Crown City History I N C O L L A B O R AT I O N W I T H H O T E L D E L C O R O N A D O & C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N
Art teacher’s work remembered B y V I C K I E S T O N E , C U R AT O R O F C O L L E C T I O N S , C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
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veryone can name a teacher or mentor that was influential, not only for their studies, but also in passing along life’s lessons. Around the 1940s, Esther Painter Hagstrom was that mentor for many students. Hagstrom taught at Coronado High School and Coronado Elementary School as an art instructor from 1937 to 1951. She was a popular and beloved teacher whose legacy is still remembered. Joedy Cronin Adams (class of 1947) recalled this about Hagstrom: “I remember Mrs. Hagstrom not only as a patient and effective teacher but also as a compassionate human being. I was new to Coronado High School, and Mrs. Hagstrom must have sensed that I was very shy. She gave me a note from Larry Cortner, who was interested in meeting me. I really didn’t know what to do, as dating was something new to me. Mrs. Hagstrom offered to give a note back to Larry, if I chose to write one. I did this, and we ended up dating for many years. So I look back and think of Mrs. Hagstrom as my first matchmaker.” A native of Washington, Hagstrom studied fine arts at the
Hostesses for the 1950 Coronado Arts Association ball are (left to right) Gladys Gladden, Esther Hagstrom, Louise Wigert, Nancy Williamson and Ann Greve Meyer.
University of Washington where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1927. She later pursued graduate studies at the University of Southern California, the University of California Berkeley and the San Francisco Art Institute. Unconventional for the time, Hagstrom separated from her Navy officer husband to move to Coronado with her young son. She settled here in 1936 and began teaching in 1937 and taught in the
school district until her death in 1951. In addition to her teaching post, she was also in charge of developing the art curriculum for the school district and taught art at adult night classes as well as private lessons. Her social life also revolved around art. She was an active member of the Coronado Art Association, serving as the exhibition chairman and as head of the decoration committee for the group’s
