31
Mar
2017
Chula Vista
CA
United States

Local historian Dr. Steven Schoenherr will give a presentation about Rohr. As president of the South Bay Historical Society, Schoenherr was instrumental in researching the new exhibit on Rohr at the library, which will include photographs, materials from the Rohr Corporation, anecdotes from retired employees, items from the Library’s local history collection, as well as memorabilia from the Rohr family.   Launched by Frederick Rohr, the company was the world’s largest producer of engine power packages from World War II to the 1990s. Rohr pioneered the concept of a “feeder” subcontractor supplying vital airplane components to the factory where the plane was assembled. He developed new tools such as the drop hammer, and new materials, with honeycombed titanium among them. A major employer in Chula Vista from the 1940s to the 1990s, Rohr employed up to 10,000 workers in its 67 buildings on 162 acres along the Chula Vista bay front from G Street to J Street.  The influence of the Rohr weekly payroll was dramatically demonstrated in 1954 when Fred Rohr paid his workers in silver dollars, flooding the community with bags of coins.  Don’t miss this exciting presentation on a huge part of Chula Vista history.

 

Dr. Steven Schoenherr was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and earned his B.A. in History at Indiana University and his Ph.D. in History at the University of Delaware. He moved to San Diego in 1977 and taught in the Department of History at the University of San Diego from 1977 to 2007. Now retired, Schoenherr co-authored a book in 2009 on the history of Bonita for Arcadia’s “Images of America” series. His book "Chula Vista Centennial" was published by the city in August 2011 and won awards from the San Diego Book Awards Association and the Independent Book Publishers Association. His book for the Centennial of San Diego City College was published in 2014 by the City College Foundation.  He has served on the Chula Vista Historic Preservation Commission since 2012. He was a founder of the South Bay Historical Society in 2013 and is currently serving as president.