A Tribute to Ernie Bonn: 1930-2026
Tireless Work, Indelible Impact, and a Lasting Legacy for UH, Marc Johnson, UHCA President
At the hour our last issue went on press, we received the sad news that Ernie Bonn passed away on February 18 just shy of her 96th birthday. While we were able to edit the front page on the edition posted to our website, we couldn’t get the news into the printed edition. We also knew a small news update was far from what was required to properly honor the life and contributions of someone who has literally helped shape the community we all love today and has been a cornerstone of this neighborhood for over three decades.
Originally from New York, Ernie came to University Heights over thirty years ago and made a deep and lasting impact on our community - from organizations (UH Community Development Corporation, UHCA, UH Historical Society, Friends of the UH Library, North Park Planning Committee, Uptown Planners, UH Park & Rec Council) to the the iconic things we all treasure that help define UH: the Trolley Sign, Old Trolley Barn Park, The Summer Concerts, and so much more.
On a personal note, I first met Ernie when Jeffrey and I moved to UH in 2012. Over the years as I started lobbying (and failing!) to gain support for a dog park from three successive City councilmembers, I learned about Ernie’s connections and how her support might be what was needed to make it happen. As I spent time with her and got to know her more, we bonded over politics, her wicked sense of humor, and I benefitted from her textbook knowledge of the history of everything UH. We became friends and she took me under her wing and helped educate me more about the who’s-who and history of how our local politics, committees, and how our planning groups and City function (or more accurately at times, don’t function).
In recent years as her health declined, I was amazed at how even at 95 she willed the Summer Concerts into being - albeit with some more help than she thought she needed from friends. She was smart, stubborn, strong-willed, funny, and guided by a strong sense of what was right for UH. During one of our last visits when she was at the Balboa Nursing and Rehab Center, I promised her that UH was in good hands thanks to the foundation she laid and the many people she had tutored.
Ernie will be missed by the entire UH Community which includes her many friends and her fellow board members on the UHCDC. May her memory be a blessing as we continue her work making UH a better place for all of us.
Ernestine Bonn, Quintessential University Heights Advocate, Chris Milnes, UHCDC Executive Director
Ernestine “Ernie” Bonn was the quintessential community advocate and was an active presence in University Heights for over 30 years. The range of her involvement takes your breath away.
Often known as “Scoop” Bonn because of her uncanny ability to ferret out information, Ernie was an early member of the University Heights Community Association. For many years she attended almost all of the meetings, worked recycling for the benefit of the Association, and took on the task of organizing the newspaper distribution.
Ernie served on numerous community committees including North Park Planning Committee and Uptown Planners, where she impacted many land use decisions affecting University Heights. She was a member of the University Heights Friends of the Library for 15 years helping to protect our little library.
Recognizing that our current library was too small, Ernie was an organizing member of the University Heights Library Task Force which worked for many years to secure the historically-designated Teacher’s Training Annex on Normal Street for our new library.
Ernie was an organizing member of the University Heights Park and Recreation Council. Ernie also helped revitalize the nearly dormant University Heights Community Development Corporation and served as its Treasurer until her passing. She helped to organize several UHCDC activities including the popular Summer in the Park concert series and the Taste of University Heights.
For Ernie’s outstanding leadership and dedication to University Heights, she was recognized in 1989 by California State Assemblywoman Lucy Killea as Woman of the Year. In 1999, she was recognized by Save Our Heritage Organisation as Preservationist of the Year.
Ernie did all of these things and more with a sense of humor. She helped coordinate the installation of a mural with historic images at the University Heights Library. The artist, recognizing Ernie’s sense of humor, depicted her in the mural riding an ostrich, reminiscent of the Bentley Ostrich Farm established in University Heights in 1904.
Remembering Ernie Bonn, Dedicated Advocate of UH History, Kristin Harms, UH Historical Society President
In addition to her many other community accomplishments, Ernestine “Ernie” Bonn was instrumental in preserving and commemorating much the of the early history of University Heights. Founded in 1888, University Heights is one of San Diego’s oldest neighborhoods and home to the former Mission Cliff Gardens, Bentley’s Ostrich Farm, Hilton’s Silk Mill, Adams Avenue Trolley Carbarn, and the San Diego Normal School, forerunner to San Diego State University.
In 1997, Ernie established the University Heights Historical Society and, with the assistance of historian Alex Bevil, historically designated many of these University Heights landmarks. These include the San Diego Normal School Teachers Training Annex 1 on Normal Street; the site of the Adams Avenue Trolley Carbarn (now Trolley Barn Park); the former entrances to Mission Cliff Gardens and to the Bentley Ostrich Farm on Adams Avenue; the former Mission Cliff Gardens cobblestone wall along Adams Avenue; the former lily pond on Mission Cliff Drive, and the old trolley stop drinking fountain on Adams Avenue at Park Blvd.
Ernie also led the design and installation of signage throughout University Heights to commemorate our early history including the iconic University Heights sign on Park at Madison; the three gateway monument signs with ostrich motifs on Adams, Madison, and Washington, the trolley gate at the entrance to Birney Joint Use Field on Park at Meade, the banners along Park Blvd., and the monument sign and utility box art on Adams at North commemorating Mission Cliff Gardens superintendent John Davidson. The vintage acorn street lights along Park Boulevard were also the result of Ernie’s efforts.
For her outstanding leadership and dedication to historic preservation in University Heights, Ernie was awarded a People in Preservation award by Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) three times including SOHO’s highest recognition, Preservationist of the Year.
Ernie had a great sense of humor, was an avid reader, and was respected by many throughout San Diego for her dedication, persistence, and love of University Heights. Our community is very fortunate to have had such a tireless advocate who has left a legacy of protected landmarks for future generations.
Ernie Bonn’s spirit will always be part of University Heights, City of San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn
The University Heights community recently lost one of its most devoted champions, and I join many of you in mourning the passing of Ernestine “Ernie” Bonn.
Ernie was a remarkable person and a dear friend to so many in our neighborhood.
Her love for University Heights was evident in everything she did. She believed deeply in the power of community and spent countless hours working to make our neighborhood stronger, more vibrant, and more connected.
One of Ernie’s most lasting contributions was her role in helping create Old Trolley Barn Park. Today, that park is the heart of University Heights, a place where families gather, children play, neighbors meet, and our community comes together.
But her impact didn’t stop there. Ernie was also a driving force behind beloved neighborhood traditions like the Summer Concerts in the Park and Taste of University Heights. These events bring joy to thousands of residents and visitors each year, and they reflect Ernie’s belief that strong communities are built by bringing people together.
What made Ernie truly special was the gift she had for welcoming others, encouraging volunteers, and inspiring people to get involved in their neighborhood. She understood that a thriving community depends on neighbors who care for one another.
University Heights is stronger, more beautiful, and more connected because of her.
My heart goes out to Ernie’s family and to the many friends and neighbors whose lives she touched.
While we will miss her deeply, her legacy lives on all around us, in the park she helped create, the traditions she helped build, and the community she helped shape.