Sweetwater High School District Superintendent Joe Rindone saw his vision come to life in 1964 when Southwestern College opened with 3,000 students. Before Mr. Rindone took the reins as superintendent he worked as a school janitor, then teacher, and then principal before his passion for education flourished into the junior college project.
Chula Vista grew tremendously during this decade through 69 annexations and 232 subdivisions. The city government also grew with a budget that tripled in size over the decade. Corky McMillin built homes designed to be “affordable yet placed in a desirable location.”
Another exciting visitor, Ted Kennedy, spoke in Memorial Bowl in the election year of 1966. Volunteers were as important then as they are now. Other highlights included the birth of the 10,000th baby in what was then called Community Hospital. Construction began on Interstate 805 and Chula Vista celebrated its 50th anniversary with the opening of the YMCA on 4th Avenue.
