|
From East San Diego to El Presidio
What’s Next for Penning the Past
November/December 2025
We hope you’ll join SOHO for our final Penning the Past webinar of 2025 on November 8 at 11am, when historian and retired SDPD officer Gary Mitrovich will present his book, East of San Diego: The Lost History of the East San Diego Police Department. Gary will share rare photos and gripping tales of bank robberies, scandals, and the city’s rapid rise and annexation in 1923. An SDPD Medal for Valor recipient and co-founder of the San Diego Police Historical Association, Gary will bring his deep local knowledge and storytelling flair to this forgotten chapter of San Diego history.
Beginning in February 2026, Penning the Past will return for another year of leading authors, historians, and preservationists presenting new insights into the people and places that shaped the city.
SOHO's hour-long lectures on Zoom are held on the second Saturday of the month. Pre-registration is needed to receive a link via email. As always, Penning the Past lectures are free for SOHO members and $10 for non-members.
Here’s a sneak peek at our upcoming offerings:
Kicking off 2026 with both a lecture and a guided tour, archaeologist and historian Richard L. Carrico will explore the story of El Presidio de San Diego—the first European settlement on the Pacific coast and the birthplace of California’s mission system. Drawing on decades of excavation and research, Carrico will bring to light the stories and discoveries that shaped early San Diego and Spanish colonial history, as well as what the "big dig" revealed.
Horticultural historian, author, and scholar Nancy Carol Carter, associate editor of California Garden magazine, will take audiences inside the history of Balboa Park’s beloved Botanical Building. From its 1915 exposition origins to its 2024 restoration, Carter’s lecture will illuminate how this iconic lath structure became a lasting symbol of San Diego’s horticultural heritage and civic pride.
Those who love Modernism will be excited to join author and art historian Rev. Dr. Mark Hargreaves as he examines San Diego’s distinctive brand of the style, following its roots to Irving J. Gill and the fellow architects he inspired. His lecture will uncover how Gill’s minimalist, regionally attuned principles defined a uniquely San Diego style of design.
We’ll also be joined by food historian Martin S. Lindsay as he dives into nearly a century of San Diego’s Tiki culture—from Prohibition-era bars to Mid-Century tropical lounges. Rich with vintage images and stories, his lecture will celebrate the artists, designers, and restaurateurs who made San Diego a cornerstone of Polynesian pop style.
To catch up on past lectures you may have missed, visit SOHO’s YouTube channel. Don’t forget to send SOHO some love by liking and subscribing to the channel.
BACK to table of contents
|
