Spring Series:
“The La Jolla Homefront during World War II"

Lecture 1: Living in La Jolla During the War Years

La Jolla was a different place during World War II, as buildings were camouflaged, gun turrets spotted the bluffs, and people raised their own food. Through it all, La Jollans persisted, working hard to contribute to the war effort.

Robert Mosher
Retired architect; La Jolla resident during World War II

Eugene Alfaro
Historian on food production in World War II

Mildred Lee Bell
Retired educator; attended La Jolla High School during the war

Dorothy Haven
Retired educator and actress; husband trained at Camp Callan

Lecture 2: Science & Technology on the Homefront

The needs of the war effort sparked scientific innovation, precipitating a boom in the fields of marine sciences and aeronautics, setting the stage for San Diego’s economic growth in the latter half of the twentieth century .

Walter Munk
Retired oceanographer; US Army veteran and Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist during World War II

Lecture 3: The Homefront for Japanese Americans

As in other places in America, San Diego’s vibrant – and patriotic – Japanese American community endured one of the saddest episodes in the nation’s history: Internment ordered by the United States government.

Susan Hasegawa
Professor of History, San Diego City College; Historian, Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego

Lecture Prices

Each Lecture: Members $15; General Public $20

Entire Series: Members $35; General Public $50