Crown City History

I N C O L L A B O RAT I O N WI T H H OT E L D E L C O RO N A D O & C O RO N A D O H I STO R I CA L A S S O C I AT I O N

Art teacher’s work remembered

By VI C K I E STO N E , C U RATO R O F C O L L E CT I O N S, C O RO N A D O H I STO R I CA L A S S O C I AT I O N

Everyone 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 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 Hostesses for the 1950 Coronado Arts Association ball are (left to right) Gladys Gladden, Esther Hagstrom, Louise Wigert, Nancy Williamson and Ann Greve Meyer.

Costume Arts Ball.

Hagstrom was versed in all different kinds of media, but she was best known for her watercolors and etchings and would send out her works as printed Christmas cards. Many of her watercolors are in a collection at the Coronado Public Library, donated by Hagstrom’s granddaughter, Suzy Hagstrom. The Hagstrom art collection includes watercolors, prints, oils, pencil drawings, wood carvings, pastels, ceramics and acrylics. The Coronado Historical Association displayed one of the collection’s pieces, titled “The Rainbow Fleet,” in “Patrons to Painters,” a 2017 exhibit about the history of Coronado’s art scene, which touched on Hagstrom’s contribution to the art community.

Hagstrom died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 46 in January 1951. Hundreds attended her memorial service, which was held in Coronado High School’s auditorium. The class of 1951 dedicated its yearbook to her, and two special copies were sent to her father and her son, who was a CHS graduate.

The Coronado Public Library held a special exhibition of her work in 2013, which included many of her etchings and watercolors. Along with Hagstrom’s original work, her students’ art was also exhibited. Many of them said that it was because of her that they continued with art, either professionally or personally.

March 1903

Hotel Del Coronado served fresh fish for breakfast every day, depending on what was caught from the pier or in the area. The temperature of the day was also marked on the card. The card was suitable to send as a postcard to share the bounty and mild climate of Coronado with friends and family back home.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

March 8, 1915

Georgia “Tiny” Broadwick started parachuting from balloons in 1908 when she was 15 years old. In 1913, she became the first woman to jump from an airplane. On this day, Broadwick demonstrated her “safety pack” aka parachute to the Navy and Army making four jumps over North Island from a military airplane. On the fourth jump, Broadwick’s static cord got caught on the airplane tail assembly so she cut the line and did the first free fall ascent, eventually pulling her ripcord and landing safely on North Island.

Lt. Comdr. and Mrs. Earl W. Anderson, of 817 C Ave., were driving on North Island with their children when they found a baby seal, a bit larger than a large dachshund, by the runway. Anderson carried him down to the water, but the baby seal headed back to the runway. So the family took him home and named him Flipper. The zoo was called but wouldn’t take in a male seal, even a baby, because it would provoke a fight in the seal pools, but they gave the family guidance on food and care. Mrs. Anderson’s sister, visiting from Wisconsin, was able to get the little seal to eat a piece of thawed packaged fish. Flipper was finally turned over to a Mrs. Wold in South Bay. Mrs. Wold was an amateur ichthyologist, lived near the beach and hoped to raise Flipper as a pet. March 8, 1956

Canadian Army veteran Larry Chapman, a recluse who lived on the Silver Strand in a shack made of driftwood, died of natural causes at the age of 54 at his home. His shack was nestled into the dunes within the property lines of the state park. Although many attempts had been made to remove Chapman, they were unsuccessful. Very little was known about his past, but the quirky man was a friend to many. Chapman took care of the pets of his friends when they traveled, so he usually had furry companionship. His shack was always open, and the teapot was always on. He loved poetry and would recite to his visitors. March 15, 1936

The Coronado Journal reported that the Warner Brothers movie, Dive Bomber, was filming at North Island. The all-male cast included Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray and Ralph Bellamy. The crew was housed at the Hotel Del Coronado, but Flynn had sailed his yacht Sirocco down from Los Angeles and stayed aboard at the Coronado Yacht Club. The film was the first aviation story filmed in fast-action technicolor and allowed for small cameras to be attached to wings of dive bombers. March 27, 1941 WIKIMEDIA COMMONS COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO

Helen and Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss.

A Writer’s Retreat

B y G I N A P E T R O N E , H E R I T A G E M A N A G E R , HOTEL DEL CORONADO

Since opening in 1888, Hotel del Coronado has played host to a passing parade of guests, including some of the greatest American writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some notables, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Jovanovich and Richard Matheson (who wrote the 1975 novel Bid Time Return, which was later made into a movie titled Somewhere in Time) were inspired by the resort and immortalized the hotel in their work. Others simply came for rest and relaxation.

Among those seeking sunshine were journalist Joseph Pulitzer, one of The Del’s very first visitors in February 1888;

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO

L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Wizard of Oz (left) and Tennessee Williams stayed at The Del.

author/actor William Gillette, who wrote the play Sherlock Holmes while staying at The Del in 1898, performing it on Broadway two years later; and renowned author Henry James, who stayed at the resort in 1905 while on a speaking tour. Edgar Rice Burroughs, who created the Tarzan character and brought him to life in a 1912 magazine story, wintered in San Diego in 1913. He returned in 1930 and did some writing at The Del. Upton Sinclair, who produced what one historian called “a stream of novels directed toward a variety of social ills” was in residence in 1916. Ogden Nash, famous for his verses – among them, “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker” – appears in a hotel guest newsletter for his 1942 visit.

Legendary playwright Arthur Miller was at The Del during the filming of Some Like It Hot in 1958 and frequently accompanied wife Marilyn Monroe to the set. Monroe was uncharacteristically carefree during her stay, but Miller was described by one reporter as “a glum cigar-store Indian.”

Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury went public with his enthusiasm for The Del in a 1995

magazine article, saying “I love the Hotel del Coronado at Christmastime. First of all, it’s like you’re back 100 years, which is where you should be at Christmas.” Bradbury, who was born in 1920, claimed he raised his daughters at The Del. Perhaps the author most associated with The Del is L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Wizard of Oz series. Baum adored the hotel, where he wintered regularly beginning in 1904. Although The Wizard of Oz was written before Baum’s first visit, he wrote at least three other Oz books while in Coronado. Baum’s days at The Del revolved around a strict work regimen, writing every day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Baum who was very wellknown at the time, was said to be down-to-earth. He was described as “kind, genial, gentle-voiced, a true and fine gentleman.”

Other writers who spent time at The Del include Tennessee Williams, John Updike, Maya Angelou, Erma Bombeck, Art Buchwald, Dr. Seuss, Louis L’Amour, Robert Ludlum, Robert Massie, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Paul Theroux, and even Peanuts creator Charles Schultz.