La Jolla, uncovering a bit of Helens past

Friday, May 25

Charlie’s mother used to talk about the Bishop’s School, way off in California, where her parents had sent her, all the way from Ipswich, Mass, for somewhat mysterious reasons, to board for a couple of years. I’d seen old photos of her and Charlie’s Great Aunt Helen, who worked at the school, with exotic plants in the background. Although the school didn’t inspire much curiosity in her son, probably due to being a teacher all those years, I harbored a secret desire to see the place.

From Corona del Mar (Balboa YC) we took a bike ride to Laguna Beach, a scenic route along the shore with several miles of trail in the Crystal Cove bluff park. Our destination was a store with the biggest selection of folding bikes in the state! On returning to San Diego we rented a car and drove back to pick up a new folder for me which will fit much more easily into the lazarette. Driving back in heavy traffic on “the Five” didn’t seem like much fun so we took Highway One, aka the PCH, our old friend, with hopes of finding another nice bike ride on the way back to SD.

There was a shady pathway around the
 chapel. Lovely spot for a quiet retreat.

When we got to La Jolla Charlie surprised me by offering to stop at The Bishop’s School. It was late afternoon as we drove through the old town and by now the sun had driven off the rain clouds. The chapel tower, an easy landmark, stood tall at the north corner of the school. We made our way through new construction and found ourselves at the grassy quadrangle with old buildings on one side. A covered walkway bordered with lovely gardens invited us to stroll and look into classrooms and offices. Luckily we encountered a a woman who explained that this had been graduation day and in the evening alumni were coming for dinner. She encouraged our tour. 

Charlie prepares to enter the chapel from the quad.

The chapel door was open. Inside we found plaques on the wall with brass name plates with the name of each graduate.  Sure enough in the ranks of the class of 1924 we found Helen Gould Kimball, Charlie didn’t really know that she had graduated from there. In her day the school was only for girls. Above the benches, where the girls must have sat at least weekly, stained glass windows displayed the crests and mottos of colleges including the “seven sisters” one of which was Vassar, Helen’s (HGK’s) future alma mater. What an interesting way to inspire girls to push on to higher education.

Helen Gould Kimball, Class of 1924

From the school a short ride along a bike trail in La Jolla made us doubly glad to have taken this detour.