Back When

Thirty Years Ago In each of the camps at Camp Pendleton, there are the bulletin boards. Vietnamese leaving messages for other Vietnamese -- lost friends and relatives -- and notes to "The Employees of IBM," to the "Members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints," and from an American Army enlisted man in Seattle to a Vietnamese Army friend. On each bulletin board, the note is Scotch-taped to a Kodacolor print showing the American G.I. and the Vietnamese G.I. smiling at each other, sitting on top of an armored track vehicle.

-- "CAMP WITHOUT JOY," Hal Luton, May 15, 1975

Twenty-Five Years Ago As Vitalich hauls the cargo to Chesapeake Fish Company, on the waterfront near Harbor Drive and Market Street, a menacing sou'wester blows in. Joe Engrande ambles over from People's Fish Market and restaurant, of which he is part owner. He wears black rubber boots and a yellow apron. "Where's Whitey?" Engrande asks a man on a fishing boat. The skipper of the craft points out past Coronado. "He's still out there. We came in last night. Hit a south swell." Engrande turns back toward his store. "Those guys are taking their lives in their hands. My oldest boy works on a tuna boat. He lost his thumb and part of a finger in some machinery on the boat."

-- "KING OF THE FISH MONGERS," Mark Orwoll, May 15, 1980

Twenty Years Ago There's a certain time in midmorning when a retired man's home becomes his prison. He's had his coffee, cleared his lungs of phlegm, smoked a cigarette or two, and had the routine quarrel with his wife over who left the thermostat on all night and who didn't let the dogs out. The thought of watching the missis fuss over her dried-weed collection one more time, or worse, listening to her get on the phone and fret over her ailments, becomes intolerable, and he knows he has to get out of the house or he'll lose his mind.

-- "THE ONLY HONEST GAME IN TOWN," Steve Sorensen, May 16, 1985

Fifteen Years Ago Nearly a third of the City of San Diego's funds are stashed in Japanese, European, and Canadian banks. The latest Investment Status Summary report shows $285.3 million was invested in "banker's acceptance notes" issued by foreign financial institutions. $221 million was distributed among Japanese banks, including Mitsubishi ($45.2 million), the Bank of Tokyo ($29.4 million), Sanwa ($25.1 million), Taiyo Kobe ($15.2 million), Daiwa ($15.1 million), Dai Ichi Kangyo ($15 million), Mitsui ($13.7 million), and Sumitomo ($10 million).

-- CITY LIGHTS: "LOCAL BUCKS ABROAD," Thomas K. Arnold, May 17, 1990

Ten Years Ago When Ted did come back to San Diego on July 12, 1992 for the dedication of the Ted Williams Parkway -- the stretch of State Highway 56 off I-15 near Rancho Peñasquitos -- he showed his old Red Sox teammate Bobby Doerr, who had come down from Oregon to attend, where his father's old photo shop once stood. And part of the North Park playground -- now called the North Park Recreation Center -- was named Ted Williams Field. I took a walk around that park a few weeks ago, around dusk, a time of day when 60 years ago The Kid would have still been poling a few into far right field from that plate. With a taped ball probably, and a cracked bat, with only a fried potato or two in his belly. -- "OUT OF NORTH PARK," Alexander Theroux, May 11, 1995

Five Years Ago "Mom," Angela called out. "What does

T-H-E spell?" "The," I answered.

"The," Angela repeated. She paused for a moment. "What does S-E-C-R-E-T spell?"

"Secret," I answered.

"Secret," she repeated.

"River, oh river, flow gently for me," Lucy sang.

"What does O-F spell?" Angela asked.

"Mommy," Lucy complained, "Angela interrupted me."

"Sweetie," I said to Lucy, "Angela's been asking me questions. You can sing to yourself."

"What does O-F spell?" Angela asked again.

"It spells of," I told her.

-- KID STUFF: "MAMA, HODE," Anne Albright, May 11, 2000