Huntington Beach Happenings
by: Chris MacDonald
Published: October 13, 2025
HUNTINGTON BEACH...Happy Birthday to KTLA 5 News Anchor/Reporter Lauren Lyster.
Here is a link to My Article on now retired Sunset Beach Postmaster Graciela Romo.
Looking to save money, during football season where your favorite team jersey on Sunday's during October at Sweet Lou's Barbecue at 6441 McFadden Avenue in Huntington Beach and get 10% off your purchase. Questions call: (714) 891-7959.
Huntington Beach Assistant City Clerk Juan Esquivel provided a link to the action agenda from The Huntington Beach City Council Meeting on Tuesday October 7th, 2025. Click here:
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns provided a statement from the meeting as well. “ I’m happy that the City Council passed the resolution to do whatever we can to support transparent, accurate and clean elections. This is important for the citizens to know that their vote counts and is critical to an fair election process.”
Huntington Beach City Historian Jerry Person Remembers When -
Everyone has a special story to tell even Calvin Nagel
Recently I heard that Sutherlin Automotive Group Acquired McKenna Subaru on Beach Boulevard and wondered if they would be holding a special ceremonies or event to mark the occasion.
When I was a kid growing up in Los Angeles events like this would bring out the Searchlights that lit up the sky and broadcast the event on that new media called television. Even small communities around LA in those days would hold some kind of welcoming event.
Even here in Huntington Beach it was not unusual to welcome a major business with something special like a grand opening event. I can’t imagine stopping traffic for a parade today, but that is just what happened when one of our car dealers held their grand opening.
This piece of Huntington Beach history took place on August 24, 1940 when Theodore Robins opened its doors on that Saturday for his Ford dealership at 225 Fifth Street. The building that Robins had constructed still stands at the corner of Fifth and Olive today and it only cost Robins $10,000 to build and that sum today wouldn’t even pay for the required city permits.
The Catching Brothers of Huntington Beach were the contractors on the project and not only would this be a showroom for new Fords, it would also be a Signal Oil and Gas Service Station outside in front of the showroom. To kick off the opening day an impromptu parade was organized led by Huntington Beach Mayor Marcus M. McCallen and in this parade would be riding police chief Les Grant and Judge Charles Patton in a 1914 Ford car. This parade would snake through several of our residential and business streets in the downtown area and well over 1,500 people had an opportunity to witness that opening event.
Robins hired Oliver Hitterdale as there service manager, Merle Rayne as the Ford specialist, Vern Mohn as sales manager and Calvin Nagel as general manager and salesman and it is Calvin’s life that we will be remembering t this week.
On the Raccoon River in Iowa lies the small town of Fonda, about forty miles west of Fort Dodge and it was there that on November 13, 1912 that Calvin Nagel was born. Although Fonda was small it was still an important farming area and Calvin’s early childhood was shaped naturally towards farming the rich Iowa soil.
His early years were occupied by constant farm chores and attending school, but after Calvin graduated from high school in 1930 he would struck out on his own for something better. His first job was that of a truck driver on a road construction project, but after about a year of this, Calvin left Iowa and headed for North Dakota for a few months.
But if any of you have ever been in North Dakota in November their weather is not like ours in Southern California and this icy cold weather convinced Calvin to move back to Iowa. Calvin would remain in Iowa until 1934 when he moved to Arkansas for a year and a half. He would also serve in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Crossett and Hamburg, Arkansas and returning to Iowa in the CCC at Fort Madison, Ames and Boone. While he was in Company 3724 at Ames, Calvin became a first aid orderly, driving an Army truck for the Forest Service.
During this time he also doubled as a bulldozer operator and as a mess sergeant and when in the CCC Calvin got to see most of the western states including parts of Canada and Mexico, before returning to Iowa.
But work was scarce during the depression years and finding steady work was not easy for Calvin, and like so many people at the time, he traveled to sunny California for a better life in May 1937 and when he reached our golden state he found the rich opportunities it offered a twenty-one year old farm boy.
He also found a girl, Evelyn Marriott, and on January 17, 1938 the two were wed and it was on June 1, 1940 that Calvin and Evelyn came to Huntington Beach to live and where he would become Theodore Robins’ general manager and salesman for the new Ford agency.
It was in the early part of 1941 that Calvin and Evelyn were blessed by the arrival of a baby boy, Jan, but by the end of that year our nation found itself at war and all civilian car production ceased and with no new cars to show, most of Calvin’s time was spent servicing the older cars and trucks of our residents.
When the war ended and the production of new cars began rolling again, a car starved American public had to wait before these new cars found there way to dealerships around the country and it would be sometime before new models were seen in Robins showroom window. To keep active Calvin liked to play golf at our municipal golf course and sending a black ball down the wooden lane at Brick’s Bowling Center across the street from his work at 214 Fifth Street.
During this time Calvin and several young men of the town organized the “Young Business Men’s Association” and Calvin was elected its first president. This group would in time merge into our Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce.
For family fun Calvin and Evelyn went out dancing or when time permitted would be found watching a movie at our Surf Theatre.
But by 1948 Robins had sold the car agency to Don Grant and moved out of town and with that move Calvin Nagel faded into Huntington Beach’s rich history.
So today when your out and about at the market being waited by a cashier, by a local bank teller, auto repair person or just someone walking on the sidewalk. They each have a special story to tell especially one in and about our wonderful city of Huntington Beach.