Biographical Information

The George E. Eckel / Leonard M. Smith Spec House No. 1, was built in 1958, as a speculation house. 9508 Blair Way was the first of four speculation houses, completed by the duo, from the four lots on Blair Way they purchased.

Maurice and Mary Helen Jackson purchased the 9508 Blair Way from Eckel and Smith, in 1959. Maurice Francis Jackson, Jr. was born, in 1921, to Maurice and Catherine Jackson. He graduated from Grossmont High School, in 1938, and earned a liberal arts degree from San Diego State, in 1943. Maurice served as a Marine officer in World War II and joined the Evans MacCormack & Company (formerly Fewel & Company) investment securities firm after the war. Maurice and Mary Helen Wright were married on November 22, 1945, Thanksgiving Day.

They had four children: Carroll Ann, Mary Kay, James, and Maurice III.Mary was elected secretary-treasurer of the Junior Catholic Women’s Club of St. Martin’s Church, in April 1949. She was also the president of San Diego’s Delphian Chapters. Maurice was elected vice president of Evans MacCormack & Company, in May 1957. He was also a member of the finance committee of the San Diego County Boy Scout Council, was on the finance committee of the Bayside Social Center and was active in the Father Serra Club and Little League. Sadly, Maurice died in a car accident, on July 6, 1962. Mary Helen placed the house on the market, in 1963. She and the Castetter family traded houses that year.

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Robert K. Castetter was born, on August 18, 1919, in Martinsville, Indiana. He grew up in Cincinnati and attended Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. After graduating from college, in 1941, Robert enlisted in the Army and was sent to officer training. He went into business after the war and found himself drawn to the legal and academic world. He received his juris doctor degree from Chase College of Law, in Cincinnati, in 1947. Robert and Marjorie were married, in 1947. They had four children: Bruce, Deborah, Roy Robert, and Victoria. Robert earned a master of law degree from Indiana University, in 1953, and received an honorary doctor of law degree from Washington and Jefferson College, in 1971. Robert was professor and chairman of the finance department at the San Diego State College School of Business for nearly six years before joining California Western.

When Mr. Castetter joined California Western in 1960, the law school was a part of United States International University. It had no real library, a stack of unpaid bills and one faculty member. Within a few years, he built up a library, recruited students and faculty, and earned status as an accredited school of law from the state and the American Bar Association. Mr. Castetter developed traditional law-school programs and initiated a program involving leading scholars, lawyers, businesspeople and elected officials from both sides of the border to discuss cross-border issues. His achievements included gaining membership for California Western in the Association of American Law Schools in 1967 and engineering the law school's separation from USIU in 1975 to become one of the few free-standing law schools in the nation. The separation was spurred in part by financial problems facing USIU. Mr. Castetter was named president of the law school in 1980 and retired in 1985.

Marjorie Bruce Castetter was born on November 17, 1926, in Flint, Michigan, to John Robert Bruce and Pearl Featherston Bruce. She graduated from Walnut Hills High School, in Cincinnati, Ohio, at age sixteen. Right after graduation, in 1943, she entered the University of Cincinnati, where she was one of the first and few women to attend the School of Engineering. It was while attending college and that she met her future husband. Marjorie was working in a local Buick dealership office when Robert K. Castetter came in and bought three new convertibles with cash. Robert had been recently discharged from the Army as a lieutenant after serving in World War II. He had started a very successful Bible publishing business with his father. He decided to buy a new convertible for himself, his father, and his sister (his mother didn't drive). Once Marjorie received the sales paperwork, she decided "she had to take a look at that guy." According to Marjorie and Robert, when they met, it was "love at first sight." They were married a year later, in November of 1947, three days after Marjorie's 21st birthday. The couple remained married for 62 years until Robert's death in 2009. The couple moved to San Diego, where, in 1954, the Business School at San Diego State College recruited Robert to become a professor. Robert became head of the Finance Department and was voted the most popular professor by the students when, in 1959, he was approached to become Dean of the struggling California Western School of Law. He took the reins as Dean in 1960. Little did Marjorie and Robert know they were beginning an adventure that would become a lifetime achievement. Marjorie played a crucial role in the law school's growth as Robert ("Dean") Castetter brought California Western success, gaining full accreditation, bringing high-quality students and faculty to the school, and significantly increasing the school's reputation in the legal community. Marjorie became known as a gracious and successful hostess of fundraisers, networking parties, and events - basically doing the job that a whole development department would now handle. She was also instrumental in helping the Dean create and run the school's Mexican Law Program. Always creative and caring for others, Marjorie also created a spousal support group for law students' significant others. She did all this while successfully running a household, raising four children, and fully participating in their many varied activities. Robert died on August 2, 2009, sixteen days before his 90th birthday. Marjorie continued living in the house until her death, on March 7, 2021, at the age of 92.

Robert K. Castetter and Marjorie B. Castetter were instrumental in the growth of California Western School of Law, while living at the 9508 Blair Way property. Their active involvement in the school ended in 1985, when Robert retired as president of the law school. The Castetters brought California Western School of Law success: gaining full accreditation; bringing high-quality students and faculty to the school; and significantly increasing the school's reputation in the legal community. Robert and Marjorie Castetter made significant contributions to the history of San Diego County; therefore, the 9508 Blair Way property is eligible under County of San Diego Historic Site Eligibility Criterion V.b(2).