San Diego institutions 38 years ago

NASSCO, San Diego Transit, Mira Mesa, smog, UCSD, National University

“I think residents of Mira Mesa have something to be proud of." (Robert Burroughs)
The Department of Labor has asked Nooner to settle out of court with NASSCO for $40,000. (Jim Coit)

From one accident at NASSCO to another

Nooner was standing in the stairwell. Nooner’s partner stood below him on the ladderlike stairs, ready to hand up any necessary tools. Unknown to the two men intent on the hatch hinges, the constant pounding of the nearby chipper was causing the two locking pins in the support stanchions to straighten out.

By Mark Orwoll, March 20, 1980 Read full article

A major fare increase in 1978 and another in 1979 (fare for local service is now fifty cents) caused a decline in the number of riders. (Robert Burroughs)

End of subsidies for San Diego buses

The next two years will see major additions to San Diego’s transit system. Freeways will be expanded to include "High Occupancy Vehicle lanes” on Interstate 8 between Jackson and El Cajon Boulevard, and along Interstate 15. The Santa Fe train depot will be restored and will be a major center for buses.

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By Gordon Smith, April 24, 1980 Read full article

Two-bedroom homes sold for as little as $14,900. (Robert Burroughs)

San Diego's most wretched neighborhood

Pardee Construction Company, the single largest developer of homes there — gained notoriety as early as 1970, one year after construction began. when Time magazine ran a photo of a typical Mira Mesa street of Pardee homes to illustrate a story entitled “Housing: The Swing Back to Ticky Tacky.”

By Larry Keller, June 12, 1980 Read full article

San Diegans drive a total of nearly 25 million miles every day. (Robert Burroughs)

San Diego starting to deal with its smog

The natural broom sweeps the smog into the natural dustpan of Alpine. On days when the smog is particularly bad, you can drive east on Interstate 8 beyond Alpine and watch yourself climb right up out of the inversion layer. Suddenly, the air is clear; mountains on both sides of the highway now stand out.

By Gordon Smith, Aug. 28, 1980 Read full article

Kathy Huffer: "I had a vague notion that UCSD was a science school, but I certainly didn’t know it was as oriented that way as it is." (Jim Coit)

The downsides of San Diego's mostly science school

She told me that UCSD is a socially fragmented school, “without a tie to bring students together. It’s not a friendly university. Seventy-five percent of the students live off campus, and there’s no housing close in. There’s no commercial district nearby, either. You can’t walk to La Jolla!"

By Gordon Smith, Nov. 13, 1980 Read full article

National University, Mission Valley. “If I had to describe my M.B.A. in one word, it’s guilt." (David Covey)

National University's different idea of scholarship

Too often, says Chigos, students at traditional universities waste their time on frivolous pranks such as dropping watermelons from buildings or staging bicycle races in the mud — activities better suited to elementary school children, in his view. National University, he declares, offers a “no-nonsense” education “for big people who have been around in the world."

By Larry Keller and Linda Rocheleau, Jan. 15, 1981 Read full article

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