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Rancho del Otay Airfield

1939 establishments in CaliforniaChula Vista, CaliforniaDefunct airports in California
RanchoDelOtayCA1955topo
RanchoDelOtayCA1955topo

Rancho del Otay Airfield was a private runway in Chula Vista, California on Rancho del Otay. Industrialist Stephen Birch owned and built Rancho del Otay on 29,000 acre of land just west of the Lower Otay Reservoir. The land Stephen Birch purchased in 1939 was part of the vast Rancho Otay. Stephen Birch died in 1940 and his daughter Mary inherited 11 acres of Rancho del Otay. Mary had a large cattle and agricultural ranch on the land, first called Otay Agricultural Corporation and later United Enterprises. Mary ferried US built planes to England during World War 2 and built a short runway on here land. Mary Birch married Patrick R. Patrick in 1955 and moved into the Spreckels hunting lodge. Patrick was a retired wing commander in the Royal Air Force. In 1984 Mary donated land to the Chula Vista Community Hospital, now the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. After Mary Birch death on November 20, 1983, the ranch was purchased in 1988 by the Baldwin Company for development. Mary's estate was in San Diego County probate court case for years. In the end the land was divided to relatives, friends, and former employees. The airfield abandoned and now surrounded by homes. The airfield is located east of the intersection of Otay Lakes Drive & Woods Road.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Rancho del Otay Airfield (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Rancho del Otay Airfield
Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista

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Wikipedia: Rancho del Otay AirfieldContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 32.646 ° E -116.942 °
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Address

Otay Lakes Road

Otay Lakes Road
91915 Chula Vista
California, United States
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RanchoDelOtayCA1955topo
RanchoDelOtayCA1955topo
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Mater Dei Catholic High School (Chula Vista, California)

Mater Dei Catholic (MDCHS) is a private, Roman Catholic TK-12 school in Chula Vista, California, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. In 1960, Bishop Charles F. Buddy founded the first co-educational Catholic high school in the Diocese of San Diego. It would be built on twenty acres of land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Egger. Seventy young students and a faculty of four embarked on a lasting venture which was to become known as Marian High School. These boys and girls carried the hopes and best wishes of many people as they attended classes in a three­ room division of St. Charles School across the street from what would be the future campus. In 2002, the Diocese of San Diego decided to upgrade all of its secondary campuses. A new site in Chula Vista was chosen and a new school was built. In 2007, the name was changed from Marian Catholic High School to Mater Dei Catholic and the school moved to its present location. The original campus was located in South San Diego, near the intersection of Coronado Avenue and Thermal Street. Across from Marian Catholic was the parochial K-8 school, Saint Charles Catholic School. The new campus is located in East Chula Vista, in close proximity to Otay Ranch Town Center. Its facilities include the Marian chapel, a track and football stadium, baseball and softball diamonds, tennis courts, full-service 800-seat theater, competition swimming pool, basketball/volleyball gym, environmentally friendly "earth bench". Mater Dei Catholic also sponsors Juan Diego Adult Center, which offers free English and citizenship classes, educational opportunities for personal development which empowers people to reach their full potential in regards to employment and participation in civic, community and parish affairs.