Community Corner

1966: A Big Man Takes Over the Texaco

News from the Oct. 13, 1966, edition of the Lemon Grove Review.

A look back at Lemon Grove, 45 years ago this week.

Big Man on Broadway: Move over, Big Lemon—“Little Tex” was the biggest thing in town when Molly Mouillesseaux, owner of Molly's Broadway Texaco (at Massachusetts Avenue), celebrated the station's 15th anniversary by installing a 22-foot fiberglass replica of a Texaco gas station attendant.

“Little Tex” stood on a wheeled platform, the better to scoot him out of the way when lines formed for the free balloons, coffee, cake, ice cream, lollipops and Pepsi. Molly offered raffle tickets with every $2 purchase with a 40-inch replica of “Tex” as the prize.

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Midgets Rule: The Lemon Grove Midgets creamed San Dieguito in a Pop Warner Midget League football contest when Steve Mauer and Larry Tyer each scored 21 points, while Rick Clabby, 13, crossed the goal line for 6.

“Midgets” weighed an average of 90 pounds and many ran like the wind. Today Clabby is a deputy district attorney for San Diego. He is also the son of 14-year Lemon Grove Councilman Tom Clabby and Dona Lynn Clabby, who edited the “Los Toros Bull Sheet” for the league.

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New Docs in Town:  Dr. George Koutumas, a 1951 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA, opened his new chiropractic office at 7625 Broadway. In the same week Dr. John Hickey, podiatrist and foot surgeon, opened his doors at 1501 Skyline Drive.

Clause Challenged: The Grossmont Junior College board of trustees reaffirmed its policy of refusing to let George Lincoln Rockwell, leader of the American Nazi Party, speak in classrooms despite the protests of history instructors Abel Sikes and Jacqueline Hall, who cited the faculty handbook “academic freedom” clause permitting teachers to invite speakers to their classrooms without consulting the board.

United They Stood: Lemon Grove Fire Chief H. L. Hensley and school superintendent Byron Netzley led the local United Crusade to raise their quota of $2,250 in a countywide goal to raise $4 million for 73 “health, welfare and character-building” organizations.

Dollars for Teachers: The state legislature allocated $58,000 to the Lemon Grove School District, a “low wealth district.” Of that, $8,500 was used to raise  teacher salaries an average of $225 for an annual wage of $9,325, and $22,000 was used for new teacher hires and classes for disabled younsters. The balance was placed in reserve. 

Stormy Weather: The town got .87 inches of rain on Oct. 10 in a sudden wind and rain storm that downed two 4,000-volt circuit wires at North and Imperial. While residents coped with a three-hour morning blackout, the fire department directed traffic away from the “hot” wires and stopped stray dogs at the railroad tracks lest they be fried by a 2,400-volt line that fell over the tracks just as Northern Pacific freight cars were chugging through.

Elsewhere in the county, more than 150 transformers burned out, 700 others blew their fuses, numerous utility poles were shattered and SDG&E operators handled some 8,000 customer calls. The power company's morning outage report, normally a “nothing to report” summary, ran to 18 feet of single-spaced teletype paper.

Beauty Beckons:  The new Slimette Gyroducing Salon opened at 6935 North Avenue. The salon offered spot reducing, facial contouring, massage, complimentary treatments by appointment and “no contracts to sign.”

Crazy Like a Fox:  The House of Sprouse Variety Store, 7895 Broadway, held “Lemon Grove's Famous Crazy Days Sidewalk Sale,” Oct. 14-15, with “ridiculous prices”—stuffed toy foxes and other toys reduced from 59 cents to 10 cents,  plastic flowers for 14 cents, fountain pens for 17 cents, shampoo for 16 cents, and bulky yarn for 17 cents along with the admonition: “Warning—get here early—quantities are limited! Open Friday nite 'til 9:00!”

Compiled by Helen Ofield, president of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, from newspapers archived at the H. Lee House Cultural Center.


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