Johnny McDonald | Downtown News
Aerospace experience sought
Impressions of historic flight, whether by an eight- or 58-year-old visitor, is vastly important to members of the Air and Space Museum.
From the numbers of astute floor docents and archivists in its expanding digitized library to skilled restoration workers in the basement, the museum can call upon Balboa Park’s largest community of volunteers to help educate the public.
“Our intent is to permit a customizing of the guest experience and, hopefully define it,” said President-CEO Jim Kidrick. “Our dedicated volunteers are like family and have told me their participation has extended their lives.”
He said it’s an ongoing recruitment program for docents, many of whom are retirees from the region.
“We make (recruiting) presentations to several companies in town,” he said. “We’re particularly looking for those with some space knowledge.”
Kidrick, who spent 21 years as a Navy fighter pilot, expressed the importance of keeping exhibits up-to-date, and explained why they added the Blue Angel F-18 Hornet as well as the Red Baron’s Blue Max.
He said the museum fits heavily into science technology, engineering mathematics and innovations – practical applications of the great explorers and pioneers.
“What would cause a Charles Lindbergh to climb into a small airplane cockpit and say, ‘next stop, Paris’?” Kidrick asked.
“Are people as excited about flight as they were in the 1930s? Probably not, because it’s so much more common. The average 15-year-old in the 1920s probably had never seen an airplane. Now, they may have taken flight on an airliner or have gone to an air show.
“Remember the Mercury, Gemini or Apollo missions were all over the news. [It’s now] semi-routine with the shuttle launches.”
He said restorations can be a long procedure.
“It depends on what we’re restoring from plans. In 16 months we put two planes on the floor: the racing GB and the Boeing fighter P-26 Pea Shooter. Now we’re building the Hughes Racer and the Bell X1, a replica that broke the sound barrier in 1947 with pilot Chuck Yeager.
Off-road legend forgoes Baja
Once the terror on Baja terrain and over quirky stadium obstacle courses, off-road race champion Ironman Ivan Stewart has slowed his pace to electric bicycles and speaking appearances.
Now, the 65-year old might be found occasionally at The Ivan Stewart Electric Bike Center at 2021 India Street, a modest location measuring about 700 square feet and run by his son, Gary.
“Most of the bikes are from China with names like Ezee, Hebb, Pebigo,” Stewart said. “Price tags range from $2,000 to $2,700 for six different models.” He plans to show them at car and boat shows, letting people ride them.
Meanwhile, drivers and motorcycle riders will be rolling away from Ensenada Nov. 15 for the start of the 45th annual Baja 1,000, heading for LaPaz. And, Ivan, who has made that trip 30 times, won’t be among them.
Stewart insists he hasn’t retired, “Just awaiting an opportunity.”
The legendary driver’s 84 victories and 10 driver’s championships were credentials enough for him to be inducted into Balboa Park’s Hall of Champions’ Hall of Fame. He has been nominated, too, for the national motorsports hall of fame in Michigan.
Stewart is known as the Ironman because of his many solo runs without a co-driver. He sold his off-road truck business, leasing that building in El Cajon so he could explore this new two-wheel venture.
“I’ve slowed down a bit, but I keep busy with Ivan Stewart Enterprises and my contractual arrangement with Toyota,” he said.
Toyota still regards the off-road champion as a valuable representative on the vast automotive front.
“I’ve done more with Toyota this year than the last two or three, going to Detroit, New York City, the L.A. Auto Show, a drag race or two and even NASCAR,” he said.
He has also been selected for television voiceovers. Pretty good for a once shy atlas fence worker who had enrolled in a Dale Carnegie speech training course.
While his Ivan Stewart Enterprises keeps him on tour, you might even find the smiling guy riding an electric bicycle around town. And, he’s not far away from the business because he lives in a nearby high rise condo with a full view of the waterfront.
“I’ve simplified my life and changed to something more suited to what I want,” he said. “I’m just downsizing. Time to turn it over to someone else to run with the ball…maybe one of the 53 owners who purchased pro trucks from us.”
He said he and his wife, Linda, want to travel.
“And what better place to live,” he continued. “The train depot is a stone’s throw away, there’s the cruise ships down there and the airport is about a mile away.”
Earlier this year they spent a month in Paris.
Hall of Champions exception
With the groundswell attention given to Chargers standout linebacker Junior Seau, the San Diego Hall of Champions Board of Directors voted unanimously to forego the normal voting process and induct him into the Breitbard Hall of Fame at the Salute to Champions on Feb. 25.
Normally, he wouldn’t have been eligible until late 2013.
Seau, a multi-sport athlete at Oceanside High, became an All American at the University of Southern California before joining the Chargers, for whom he played 13 years. Tragically, he took his life earlier this year at age 43.
Seau was inducted into the Chargers’ Hall of Fame last year and his No. 55 jersey was recently retired during the Chargers-Titans game at the beginning of the season.
“When people think of the San Diego Chargers, especially the defense, the first name that comes to mind is Junior Seau,” said San Diego Hall of Champions President Denise Cooper. “He is one of the Chargers legends. We are proud to have Junior Seau join San Diego Hall of Famers like Ted Williams, Bill Walton and Maureen Connolly.”
Known as an emotional leader, Seau helped guide the Chargers into the 1994 Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers.
Trevor Hoffman, the reliever who answered the sound of “Hells Bells” to save many games for the San Diego Padres, has been elected to the Breitbard Hall of Fame, class of 2013.
Also named were San Diego Sockers legend Brian Quinn and multi-talented wrestler-football star Stephen Neal. The trio will join Seau for his posthumously induction a year early.
All four will be honored at the Salute to the Champions banquet on Feb. 25 at the Town and Country Hotel in Mission Valley.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this year’s inductees into the Breitbard Hall of Fame,” said Denise Cooper, president, San Diego Hall of Champions. “As the community knows, the San Diego Hall of Champions is all about celebrating and recognizing excellence in sports at all levels, and these four gentlemen are truly world class athletes and community members.”
Hoffman, a converted shortstop, was the first player in Major League Baseball history to achieve 600 saves in his 18-year career. He was a seven-time All Star selection and twice a runner-up for the Cy Young Award.
Quinn was one of the most popular members of the highly successful San Diego Sockers indoor soccer team as a player from 1983-1991 and as its coach from 2001-2004.
A native of Ireland, Quinn became a U.S. citizen and played for the national team from 1991-1994. He is currently an assistant coach at the University of San Diego and a director of the San Diego Soccer Club.
Neal was a dominant wrestler and football player at San Diego High before going to Cal State Bakersfield where he compiled a 151-10 record, winning NCAA titles his junior and senior years.
After an award winning, 38-year sports-writing career with the San Diego Union and authoring three books, Johnny McDonald now considers writing a hobby. He enjoys covering aspects of the port district, convention center, Balboa Park, zoo, and stories with a historical bent. You can reach him at [email protected].
