In Memoriam

Alice Campbell Crittenden at the Mason Street School. Photo courtesy Jack Crittenden

Alice Campbell Crittenden, an active member of SOHO in its early years, passed away on October 22, 2008. She was 96.

Mrs. Crittenden was born in Coronado to immigrant Scottish parents on October 12, 1912. She grew up in the flats of Coronado Island, and later wrote a booklet on the area.

She worked for the state of California first in San Diego and later in Santa Ana where she met future husband, Phil Crittenden. With their two sons, the Crittendens returned in 1945 to Coronado, later moved to an adobe house in Point Loma, and finally settled in Mission Hills. Mrs. Crittenden was an enthusiastic supporter of many community organizations including SOHO; City Beautiful; Westminster Presbyterian Church; and the Mason Street School in Old Town, where she worked as a volunteer for many years.

An active gardener, she was an ardent supporter of San Diego's historical preservation, and counted the restoration of the Horton Grand Hotel as one of her favorite projects. Before the hotel was renovated, she would take people through the Gaslamp Quarter and explain how it would be revitalized.