What does America mean to you?
by Bill Swank
Kay Chau and Tek Heng were neighbors in Cambodia. Kay arrived in San Diego as a refugee in 1979. Tek went to Seattle. Through their families, they got together, married and, in...
Old Aches and Pains
by Bill Swank
My father was from the Southside of Chicago. His favorite baseball player was Luke Appling who frustrated the penurious Comiskey family by hitting foul balls into the stands. The team determined Appling...
Cruisin’ with the Bay Park Boys
By Bill Swank
An old-timer asked the millennial, "What's a fender?"
The kid answered, "A guitar."
The Bay Park Boys aren't a rock band, but they still rock. They rhapsodize about moons and spinners, flatheads and rocker...
Dorothy Carroll, The Jacaranda Lady
By Bill Swank
Kate Sessions, Mother of Balboa Park, was the Johnny Appleseed of Jacarandas in Southern California. Over the years, other women earned the title and San Diego's current Johnny Appleseed of Jacarandas is...
Frye Wings
The Greek philosopher Plato noted, "The natural function of the wing is to soar upwards..."
Hindus believe that wings symbolize freedom. In Pre-Columbian cultures, wings represented flight from one world to another.
Wings are the logo...
75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Robert Garcia (97) and Stuart Hedley (95) are a couple of old salts who, for over 45 years, have lived a few blocks from each other in North Clairemont. A few days before Thanksgiving,...
The tradition continues…
Six people were honored in the first 2016 edition of "Who's Who in Clairemont." The criteria was simple (and tongue-in-cheek): live in Clairemont and send an e-mail to this column. In 2015, only five...
First Kiss – A Valentine Story
Who can forget their first kiss? But, what if you never had a first kiss?
This is a true story. I know it's true, because it didn't happen to me.
In 1951, I was captain of...
Heavenly Views from Clairemont
If you have a predilection for adventure and a full tank of gas, you should know the "Joyride Guru."
Jack Brandais is an old friend of mine. His "Weekend Driver" column has appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune for 17 years. He...
Clairemont’s Long Forgotten Little League Ballfields
Although Jim Bouton won 21 games for the 1963 New York Yankees, he is better known as the controversial author of the tell-all baseball classic, Ball Four. John Thorn, the official historian for Major League...