Chula Vista Stories

 Home CreditUnion Photographs Stories Beardsley Christmas 2009 Christmas09 p.2 Christmas09 p.3 Pedersen WRatchford D & H Reeder Av3n33 RN91966p3_4 Afeb1956 RMnovdec1959 RMmayjune1962 RNFeb51962cv Afeb1954 Aapr1954 Ajan1954 RMnd1961 RMsummer1965 RMsummer1965contd RMnd1960 Asept57 Asept57part2 AOct1957 EZahlis AOct1957part2 RNmarch97 SL111997 SL120397 RNsept97 Riversidephotos2 Custom 3 PE122706 TP020593 TDowding EJohnson 1995AR 1995AR2 1996AR 1996AR2 RC66AR RNoct82 RNdec87 RNnov88 RNfeb89 RNmay89 RNapr90 RNjan90 RNfeb91 RNmar91 RNapril91 RNnov91

Rohr Aircraft Memories
a website for the Rohr Retirees and Former Employees
home | Arkadelphia | Arlington | Auburn | Brown Field | Cape May | Cerritos | Chula Vista | Clark | Delaware | Edgemont | Evergreen
 Fairhope | Foley | Fresno | Fullerton | Garland | Hagerstown | Hamburg | Heber Springs | Huntsville | Irvine
Los Angeles | Loudenville | Mexico | Millersburg | Mira Loma | Moreno Valley
Paris | Richmond | Riverside | Rockville | San Diego | San Marcos | Scotland | Sheridan | Toulouse | Washington D.C. | Winder
Advanced | Aerospace | Antenna/Marine | Communications | Computer | Construction | Credit Union | Material | Postal | Rail | Transit
Bibliography | Guest Book | Looking For... | Memorabilia | People | Rohr Manor | Timeline
AeROHRcrafter | Rohr Magazine | Rohr News | Skylines | News Clippings

Chula Vista Stories

My father, PAUL D. STULL, worked at Rohr from the mid 50's to early 70's. Dad spent most of his career working the grave yard shift and I worked with him for one summer after high school. Dad loved Rohr and never said a bad word about anyone there. He and our family referred to Mr. Rohr as pappy and was an inspiration to our work ethic. As a youngster dad would take me to the plant in Chula Vista, most Saturdays, where I followed him on his rounds. If anyone remembers my father I would like to say for him thank you all for the respect you showed him.
John Stull (8/19/2008)

BILL BEDDINGTON was a welder at the Rohr Chula Vista plant for over 30 years. He started working at Rohr in the mid 1950s. He was well liked and respected by his fellow employees. He retired sometime in the mid 80s, moving to the Salton Sea in 1987. Bill passed away on December 24, 2005 at the age of 77. His wife Mary of 57 years died the same year.

Submitted by Teri, Bill's granddaughter (2/20/2008)

 

 
So many stories to tell.....I worked there from 1967 to 1969.  But my whole family worked there at one time or another.  My father started with Pappy Rohr, as my dad called him, in the garage where it all started.  We spent all our summers at Rohr Park and I have such wonderful memories of the parties for every holiday.  There were summer barbeques and I loved the Halloween Carnival, where my father Bud Greywacz ran the prize tent.  He told me sometime during the forties or fifties Chula Vista complained that the money earned while working there was not going into the city of Chula Vista but being spent elseware.  So one payday, Pappy Rohr paid everyone in silver dollars.  Chula Vista shops and stores were very overwhelmed and had no room in the cash registers.  My grandmother, Marion Kelly, worked the night shift as the telephone operator.  My parents met there.  My father retired from there in I believe 1973 after over thirty years of service.   Basically, I grew up as a "Rohr Brat" with all the Rohr family and all the executives' children and remember it all fondly.
Sincerely, Pam Greywacz (submitted 4/5/11)

 

 

 


Rohr paid in silver coin
I wasn't at Rohr when this happened, but my uncle was, and chose to repay a loan to me with some of his pay from that period. [The time was about 1950.]
 
[It seems that the City Fathers of Chula Vista did some unknown thing that Mr. Fred Rohr thought belittled the importance of Rohr Aircraft to the City. He decided to demonstrate just how impotant the employees' income was to the City. The rumor was that he hired 7 armored trucks of coin brought from Vegas for the payroll for one single week, and buried the merchants of Chula Vista in coin. He made his point--and probably made the City Fathers mad at him, to boot.]
 
submitted by Chuck Phillips  (Employee 1958-60 at CV, and 1962-64 at Riverside & CV)

NORMAN "BUD" FLANDERS
Does anyone remember my father, Norman Flanders -- sometimes called Bud -- who worked at the Rohr plant in Chula Vista from 1951 or '52, I guess, until he died in 1961? I remember going to the Easter picnic and searching for Easter eggs. Please email Gwen Flanders at jimgwen@aol.com

 

 

My mom, JUANA ZAPATA (SANCHEZ), just celebrated her 90th birthday. She worked on the wings of B-24 Liberator as a riveter from 1940/41 to at least 1952 and was first hired to sort/separate screws by size for use on the wings, she worked at this job for two weeks and was promoted to a Riveter. She also says she worked on aircraft coming back from combat, taking apart and repairing the wings. She remembers the condition of the airplanes and reminders that flyers were involved. That was a sad time for her.

She worked as a housekeeper in a boarding house where a Navy Chief gave her his card and had her come to the gate of Rohrs in Chula Vista, to be hired. When the Navy Chief questioned why she was working at a boarding house, she told him she did not have a high school diploma and was trying to finish school. In those days it was hard for her to complete her education because of the traveling she had to do with her mother plus taking her to the doctors. She recalls reporting to the gate in front of other people waiting and was escorted to the beginning of working at Rohr.

Submitted by Juanita Hulu, January 14, 2011.

 

 

 

 

JACOB “JAKE” MANSKER worked in purchasing and then as Corrective Action Chief at Rohr Chula Vista until 1989. Jake’s wife, LINDA DUTCHER MANSKER, worked at Rohr Chula Vista from 1988 to 1993 in Man-Tech and then in Tool Design as a Systems Procedure Analyst prior to being laid off.

Jake had a massive stroke on November 19, 2010, and then passed away on January 26, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas at the age of 73. A memorial service will be held in April in Fort Sam Houston. He is also survived by 3 daughters, 1 son, 1 stepdaughter, 1 stepson, 15 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.
Submitted by Linda Mansker, January 30, 2011

 

JOSEPH CHARLES NELSON worked at the Chula Vista factory. He died at work of a heart attack on April 24th, 1952 at age 44. If you have any information about Joseph Nelson please email his grandson at ken@copcruisers.com
Submitted February 10, 2013 


Opinions expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of the site owner.
All content is ©2006-2023 Rohr Aircraft Memories unless otherwise credited or a vintage reprint.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of material is prohibited.
Contact Sue with questions or comments. Website address: rohrmemories.com

Last updated: 01-01-2023