SAN DIEGO — When a San Diego family received bad news about a 1976 mural was torn down and lost they called CBS 8 to help find any coverage from our archives.
When I first started reporting at CBS 8 a couple of decades ago, I covered the news of the day, but one of the best parts of my job now is digging into San Diego's history. In 1976, San Diego celebrated America's 200th birthday, the Bicentennial. "I just remember him being excited to go to work because he was going to go to work and paint," said Martha Gooden-Lewis. She is the daughter of Travis Gooden, a World War II Army veteran known for his patriotism and artwork. "This is a picture of a mural that he made for church. It was called Heavenly Flight," said Martha.
In 1976, Mr. Gooden was asked to paint a Bicentennial mural at North Island Naval Air Station. "I see murals around town and they are good, but they are not like Daddy's," said Martha. To be asked to paint a mural in 1976 was an incredible honor. I was 6 years old when San Diego celebrated the Bi-Centennial and when I say it was a big deal, I am not kidding around. My grandmother Ethl hand crafted colonial costumes for my sister and me. I dressed up as a Founding Father and along with numerous parades, Mr. Gooden got to work.
"He always did a lot for others," said his son Charles Gooden who reached out to me to celebrate a special day for his father. "This is my father's obituary," said Martha. Mr. Gooden passed away in 1996. "He would be celebrating his 100th birthday," said Martha. His children wanted to visit their father's Bicentennial Mural, but discovered the old building it was in was torn down. "It was just kind of sad thinking I will never see that again," said Stephen Gooden. He and his sister Madeline were disappointed to lose that family history. "It was very sad for me to know it was gone but like you have footage and that just lit it all up and we were like yay!" said Madeline.
That's right, a deep dive into CBS 8 archives rescued the memory. The family waited almost 50 years to see the footage. It shows Mr. Gooden being interviewed by CBS 8 reporter Jim Gordon. "What kind of reaction have you gotten from your fellow workers?" asked Jim Gordon. Mr. Gooden responded, "Oh from the first beginning people said well it's coming along good, it's looking good, it's looking good. Then they say it's fantastic at the end of it. I feel real good about it."
Mr. Gooden went on to say his North Island supervisor trusted him to do his thing. "First he just wanted the flag over it, just the flag only, then he showed my the picture and said can you do this," said Mr. Gooden. His children cherish the results. "It was breathtaking it was so huge. It was just detailed," said Charles. Those who signed the Declaration of Independence found something special in America and so did we in the CBS 8 archives.
"To hear his voice again," said Martha. "I'll be able to share it with my grandsons." Charles added, "This is awesome." If you've got a precious San Diego memory you want us to find in our CBS 8 archives, send me an email at ZevelyZone@cbs8.com.