Category Archive: Popular Culture

Jul 11

The Chinese temple in Cambria

The former Chinese temple in Cambria in 1980. ©The Tribune

A century-old lost coin leads to the rediscovery of what was once the centerpiece of a long-gone community. Historical buildings are often taken for granted and allowed to slip away. Sometimes it is an attempt to erase our past; sometimes the culprit is neglect or a lack of money. All three causes intersect in an …

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Jul 09

Garbage never sleeps, throwing out the baby bottle, sleeping man dumped in garbage truck

Brian Huber, 2, of San Luis Obispo agreed to give up his bottles if he could personally throw them into the garbage truck. ©Doug Parker/Telegram-Tribune

Garbage never sleeps. The sound of the truck going by in the early morning hours has been known to rouse dozing folks, though the final story shared here is the ultimate garbage wake-up call. In his book “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash, ” Edward Humes collects a landfill worth of stats, including the …

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Jun 26

A life of beauty for the boys on duty -1942 fashion

March 18, 1942 fashion page from the then Telegram-Tribune urging women to keep in style for the troops.

World War II would change feature stories and advertising in curious ways. Announcements of wartime rationing were making headlines on the front page but the fashion page was still trying to promote style. The message was to dress well and perhaps you could compete with Hollywood pin up girls like Jane Russell, Rita Hayworth and …

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Jun 25

Hurrah for the 4th of July, San Luis Obispo 1883

This 4th of July celebration ad ran sideways in the columns of The Tribune in 1883, rotated here for your reading enjoyment.

Monterey Street and not an automobile to be found. The image is spliced together from two copy prints in the Tribune archives. According to penciled notes on the back of the prints the image was scheduled to run on page 8 of the Telegram-Tribune Centurama edition of May 9, 1956. The writing says the print …

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Jun 06

Why Ray Bradbury loved libraries, dedication in Paso Robles

At the Paso Robles library dedication featured speaker was author Ray Bradbury.© David Middlecamp/The Tribune

Beside his typewriter was a sign that said “Don’t Think.” Prolific author Ray Bradbury came to the Central Coast on several occasions, Telegram-Tribune reporter Patrick O’Sullivan documented a visit to Hancock College in Oct. 1985. “We are ideas bursting to be born,” Bradbury said. “You are the idea beasts of time.” He advocated writing fast …

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Jun 01

Smoking Baby ready to take your subscription

STARTING EARLY...Mark Kevin Cook, 9 months, with copy pencil anc candy cigarettes in tote, prepares his part in announcing the celebration of National Newspaper week, Oct. 14 through Oct. 20. Mark, whose deadline for his first "big story" is at least a few years off, is the son of Mr, and Mrs. Jerry Cook of Lodi, Calif.

Today this would warrant a call to child protective services. Dressing a kid up as a journalist? What kind of parents would do that? Apparently a fedora with a card reading “Press” a copy pencil and cigarette were all part of the standard issue for someone wanting to be seen as part of the 4th …

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Apr 25

Drinking water straight out of the tap

A tall, cold one It's a tall order for little Phil Osburn, but the 3-year-old from San Luis Obispo managed to turn on the faucet to quench his thirst. Phil and his family spent a recent summer's day playing at Laguna Lake Park June 8, 1984. ©Doug Parker/Telegram-Tribune

It just got harder to find commercial bottled water in a National Park. According to an environmental specialist at Grand Canyon disposable bottles make up 20% of the Grand Canyon’s waste stream, and 30% of the recyclables. So to the get rid of the problem, the disposable bottles were banished from the store shelves inside …

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Mar 30

Panama Pacific International Exposition, July 4, 1915 San Francisco, The Leonard collection

Uniformed riflemen march in San Fransisco in what looks to be a July 4, 1915 parade during the time of the Pacific International Expostition. ©The Tribune/The Leonard Collection

It was San Francisco’s grand coming out party. The City had been ravaged by the Great 1906 Earthquake and Fire. Over 3,000 lives had been lost and as many as ten times that number were left homeless out of a population of about 410,000. A mere nine years later, three of which were used to …

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Feb 13

Pismo Beach Fashion 1900s, Leonard collection

Women's and men's beach fashion circa 1900 at Pismo Beach.

This appears to be he height of beach fashion at Pismo Beach circa early 1900s. The flat beach leads me to guess Pismo Beach, a destination for tourists after the railroad went through in the early 20th century. The man is wearing a handsome two piece swim suit while the woman has on a stylish …

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Feb 08

You can call me Al, Weird Al

Weird Al Yankovic twirls dials at KCPR where he was a student deejay. ©Tony Hertz/Telegram-Tribune 4-5-1980

Find the path to international recording fame using this one weird trick. Record in the bathroom. Among the porcelain urinals and sinks, across the hall from radio station, KCPR is the sound environment that launched a recording star. Alfred M. Yankovic is arguably the second most famous Cal Poly graduate after John Madden. If you …

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