Looking back at Del Mar as we look forward

• In Event: Del Mar Voices: A community oral history project's 20-year journey

Abstract

Located just 20 minutes from the heart of San Diego, our unique Southern California community of approximately 4,000 was founded in 1885 by Jacob Shell Taylor. Our village by the sea, usually described by residents and often by visitors, as “paradise,” has been anchored by a high quality hotel from the beginning. Known for its racetrack founded by Bing Crosby and Pat O’Brien in 1936, its Hollywood celebrity presence goes back to the 1920s and 30s. A magnet for its proximity to a gorgeous beach, universities and scientific research facilities, its residents pride themselves on their active participation in building and enriching the quality of community life. The Del Mar Historical Society, founded in 1985, serves as the memory keeper for the community. From the beginning, its president, Swede Throneson, saw the value of recording voices of old timers and began the process using audio cassettes. He expressed the need to widen the scope of collection of oral histories and brought it about in 1995.

Author

• Tensia Moriel Trejo, Del Mar Historical Society