year career, he served as a photojournalist traveling the world. He returned to Coronado in 2006 and has stayed. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Kane has painted, sold and hidden many rocks. He recently sold an 80-pound, egg-shaped rock he had painted like an Easter egg « Joe Kane paints a rock in his garage, which he converted into a studio where he works on his art and his music. LESLIE CRAWFORD PHOTOS
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A piece of found wood is decorated with puffy paint and shells.
and displayed in front of his home. But painting is now mainly on the back burner since he started studying music production and sound engineering at Studio West in Rancho Bernardo at the beginning of this year. Kane also spends a lot of time at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve chronicling native plant species. He took some time out of his busy schedule to talk about his evolving artistic journey, inspiration and motivation. Q. What drew you to painting rocks? A. I had never even considered painting really because I was not a painter. But when I looked online, I discovered there’s these groups of rock painters. Almost every town has them. So, I started painting, just simple ones. I got a little obsessed, and now I have a garage full of rocks. It was fun. I met with a couple of different rock painters and went to a couple of meetups. It started connecting me more to the local
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community because I was at the point where I was about a year or two out from retirement. I have been deployed so much that I didn’t really know many people. I started meeting people and making connections with people that I would never have run into. Q. Is that how you go involved with The Kindness Rocks Project, which promotes making and leaving rocks with inspirational messages? A. Kindness Rocks was started on the East Coast. She (project founder Megan Murphy) put out a message on her page one day and asked if anyone had any interesting rock-painting-related stories. Because of the pandemic, it was all taking place online. I presented my story as a veteran and someone who came to rock painting as sort of art therapy because I have some PTSD. That linked into what she was doing because she worked with veterans groups and AARP and other people that were helping veterans.
LESLIE CRAWFORD
Joe Kane’s studio is filled with shelves of painted rocks, as well as decorated pots and wall art. Kane is a self-taught artist.
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Joe Kane, who retired from the Navy in 2020, now focuses on his creative endeavors. The idea for painting rocks was sparked when he found a decorated stone while on a walk.
Q. You also did a video for the National Day of Unplugging in March. How did you connect with that cause? A. They contacted me, and it seemed like a good match because doing crafts like rock painting — activities for kids and families — is what they’re all about. I hooked them up with Megan Murphy of the Kindness Rocks Project because that’s a worldwide project. Those two are now collaborating on some things, so that’s pretty fantastic Q. What is your creative process?
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A. When I’m painting, I’ll often start by looking at the rock and see if there’s something its shape or coloring might suggest. And I mostly paint abstract things like mandalas, so I’ll start with a certain color palette or pattern. I work with acrylics and puffy paint. I love exploring different combinations of colors and I also try to work in a series, usually of at least nine, because it can really expand your creativity and force you to think outside the box. I get a lot of ideas from my travels as a photojournalist. I also really love primitive art, especially cave paintings. Go figure; those are painted on rocks, too! I realized that everywhere I went in the world across every corner of the globe, there are primitive forms of art with strong patterns and color schemes that have so many similarities despite being done by such widely spaced people. For me, in a lot of ways, painting rocks is a connection to the past. Q. What has art taught you about yourself? A. That journeys are circular. We often end up where we started, right? In a strange way, that’s been so true for my life. When I was little, I had always wanted to start a bookstore that was also an art gallery with a recording studio in the back. It’s a little bit different than I envisioned it, but I have all that now. Without planning it, I came right back to the start. I just had to travel all over the world to get there. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? A. An early mentor and teacher once
“Whether it’s
writing or painting, I think ‘I want to put something beautiful into the world today,’ and I feel like a day is wasted if I haven’t created something.” JOE KANE
told me you don’t have to decide the rest of your life. Just find something you’re interested in, and it will lead you to the next step. Q. How do you spend your perfect day in Coronado? A. It would always involve a walk on the beach taking photos, a trip to Clayton’s, a lot of time in my studio, and a movie night at my house with some friends watching a classic movie from the ’40s. You can follow Joe’s artistic pursuits on Instagram and You Tube, @joerockscoronado. ■ Samantha Bey is a freelance writer.
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» LOOKING BACK
THIS MONTH IN CORONADO HISTORY
LESLIE CRAWFORD COLLECTION
Fashionable bathing suit styles at the turn of the century.
June 1, 1918 The Army-Navy causeway was completed across the Spanish Bight between Coronado and North Island. The causeway was 3,050 feet long, stretching from the west end of 4th Street to one block south of the Army-Navy dividing line on North Island. The causeway was designed for cars, wagons and utility trucks and included a spur for the San Diego and Arizona Railway.
June 3, 1890 An election was held to decide whether Coronado should separate from San Diego. A majority of voters in both
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Coronado and San Diego favored the proposal. On Dec. 9, 1890, Coronado was officially incorporated with a governing board of trustees.
June 4, 1887 Coronado held its first election for the trustees of the three-man school board. The board was elected unanimously with a grand total of five voters.
June 11, 1869 The claim to Coronado, North Island and the Silver Strand, known as the Peninsula of San Diego, was approved for Archibald Peachy and William Aspinwall.
June 14, 1890 Nearly 100 fine, new bathing suits were received at the Hotel del Coronado bathhouse. It was noted that “many of those for the ladies have long sleeves and are otherwise an improvement on the regulation suits.”
June 14, 1996 President Bill Clinton arrived at North Island on Air Force One and rode a motorcade to the Hotel del Coronado to spend the night. During his visit, he took a morning jog on the beach with the Navy SEALS and fit in a quick round of golf at North Island’s Sea’N Air Golf Course before flying out of town.
hundred fowl were housed with the expectation that there will be “enough eggs to keep all the hotel guests good-natured.”
June 26, 1923
Two Army planes refueled in midair for the first time. The operation over Rockwell Field on North Island was executed by Lts. F.W. Seifert, Virgil Hine, L.H. Smith and J.P. Richter.
June 20, 1986 Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Ferry Landing, a $6.5 million commercial-retail project on 4 acres with a planned 30,000 square feet of commercial space.
The Army completes the first successful midair refueling over Rockwell Field.
June 22, 1915
June 27, 1917
An ordinance was passed by the Coronado Board of Trustees prohibiting any person above the age of 12 from wearing a bathing suit on a public street in the city. Anyone violating the ordinance faced up to 10 days in jail or a $25 fine, or both.
June 26, 1888 It was reported in the San Diego Union that a chicken ranch had been started by the Hotel del Coronado near the dormitory of the hotel. Five
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Congress passed an act of condemnation giving the president the authority to take control of North Island. John Spreckels sued the U.S. government, eventually winning a settlement of $5 million plus interest.
June 27, 2002
The last $1 toll on the bridge was paid by David Lisl of El Cajon. This ended 33 years of toll collection on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge since its opening on Aug. 3, 1969. ■
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» MILITARY
U.S. NAVY
Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class Shaun Thomas of Naval Base Coronado.
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Top sailor Local award leads to possibility of promotion By MICHELLE DELANEY
W
hen Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class Shaun Thomas was named Naval Base Coronado’s Sailor of the Year for fiscal year 2021, it was a major step to becoming the Navy’s top sailor in the country. The next step was the Navy Region Southwest competition held in San Diego on April 13, where he competed against 10 other candidates from installations across the Southwest. Although Thomas did not win that competition (the honor went to Air Traffic Controller 1st Class Samuel Zacarias from Naval Air Station Lemoore near Fresno), he’s still a winner to his team and his chief petty officer — and he’s still the top sailor at Naval Base Coronado. The 33-year-old Thomas is responsible for law enforcement and force protection on the base. Thomas, along with his chief
petty officer, command a group of 70 sailors. The team operates as the primary law enforcement organization of the base and regularly coordinates with the Coronado police as well as counter terrorism and other military units. Thomas credited his security team for his selection as Sailor of the Year. “My sailors’ success is what has made me successful,” he said. “Receiving this award is a direct reflection of my leadership and the hard work my sailors put forth alongside me on board Naval Base Coronado.” To compete for Sailor of the Year, service members must be nominated by their chief. Thomas was initially nominated for Sailor of Quarter by Chief Petty Officer Cindy Howard. He won that designation for the third quarter of the 2021 fiscal year (which runs from October 2020 to September 2021) and was then
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U.S. NAVY
Shaun Thomas answers questions from a board of installation Command Master Chiefs on April 13 in his bid to become Navy Region Southwest Sailor of the Year.
nominated a second time by Howard for Sailor of the Year. Thomas was up against four other sailors for the honor. They competed on such markers as command impact, exemplary personal conduct and participation in community service activities. Thomas enjoys the community aspect of his job, which has included organizing and executing several beach cleanups around Coronado and partnering with community groups for memorial events.
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On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Thomas and his group partnered with the Rotary Club of Coronado at the Hotel del Coronado for a memorial honoring first responders. More recently, Thomas’ security team navigated a situation on base that involved the military police, K-9 force, U.S. Border Patrol, Federal Fire Department, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialists, FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Being a sailor in a leadership position
“His ability for self-reflection sets him apart from his peers. He doesn’t categorize his mistakes but rather asks what he can do better today.” CHIEF PETTY OFFICER
COURTESY OF SHAUN THOMAS
Shaun Thomas, who is responsible for law enforcement and force protection on Naval Base Coronado, with his children.
CINDY HOWARD
means to “go above” your normal duties, Thomas said. It also means to practice both mentoring and understanding, he added. Thomas, a native of Sacramento, headed to Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, on a basketball scholarship. After his time in Bozeman, he was not entirely sure of his next step but was greatly influenced by his Marine brotherin-law, Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Cork. “Over time, as I witnessed the hard work, determination and dedication of my brother-in-law, Kevin, I decided to
join the military,” Thomas said. In May 2013, at age 24, he enlisted in the Navy. “His ability for self-reflection sets him apart from his peers. He doesn’t categorize his mistakes but rather asks what he can do better today,” Howard said. Howard credits Thomas’ leadership with taking the Coronado base’s security department from one without recognition to one where its sailors have received multiple promotions, awards and accomplishments. Howard gives even higher praise for Thomas’ work with his junior sailors.
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U.S. NAVY
“My sailors’ success is what has made me successful,” said Shaun Thomas (far left) who with his chief petty officer commands 70 sailors.
“The taking-care-of-his-sailors piece comes naturally to him. He takes the lead completely and motivates his juniors to do the same. And he does all of this while simultaneously thinking entirely of command interests,” she said. Howard believes Thomas’ efforts will pay off. “Now that the regional process is over, all board-eligible E-6s are submitting packages for chief and to go under the chief ’s selection process,” Thomas said, referring to his current paygrade. His package for the selection board to become chief petty officer will be ready by the end of June. ■ Michelle Delaney is a freelance writer.
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» BEACHCOMBER
TALIEPUS NUTTALLII is a species of true crab. Commonly known as globose kelp crab, southern kelp crab or red kelp crab, these crustaceans are found from Santa Barbara to Magdalena Bay in Baja California, Mexico. Their habitats are rocky coastlines and subtidal kelp beds up to 250 feet in depth. These crabs have a body width of about 4 inches and vary from dark brick red to purple. They feed on brown algae and can reproduce every 30 days, holding as many as 60,000 developing eggs. This specimen was found on Coronado Beach. ■ Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Family: Epialtidae Genus: Taliepus Species: T. Nuttallii
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Southern Kelp Crab
CORONADOBEACHCOMBER
Coronado’s shoreline changes with the weather, tides and time of year. Coronadobeachcomber explores our shores daily on the beach or at the bay, paying attention to the interesting animals, shells and sea life. Follow @coronadobeachcomber on Instagram.
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STEVE BYLAND
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Changing course Navy denies access for annual community event due to endangered seabird By AMY STEWARD
A
n endangered seabird has forced the annual Low Tide Ride & Stride race to modify its course — the first time in 25 years. The Navy denied the Rotary Club of Coronado’s request for participants to pass along the water’s edge of Navy property because a small seabird nests in the sand. The race route included Coronado Beach, the Navy property and the Silver Strand. Joyce Sisson of Naval Base Coronado’s Environmental Division informed Rotary that the endangered California least tern population’s decline in numbers was worse than in previous years. “We have to balance military training and impact to the protected nesting grounds,” she said. Sisson explained that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps track of the number of people on the beach during nesting season. If the race was allowed to go as planned, it would impact military training and readiness, she said. Sharing the Navy’s desire to protect the least terns and the
Least terns nest in colonies on sandy beaches. The eggs take about 20 to 25 days to hatch.
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U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Least terns have been on the federal endangered species list since 1970.
environment, the Rotary Club of Coronado adopted a new plan for the June 18 event. Publicity chairperson Kitt Williams said, “We had to change the course to accommodate the birds. This year we are starting and finishing at North Beach, making it a more family-friendly, locals 5K event.” The least tern nesting season begins in early March and goes through mid-September. Sternula antillarum browni, or California least tern, create shallow nests on open ground. In Coronado, that’s along Delta Beach between Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and Silver Strand Navy Housing on San Diego Bay. On the ocean side, nesting occurs from the base to Silver Strand State Beach. They tend to return to the same nesting grounds year after year. Beachgoers often disturb nesting areas unknowingly. Least terns nest in colonies, and both parents are involved. Incubation is between 20 and 25 days. The hatchlings leave the nest within a few days and hide while both parents feed them. The young birds take their first flight when they are about 20 days old and stay with their parents for two to three months. The terns migrate south to winter in tropical waters.
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Least terns have bright yellow bills, black head caps with a white V on the forehead, long wings and forked tails. You may see a tern fly low over the water or hear its shrill cries. Terns hover and plunge into the water when fishing and have quick wing beats. When the least tern was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1970, only 225 nesting tern pairs were recorded in California, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Now there are 30 least tern nesting sites in California; half are in San Diego County. One is located between runways at San Diego International Airport. Loss of habitat, human disruption of nesting grounds, invasive plants at nesting sites, and increasing spring heat waves due to climate change — all which endanger the hatchlings — continue to negatively impact least tern populations. “This year has been particularly rough on the birds,” Sisson said. The least tern is not the only bird in danger. In North America alone, more than 3 billion birds from hundreds of species have been lost over the past 50 years. ■ Amy Steward is a freelance writer.
WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT
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