President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the bill creating the United Service Organization (USO) on Feb. 4, 1941, ten months before the Pearl Harbor attack brought the U.S. into World War II. The idea behind the USO was to enlist various non-governmental public service agencies to offer comfort and morale to members of the military inContinue reading “The Bob Hope USO at LAX has offered comfort to traveling military personnel for decades”
Author Archives: Sam Gnerre
Two future U.S. presidents both campaigned for California governor in the 1960s
During the 1960s, the booming South Bay seemed to be coalescing into one giant suburb. Tract houses, modern industry and retail megaplexes dotted the landscape. Tens of thousands of its residents worked in the aerospace industry. Firms such as TRW, Northrop, Hughes Aircraft, North American Rockwell and Douglas Aircraft built huge plants in the area,Continue reading “Two future U.S. presidents both campaigned for California governor in the 1960s”
The Los Angeles & San Pedro: How Southern California’s first railroad came to be
Imagining the Los Angeles of 1870 takes some mental gymnastics. The city then had a population of 5,728, and transportation consisted of horse-drawn vehicles operating on dirt roads. It was far from the sprawling metropolis it would become even 30 short years later, when its population topped 100,000. Even with that in mind, I stillContinue reading “The Los Angeles & San Pedro: How Southern California’s first railroad came to be”
George Brett’s Hall of Fame baseball career began at El Segundo High
When George Brett tried out for the El Segundo High School baseball team as a ninth-grader, he was five-foot-one and weighed 105 pounds. Junior varsity baseball coach Dave Reed wanted to cut him from the squad, but head varsity coach John Stevenson insisted that he stay. Stevenson, a legendary coach in South Bay prep baseballContinue reading “George Brett’s Hall of Fame baseball career began at El Segundo High”
Seven votes decided the 1939 battle to incorporate the city of Palos Verdes Estates
The four cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula – Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling HIlls and Rolling Hills Estates – have traced their origins to a real estate rally held to promote the eventual sale of lots that was held on June 17, 1923. To celebrate the unofficial 100th birthday of the Peninsula,Continue reading “Seven votes decided the 1939 battle to incorporate the city of Palos Verdes Estates “
Redondo Beach resident Ron Kovic has never backed away from a battle
True to the title of his most famous book, Ron Kovic was indeed born on the Fourth of July, in 1946. Though born in Wisconsin, he grew up on Long Island in New York, graduating from Massapequa High School in 1964. That fall, he volunteered to join the Marines in order to fight in theContinue reading “Redondo Beach resident Ron Kovic has never backed away from a battle”
J.H. Hull, Torrance’s first schools chief, faced a long to-do list in 1947
J.H. (John Henrich) Hull must’ve felt like he was walking into a buzz saw after he was chosen to become the first superintendent of the freshly minted Torrance Unified School District on March 30, 1947. The new district’s board had been formed only a couple of weeks earlier. It included Evelyn Carr, whose tireless campaigningContinue reading “J.H. Hull, Torrance’s first schools chief, faced a long to-do list in 1947”
Inglewood Oil Field drilling judged a factor in 1963 Baldwin Hills Dam disaster
The search for oil during the boom of the 1920s left few local stones unturned. As vintage photos attest, huge swaths of land in the South Bay were blanketed with wells during the rush for black gold. One of the largest concentrated areas for drilling, roughly 1,000 acres of hilly land between Inglewood and CulverContinue reading “Inglewood Oil Field drilling judged a factor in 1963 Baldwin Hills Dam disaster”
Fatal 1937 San Pedro shooting roiled tensions between longshore union, police
Relations between dockworkers in San Pedro and the police during the 1930s were more than just contentious. They often turned violent, and even deadly. The unionization of longshore workers at the port was then underway, and it had turned into a lengthy, often violent struggle. Activist Harry Bridges began his labor organizing with the alreadyContinue reading “Fatal 1937 San Pedro shooting roiled tensions between longshore union, police “
Byron Scott watched the Lakers from the Forum’s seats before joining them on the court
Byron Scott grew up 14 blocks from the Kia Forum in Inglewood. His alma mater, Morningside High School, is located less than two miles from the venerable sports arena. Scott has admitted to slipping past security guards at the venue, then known simply as the Forum, to watch the Lakers play their home games duringContinue reading “Byron Scott watched the Lakers from the Forum’s seats before joining them on the court”
