Community Corner

1974: Sure, He Was a Mad Bomber, But He Was a Friendly Guy

News from the Aug. 22, 1974, edition of the Lemon Grove Review.

A look back at Lemon Grove, 37 years ago this week.

Mad Bomber: Alfred Paul Dechaine, 45, El Prado Avenue, a.k.a. “The Mad Bomber of Lemon Grove,” was nabbed and held on $3,000 bail after detonating explosives in the alley between Imperial Avenue and Grove Street.

The molasses factory employee had shattered windows, rocked trailers and injured welders, who suffered burns when they jumped at the racket. After a month-long spree, Dechaine blew it, so to speak, by taping a gas-filled balloon to the rear of the Foxy Lady Saloon, 7828 Broadway, and attaching a burning cigarette. Dechaine's balloon-filled truck was parked nearby, leading to his arrest shortly after the balloon exploded.

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Said, George Frye, manager of Foxy Lady, “He was a regular customer. We liked him because he was friendly.”

Trim, Cut, Squeeze: Gov. Ronald Reagan signed his seventh and last state budget, $10.1 million, doubling his 1967-1968 budget. Yet, his “trim, cut and squeeze” mantra apparently worked as the state had a $1 billion surplus—and a not a moment too soon. In 1977, the state moved to full support of the Post Secondary Education Commission.

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Choke, Gasp: TRW, Inc., a global company serving the automotive industry, said all cars must be banned from San Diego County by 1977 in order to meet EPA clean-air standards.

Lou Conde, chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, protested that pollution came from Mexico, Los Angeles and wild fires, all sources the county couldn't control.

The California legislature's 1971 hydrocarbon control bill required all cars made after 1966 to install a smog prevention device. In 1974 the device cost $35, plus tax.  

Whale Woes:  The San Diego Natural History Museum screened a film on early whaling methods that led to the near extinction of several species. In the same week, the International Whaling Commission issued economic sanctions against Japan and Russia, which harvested 85 percent of the world's annual whale kill. Both used about 1 percent of their harvests for domestic consumption and exported the rest for pet food, mink farms, cleaning products and other uses.

Packin' 'Em In:  The Ace Drive-In on Broadway showed “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” with Paul Newman and Robert Redford on a double bill with “Heartbreak Kid” for $2.50 per “legal carload,” a phrase widely interpreted by teenage patrons who sometimes arrived with 34 per station wagon.

B.C. (Before Casinos):  The Rincon Reservation readied for its annual rodeo, Aug. 24 - Sept. 1, by increasing the number of dare devil events. Bronco Busting, Bull Riding, Bareback Bronco Riding, Steer Stopping and an all-girl team for Girls' Barrel Racing headlined the list. All proceeds benefited the Rincon Tribal Fund, which assisted all members of the reservation.

Bank On It:  First National Bank at Imperial and Golden advertised extended hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday and Friday.

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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