PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID RANCHO SANTA FE, CA PERMIT NO. 53
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VOL. 6, NO. 18
AUG. 27, 2010
Vet’s death remains unsolved
THISWEEK RIGHT OF WAY
The Highway Patrol has started to crack down on bicyclists who aren’t following traffic laws A3
By Patty McCormac
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME
McDonald said. “There is nothing to replace it. Scripps should have a conscience because they have had a conscience in the past.” When McDonald is not tending to her responsibilities as a professor of classics and theater at UCSD, she is giving speeches, scheduling press interviews and making phone calls to rally support to save the clinic. McDonald has personally been affected by alcoholism, which she attributes to her strong Irish-Catholic heritage. Her father was Eugene Francis McDonald Jr., founder of Zenith Radio, now Zenith Electronics. Although he never graduated from high school, he is recognized as a pioneer in the use of shortwave radio for long distance communication, FM radio, television and even pay-per view. In addition, he was a humanitarian who funded Ebony, the first magazine celebrating black culture, in honor of his friend Arctic
RANCHO SANTA FE — Who or what killed Dr. Robert Stonebreaker? It has been more than six months since the veterinarian’s body was found on a driveway in Rancho Santa Fe and the investigation is ongoing. “We are still looking at it, but I can’t say an arrest is imminent,” said Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. The death was first investigated as a traffic mishap on Jan. 16, when Stonebreaker’s Porsche was found near the intersection of Caminito de Conejos and Paseo Delicias. It appeared he had lost control on a curve and plunged into a ravine. Investigators did not find the driver at the scene of the crash, but the next morning a homeowner on Paseo Delicias found Stonebreaker’s body in their driveway. “They (resident) didn’t know him, but they knew of him,” Brugos said. “They had some literature of his.” Investigators at that point believed they were investigating a fatal traffic accident and that Stonebreaker had left the scene of the crash in search of help. His body was found about 1,000 feet from the crash site. “It was the medical examiner who told us that his injuries were not consistent with that kind of accident,” Brugos said. Brugos said Stonebreaker had head injuries, not the type a person would receive just falling down and hitting his head. Investigators continue to look at all possibilities including someone having a vendetta against him, road rage or even suicide. Stonebreaker, 53, owner of the Animal and Bird Hospital in Del Mar, was wellknown for his work with birds. He and his wife Pam worked side by side at the business. He purchased the Del Mar Veterinary Clinic in 1998, changing the name to convey his interest in birds. He also
TURN TO LEGACY ON A18
TURN TO VET ON A17
At 88, a local woman is inducted into the Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club’s Hall of Fame B1
LIFE’S A BEACH
This issue’s look at Ranch History takes readers to Del Mar Beach with Ranch residents in the B4 late 1920s
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 36 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B13 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B14 Consumer Reports . . . . A14 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . B14 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A4 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . A5 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . A9 Hot Off The Block . . . . . B5 Machel’s Ranch . . . . . . A15 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Pet of the Week . . . . . . . B2 Ranch History . . . . . . . . B4 Ranch Profile` . . . . . . . B10 Second Opinion . . . . . . A14 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . A12 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . . A13 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . A13
HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737 CALENDARS SECTION: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com COMMUNITY NEWS: community@coastnewsgroup.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: letters@coastnewsgroup.com
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DELICIOUS DONATIONS Rancho Santa Fe resident Jamie Robbins shows her once full — and now nearly empty — basket of delicious baked goods at the Rancho Santa Fe Library and The National Charity League’s Book & Bake Sale on Aug. 20. See page Page B11 for more photos from the event. Photo by Daniel Knighton
Ranch woman’s altruistic legacy in danger By Lillian Cox
RANCHO SANTE FE — Few people have not been touched by the Scripps McDonald Center for Chemical Dependence, either personally or through a relative, friend or coworker. It is estimated that 25,000 patients have benefited from the program. The treatment facility was founded in 1983 by Rancho Santa Fe resident Marianne McDonald, Ph.D., with a donation of $3 million to underwrite the design and construction of the building that bears her family’s name. Today, the McDonald Center could very well be a thing of the past unless McDonald’s efforts to resuscitate it are successful. In May she learned the building would be demolished within the next three years to make room for a RediCare facility and medical offices. To date there are no plans to relocate the program. “It’s a pity that this altruistic jewel in the crown of Scripps is the first to go,”
SEEKING SUPPORT Dr. Marianne McDonald with a portrait of her father, Eugene Francis McDonald Jr. who was founder of Zenith Radio, now Zenith Electronics. McDonald donated $3 million in the early 1980s to build the Scripps McDonald Center in honor of her father who was an alcoholic. Today, Dr. McDonald is turning to the community to rally support to save the center, which is scheduled to be demolished within the next three years. Photo by Lillian Cox