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SEARS, THE ACE
DRIVE-IN AND TWINKIES

Squeekie
My
sister Margaret '59 and I got our parakeet,
Squeekie from Sears I think when when I was
in
7th grade at Horace Mann and I think Sears
had been there for awhile already. I'd guess
it opened in 1952 or 1953. I clearly
remember seeing Mr. Olive demonstrating a
radial arm saw, near the escalators. Made me
proud to be a Cougar. I’ve attached a color
photo of Squeekie from 1960. We eventually
gave him to Janie Schunert '63 who had him
until he died of a heart attack, by which
time I was away at college. He was a really
good addition to our family -- Bob
Richardson ’61
OK
John…no to worry…here’s how it all pans out
for you:
1) Sell your
Twinkies at a small discounted price in bulk
form( you know there are other addicts out
there), buy new batches as they come in and
continue the process, as they never seem to
get old or uneatable. They seem like a fine
wine…they only get better with age.
2) I’m going
to guess 1961-2, because I think I remember
the news of a new Sears store opening back
then and I had just started Horace Mann,
from Denver Colorado.
3) There is
only one way your feat of movie watching
magic could have taken place…and that is if
the Ace Drive-In had 2 screens, back to back
at that time. That would have allowed you to
watch the best parts of up to 4 movies in
one evening and what an evening it could
have been.
Just think 2 cars, one at each screen, both
filled with friends and a girl in each one
for you!...that’s it, John, you devil, you!
Your friend and cohort in stories -- Dave
Gray ’63
I am guess I was about 8 years old when the
Sears store opened, so that would be around
1951. I was living in my grandma's
house on Maryland Street and my mother,
grandma and I walked across the foot bridge
(over Washington St.) to the brand new Sears
Store. We were all very excited to
have a big store so near to where we lived.
Later, my first nice job was at the
same Sears. I taught sewing there
(from beginning all the way through
tailoring). I was 22 and very much
enjoying the work I was doing --
Elaine Robinson Davis ’61
Growing up in San Carlos we did family night
at the Aero in El Cajon and the Ace in Lemon
Grove all the time because they were
cheeeeeep. My best memories of hideous
sci-fi movies were those at the Ace.
Then of course my own family lived in Lemon
Grove for 34 years and my daughter took some
pictures of the Ace just before they mowed
it down for housing. I will see if she
can get that picture to me. As for Sears, as
a little kid going in to the huge, separate
Toy Room was terrific. My parents
would enter through the lower door, and my
mom always got her hot cashews, then we
headed for the Tools section, and if we were
lucky my parents let us go alone into
the Toy Room. As I got older, the huge
wall murals upstairs became my real
fascination. Were they designed by
Diego Rivera? I have two dear friends
who both worked at Sears on Cleveland and
later Sears in UTC, each of them for 35
years -- Sharon Cramer Sceper '68
What time would you get home after a
triple-bill at the Ace drive-in. 1 AM. I so
fondly remember sitting in our beach chairs
with, let's say the
proper accouterments to go along with a
Cheech & Chong flick! Eileen Baumgarten Gaudette
’74
I don't have a photo, nor a "photographic
memory," but I remember as a child looking
at the big white round seal on the side of
the Sears building and noticing the year
1952 -- Owen Western '63
I’m guessing Sears opened in 1960. I had Mr.
Olive for Wood Shop at Horace Mann.
That was where I made the 18” wood sailboat
that won the regatta at the small yacht
basin in Mission Bay, top boat at Horace
Mann Jr -- High Ron Dixon ‘64
Just thought that you would like to know
that the return of the Twinkie has a
Crawford connection. My brother Rick ('72)
was hired by the company that bought Hostess
Brands specifically to oversee the retooling
of their bakeries to bring back Twinkies.
Rumor has it that other Hostess products
will return but they wanted the Twinkie back
on store shelves by July 15th. They are on
target to make that happen -- Ed
Schoenberg, '70
It had to be opened before 1958 because I
worked there. I used to take the bus
(E route if I recall) and my job was to walk
around the parking lot putting flyers for
Allstate Insurance on the windshields of
cars. My "office" was a stockroom
behind the garden shop and God knows how I
remember this, but my boss was Mr. Matheney.
Yes, Mr. Olive worked in the tool
department using saws and power tools and we
would often drop by to watch him work -- Ernie
Cowan ’62
I know I went to the Sears in 1956, so it
had to have opened before that. I
looked it up on “hillquest” and found 1953
as the year. I have been in the DA’s
Office for almost 30 years now; early on, in
the 80s, I had a supervisor who wouldn’t let
us make popcorn for a snack in the office,
because it made the place “smell like
Sears.” Remember the popcorn?
Had to have it every time, and then so
thirsty had to go to the drinking fountain
which was way in the back of the
store. Anyway, I said something
recently about that, and the youngsters in
the DA’s Office (all young enough to be my
children) looked at me with blank
stares. They really missed out.
No more popcorn at any Sears!!!! Oh,
the good old days!!!!! Cindi
Mitton Means ’68
I
worked at the Sears from about 1965 to 1968
and it didn’t seem like a very new store
then. I would guess it opened in the
very early 50’s – the store number was 1078
. . . if I remember correctly, the “1”
indicated it was a full sized store, the
“07” indicated it was the seventh full sized
store built in the “8” (or western) area of
the US. Thinking about the
architecture and my various memories I might
even say it was built in 1951. (I just
googled Sears 1078 and see that the number
has been reassigned to a store in Mesa
AZ.) Barbara Bright Wilder ’62
I’d say that the Hillcrest Sears opened in
1952 -- Gary Epstein ’64
1953 Saw Olive too! -- Mike McKittrick ’60
As I recall it was about 1952 when my mother
went to work for Sears and I believe it was
when the Hillcrest store opened. She
didn't drive and she had to get a
transfer to another bus every morning -- Jim
Smith ’63
I lived on the north side of the wood
trestle bridge that crossed over Washington
Street. Sears was located on the south
side. I remember crossing the bridge
as early as 1954 and Sears was there
then. I believe it opened in 1953 -- Ron
Fox ’62
My first paying gig was at the
Hillcrest Sears demonstrating organs. I was
in Junior High -- Doug Kvandal ’66

This
aerial looks north across the Sears
parking lot. Washington St.
crosses behind the store, and 163 can be
seen heading north into Mission Valley.
(The Hillcrest Sears
opened in 1953 and closed in 1988)
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