Campus Drive-In Theater


Color photos courtesy of Don Ball '59


Mark Weissmann '69 says this speaker from the Campus Drive-In was given to him by the last owner of the theater. The theater owner and Mark were both board members of the Variety Club. Click HERE to find out why it says ELDORADO on it.


Here is a photo of my sister Mary Wilcox Craven ‘63 and I taken at the swimming pool directly in front of the old Campus Drive in. We used to have a great time there. According to my oldest sister. Wendy Wilcox Pumphrey ’60, the pool was eventually closed when a child came down with polio -- Judy Wilcox Baker ’66

OMG!!! I almost fainted when I saw the photo at the pool. That's where I learned to swim back in 1959 or so. AND I think I had the same matching swimming cap. Good Lord those things were miserable! What a great memory to bring up. I'd forgotten all about the way it looked. Thanks for reminding me! -- Laura Jones Schmidhammer ‘70

I remember that pool in front of the Campus Drive-in. My brother and I swam in it. It wasn't sponsored by the drive-in, but a real estate company that kept a small office at the pool in front of the theater. It took special permission for us to swim in it -- Ron Bankhead ‘63

My late brother Ron was partially correct.  We did swim in a “demo" pool installed right in front of the Campus Drive-In sign.  My mom’s cousin owned the pool construction company that had a small office there.  That was the special permission required that my brother mentioned. My cousin said we could swim anytime we wanted to – it was good for business -- Rod “Rocky” Bankhead ‘65


Black and white photos courtesy of San Diego Historical Society


So there I was, wife on my arm, headed into a restaurant in Changzhou, China, and what do I see on the sign?

Now, do we have here a case of:
A. copying;
B. convergent evolution;
C. sign-napping
D. none of the above.

Is it a small world, or what?


I was passing by the Campus Drive-In one night in 1978 when I was struck by the irony of this shadowy figure changing the marquee with the word "HORROR" above him. Since I had my camera with me I seized the moment. -- Owen C. Western '63


I just come across this in my files and do not know if the photo is still relevant to you but thought I'd send it -- Jann Subiaco '61


I took these photos at College Grove January 29, 2008 -- Victor Perez '71


Learn about the history of the Campus Drive-In Theater
and watch the majorette twirl her baton in living color.

(The "Joe Schmidt" in the story is the father of Mary Jo Schmith Grubbs '62)


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