Riddle of the Shadow Martini

Thirty-Five Years Ago
I AM GROSSED OUT! My program’s first assembly had no errors at all! That never happens. Wow! Aren’t you excited? - R. LeChevalier, NCR Data Processing Division.
— CLASSIFIEDS, May 22, 1975

Thirty Years Ago
It is the code of travel-writing that all discoveries must be reported to the traveling public. No matter how beautiful, unspoiled, or uncrowded a newly found place might be, no matter how much a writer would like to keep just one such place all to himself, he is bound by his profession to write about the place. He is glad each time to be faithful to his duty, but he is sad at the loss of another refuge.
— “RIDDLE OF THE SHADOW MARTINI,” Stephen Heffner, May 22, 1980

Twenty-Five Years Ago
Since the first Beach Boys concert was held after a Padres game in 1982, one of the event’s highlights has been the group of more than 300 cheerleaders who romp around the stage in their school colors while the group plays its many rock hits.

[Fahn & Silva] sent out letters to the cheerleader advisers of most San Diego Unified School District high schools, inviting their cheerleading charges to attend the show for free if they promised to show up in uniform and then, immediately following the baseball game, take to the field and perform their most rousing cheers and dance routines while the Beach Boys played.
— CITY LIGHTS: “UNTIL DADDY TOOK HER RELEASE FORM AWAY,” Thomas K. Arnold, May 15, 1985

Twenty Years Ago
Sea World offered to pick up the $30,000 tab for keeping the City’s public swimming pools open ten Saturdays this summer in exchange for a chance to promote itself and its new owner, Anheuser-Busch.

[T]he City has already entered into several agreements with private sponsors, including one with Lincoln-Continental to provide [mayor Maureen] O’Connor with a discount lease on a luxury car equipped with a compact disc player. Other deals include one with Nissan to furnish four-wheel-drive vehicles for lifeguards and another to cover the $5 million cost of the stadium scoreboard.
— CITY LIGHTS: “MO COOL TO POOL PITCH,” Matt Potter, May 24, ­1990

Fifteen Years Ago
It’s hard to believe that there are people who, like me, miss evenings spent sleeping on cement sidewalks, hours and even days wasted doing absolutely nothing but standing in line. But I do. We wanted the best seats to the best concerts, and nothing would keep us from attaining that rock-and-roll mythopoeia, that holiest of grails — the front row ticket.
— “GUESS WHO’S SCALPING?” Jay Allen Sanford, May 18, ­1995

Ten Years Ago
In 1980, the county had nearly 5000 acres of land planted to flowers, the third highest-valued farming industry behind fruits and poultry. By 1985, flower growing ranked first in value in the county. Today, according to Farm Bureau statistics, ornamental crops (including cut blooms, bulbs, and interior and landscape plants) are grown on more than 8000 acres and are still the county’s top-value farm crop, despite modern pressures on a traditional industry.
— “THE 300-MILLION-DOLLAR BOUQUET,” Linda Nevin, May 18, ­2000

Five Years Ago
Marking from this year’s Masters, it’s been two and a half years since Woods last won a major. Nowadays, he plays golf like someone who doesn’t diligently practice.

I don’t think the constant reconstruction of his swing is to blame for his drop in play. He’s newly married to a movie-star beautiful, 24-year-old Swede. He bought a three-story, 155-foot yacht, named her Privacy, and my guess is, he’s decided to have a life and be one of the best golfers in the world instead of living alone and playing golf in a place where only he can compete.

I think what he’s telling us is that he doesn’t want to be a god anymore.
— SPORTING BOX: “QUIETLY NUMBER ONE,” Patrick Daugherty, May 19, ­2005