Pioneer Park - From Sacred Space to Soccer Field

One visitor even brought us cookies and a poem about the fallen trees.

Oral Histories

In comparison to many other places in the world, the history of San Diego, especially Pioneer Park, is not very old. The beginning of the cemetery dates back to 1887. In our search for information, we were lucky to find several people who had knowledge of the park from when it was still Calvary Cemetery. Many were kind enough to visit Grant School and tell us about their experiences in the cemetery and their feelings about the park today and its future. One visitor even brought us cookies and a poem about the fallen trees. Thank you to these interesting people.

	Valerie Goodpaster Valerie Goodpaster grew up in the Mission Hills neighborhood and attended Grant School. Her daughter also attended the school. Currently she teaches second grade at Grant School.
	Margaret Hawkinson Margaret Hawkinson has lived in Mission Hills since 1951. Her two children, Ann and Jane attended Grant Elementary School. Ann attended the school from 1954 until 1961, and Jane attended from 1957 to 1961.
	Virginia Evans Whitelock Virginia Whitelock was born in San Diego and raised in the Mission Hills area. She attended Grant School. Her children graduated from Grant school and her grandchildren attended the school for three years.
	Virginia Wilcoxson Virginia Wilcoxson grew up in the Mission Hills area. Her daughter Tess, who also participated in the interview, went to Grant School. Mrs. Wilcoxson's granddaughter, Lauren, is a student at Grant School and a participant in this project.
	Carol Evans Carol Evans is the younger sister of Virginia Whitelock. She is a native of San Diego and Mission Hills. She attended Grant School from 1942 until 1949.