Their names are cemented in Pacific Beach history, but where are they now?
What a group. Grizz. The Crow. Joker. On Dec. 21, 1978 a group of colorful cohorts scratched their names in wet cement on a stretch of sidewalk on Fanuel Street in Pacific Beach. 41 years later, those signatures have withstood the test of time. Those names are still there.
The Brother, John Palmer. Sir Dana. Frenchy.
It’s amazing, first of all, after more than four decades the sidewalk has not been uprooted or cracked or replaced by the City. Secondly, it’s amazing to look at those 15 or so signatures and wonder, whatever happened to this group of comrades? D.J. Buddy. Roseman. Roger Denton. Chuckry Lee Johnson. Are they still around today?
Maybe the crew was in their teens or 20s when they etched their cement celebration back in 1978. 41 years ago, Jimmy Carter was President of the United States. The average home price in San Diego was $73,000. The No. 1 record was “Le Freak” by Chic. Gas was 68 cents a gallon.
Fast forward from 1978. Now, that group of friends might be in their 50s or 60s.
Have they kept in touch?
Or did the close companions grow apart and move away?
Are some of them still living in Pacific Beach? Maybe even walking on that sidewalk section where their names are cemented in PB history? Candy + Jack. Cal. Marco. Susan. Bruce Henry.
That section of sidewalk on Fanuel isn’t going to last forever. There’s already new sidewalk cement on both sides of those surviving signatures.
How long will the signatures survive? Did Candy + Jack survive?
• Can you shed any light on the pavement puzzle? If yes, please e-mail editor Susan DeMaggio at editor@lajollalight.com and PB Monthly would love to follow up on this story in the January issue.