Coronado 365-September 2022

THIS MONTH IN CORONADO HISTORY

Sept. 2, 1916 Army aviators first demonstrated airplane-to-airplane radio communication over North Island when Lt. William Robertson and Cpl. Albert Smith, flying in one plane, radiotelegraphed with a plane flown by Lt. Herbert Dargue and Capt. Clarence Culver.

Sept. 3, 1970 President Richard Nixon hosted a state dinner at the Hotel del Coronado in honor of Mexico’s President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz. Guests included former President Lyndon B. Johnson and California Gov. Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy.

Sept. 5, 1922 Dashing aviator Jimmy Doolittle, who enlisted at North Island’s Rockwell Field in October 1917, set a record for the first transcontinental flight. He flew 2,163 miles, leaving Neptune (Jacksonville), Florida, on Sept. 4 and landing at Rockwell Field 21 hours and 19 minutes later, on Sept. 5.

Sept. 7, 1944 Fort Emory at the end of the Silver Strand was formally commissioned by the Army and immediately went into operation, providing primary training in amphibious warfare.

Sept. 8, 1947 Sacred Heart Parish School, with grades from kindergarten through eight, opened with Mass at the church at 8 a.m. Early registration numbers were 236 children. Sister Mary Angela with a staff of five Benedictine sisters from Atchison, Kansas, taught classes along with three music teachers. The sisters’ home, just east of the church, was constructed during this time, too.

Sept. 10, 1923 Coronado celebrated the total eclipse of the sun with “A Fete to the Sun.” Events included a flying circus and a pageant called “The First Born of the Sun,” a mythical story that cast hundreds of Coronado residents. The day finished with a Mardi Gras-style celebration. Reports of strange wind gusts, circus animals pacing and prostitutes going on their knees and vowing to change their ways were circulated but largely debunked. All agreed that the lighting was very strange when at the peak of the eclipse.

Sept. 21, 1927 In honor of Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight, Coronado joined San Diego in making Sept. 21 “Lindbergh Day.” Coronadans crossed the bay for a celebration at Balboa Stadium. Later, Lindbergh was greeted by Coronado Mayor Humphrey Stewart when he arrived by ferry. The Lindbergh procession passed hundreds of well-wishers on the way to the Hotel del Coronado where an elaborate fete, sponsored by the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, was held. The big dinner was a colorful affair. A notable feature was a mechanical replica of the Spirit of St. Louis, which circled the great banquet hall above the heads of the guests.

Sept. 24, 1915 Motion picture pioneer Siegmund Lubin formally opened the Lubin Studio at First Street and Orange Avenue with a magnificent reception that included former President William Howard Taft and Marine Maj. Gen. Joseph Pendleton, who was a colonel at the time. After the party, “Retribution” — the first motion picture made by the studio — was shown to the attendees. Lubin was expected to bring great actors and actresses to Coronado for his many projects.

Sept. 26, 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved the agreement between the Department of the Navy and Department of War to transfer property between the Army and Navy, effectively giving North Island over to the Navy.

Sept. 27, 1956 The Coronado Police Department’s lost-and-found section included one glass eye. It was found at the Village Theater the prior night. Police were unable to say whether it was a right or left eye, but it was blue. Its replacement value was estimated at roughly $l00, but the eye was unclaimed.