The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
January 1965, Volume 11, Number 1
Ray Brandes, Editor
Ten years ago the first Quarterly of the San Diego History Center made its appearance-an auspicious beginning. The Quarterly has been a very fine one and the content has placed it among the best published by local historical societies. It has contained excellent articles focused on the history of San Diego County by Winifred Davidson, Bertram Moore, James Mills and many others, These are now a permanent record and a lasting contribution to our community.
Services for the membership should improve both in quality and content as time passes. A group of people bonded together to cement an organization should expect its undertakings to develop and improve in keeping with the intent of the founding fathers. On its eleventh birthday, the Quarterly takes on a new appearance. Much thought and planning have gone into the new journal called Times Gone By.
The editor contends that any article which relates in some way to San Diego history is a potential contribution. Some very excellent articles are now in hand, and others are continually being sought. The library of the Society in the Serra Museum contains many manuscripts related to every conceivable topic: the railroad, the police department, biographical sketches, important events, and the anecdotal.
A journal such as this must contain material aimed at many targets. This is no easy chore, for there is the layman as well as the scholar to consider; the Society member and the subscribing library to think of. Each volume must contain enough variety to please the enthusiast of the military, the student of transportation, the maritime researcher, and the reader who likes to know about the pioneer residents. Too much material directed to a particular time period, or to a special reading group makes a journal overweight; too many articles on a particular field make a journal topheavy. The result must be a balanced, palatable diet of reading.
Any paper published in Times Gone By will be subjected to the editorial scrutiny expected of a sound journal. Those societies which have already demonstrated an ability to grow and develop have shown that they can provide their memberships with an exciting publication program.
In coming issues, Times Gone By will bring to its readers maps and guides to the historical landmarks of various towns in the county. It will provide articles which reflect new interpretation on topics already known, and certainly on matters of which we know little. Biographical sketches will be written about individuals whom we know to have made important contributions to our county, yet of whom little has been written, We intend in a variety of ways to bring to the readers, reading and check lists of books on a variety of subjects. We feel that the content of each issue will have something of interest to every reader.
The seals of the City and County governments of San Diego are to be found in this journal. While these body politics do not expressly subsidize this journal, they do contribute in large part to the San Diego History Center. These governments deserve recognition in some way for their contribution to the culture of this community. We are proud to make note of this fact.
We invite authors to submit manuscripts for possible publication. If you are interested in writing and research, it may be entirely possible that based upon the library holdings, we may be able to suggest topics for papers.
If you are pleased with Times Gone By, show the journal to others. This is but another means of indicating what the San Diego History Center is doing to create a greater awareness in the heritage of our community.
