Columbia Park in Torrance, the city’s largest, has been there forever, right? Actually, not really. The 52-acre park stretching from the northwest corner of Prairie Avenue and 190th Street west toward Hawthorne Boulevard wasn’t dedicated as an official Torrance city park until 1984. Oh, the idea for a large regional park on the land hadContinue reading “Torrance’s Columbia Park became a reality – eventually”
Author Archives: Sam Gnerre
Tracy Austin’s rise from South Bay tennis courts to No. 1 in the world
World Tennis magazine made her the cover girl of its July 1967 issue when she was all of four years old. No pressure. Tracy Ann Austin Holt, known to the world as Tracy Austin, grew up playing tennis in the South Bay, and she would become one of the most phenomenal stars in the game’sContinue reading “Tracy Austin’s rise from South Bay tennis courts to No. 1 in the world”
The Inglewood Public Library blossoms from humble origins
The roots of the Inglewood Public Library stretch back to the early 1900s, when a group of women started the Inglewood Library Society in an attempt to establish a free public library in the city, which incorporated in 1908. They arranged through the Women’s Club for space for their project in a building owned byContinue reading “The Inglewood Public Library blossoms from humble origins”
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium: Exploring the ocean for more than eight decades
The roots of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium stretch back to 1934, when lifeguard Bob Foster set up a folding table displaying mayonnaise jars filled with shells and marine specimens at Venice Beach. Beachgoers would bring samples of marine life to Foster’s lifeguard tower, where they were displayed to fascinated beachgoers. The increasingly popular collection eventuallyContinue reading “Cabrillo Marine Aquarium: Exploring the ocean for more than eight decades”
SST Records blazes musical contrails across the South Bay
The SST name had nothing to do with supersonic aircraft. Greg Ginn was born on June 8, 1954, in Bakersfield. His family moved to Hermosa Beach when he was eight years old. He became a ham radio enthusiast as a boy, and originally started SST as a 12-year-old in 1966 as an outgrowth of hisContinue reading “SST Records blazes musical contrails across the South Bay”
South Bay golfers find their way to LPGA tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) came into existence in 1950, making it the oldest continuing women’s professional sports organization in the United States. It was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 golfers that included Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Babe Zaharias. The LPGA has grown in size and stature in recent years,Continue reading “South Bay golfers find their way to LPGA tour”
Farmer Brothers brews up big business before leaving Torrance
Yes, there really were Farmer Brothers. Two of them. One of them, Roy E. Farmer, started the family business by selling roasted coffee beans door to door in Los Angeles in 1912 as a 20-year-old. After his initial success, the nascent Farmer Brothers firm established its headquarters in the back room of his brother Frank’s bicycle shop atContinue reading “Farmer Brothers brews up big business before leaving Torrance”
Torrance’s oldest American Legion post honors World War I soldier
When he went “over the top” against the Germans on that fateful day on a battlefield in Belgium, 27-yer-old Bert Sidney Crossland became the only Torrance resident to die in action in World War I. Crossland was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, on July 23, 1891. He moved west to California with his parents, Fuller andContinue reading “Torrance’s oldest American Legion post honors World War I soldier”
Robert Ryan of Inglewood succeeds in his unusual quest to become a matador
Robert Ryan was an normal 11-year-old living in Inglewood with his parents when he saw a magazine article on bullfighting that changed his life. He began to read everything he could find on the subject. An August 1957 issue of True magazine, with its striking cover art of matador Carlos Arruza painted by artist Fred Ludekens,Continue reading “Robert Ryan of Inglewood succeeds in his unusual quest to become a matador”
Methodists establish The Spanish American Institute in Gardena
In 1909, the Southern California Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church saw a need for educating a growing population of Spanish-speaking boys from Mexico not only in English and other basic subjects, but also in vocational trades. The Methodists established the Spanish American Institute in 1909, and it began planning the Spanish-American Industrial Training School forContinue reading “Methodists establish The Spanish American Institute in Gardena”
