“My name is Cary Nichols and I was born in the wonderful new development, Del Cerro. My father, Don Nichols, ended up constructing over 100 custom homes in this first phase of Del Cerro and later in The Highlands.
My education began in a brand-new building: Phoebe Hearst Elementary School. I remember a few of my early teachers. Bill Ponder was one and was he ever a disciplinarian. We all were a bit afraid of him. Then very athletic, Mr. Huffman, was a favorite of many, as he would pretend to swing a club. Mrs. Bayless was our fearless principal. Gail Booth, another favorite teacher, had parties for the DC Boyz. More on the DC Boyz later.
Our first Little League Field was on the corner of Madra and Del Cerro Blvd., where later a Shell station was built, and then a group of businesses. We had four teams in our 1958 league: Etching Masonry, Seedorf, Fuller, and of course Nichols Builders sponsored the Blue Team. My dad was the coach. Every kid loved the little league field, and the games. Some days the girls from school Phoebe Hearst would walk to the Little league field and do cheers for everyone.
My days in Del Cerro were filled with adventure like walking down to Adobe Falls after a nice rain that filled the Adobe area with waterfalls. Riding our bikes with friends and exploring the likes of Lake Murray Dam.
Cell phones hadn’t come in big, but I remember Mike Stafford was one of the first. There were lots of PSA pilots in our first neighborhood and Bob Dale and Bib Mils lived here. Also some of the luminaries Frank Fornaca, of Frank Motors, and Clare Bergner, a congressman lived in Del Cerro. Del Cerro was a gem, and still is!”