Longtime San Diegans likely have heard the name. It graces a historic theater downtown and is in the full title of the iconic Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.

The Spreckels surname has been a part of local lore since the late 1800s. The family once owned all of Coronado, including the Hotel del Coronado, Belmont Park in Mission Beach and every single downtown lot from the ferry landing to Horton Plaza. And the ferry. John D. Spreckels renamed D Street as Broadway and brought the first koalas — on his own steamships — to the then-new San Diego Zoo.

In her new book, “Sugar King of California: The Life of Claus Spreckels,” local author and historian Sandee Bonura explores the life of Spreckels’ father, the man behind the family wealth: patriarch Claus Spreckels. The man immigrated penniless to the U.S. from Germany in the mid-1800s, then made his fortune in the sugar trade in California and Hawaii.

Claus Spreckels at one point was the richest man in California and one of the richest in the country, Bonura said. When he died in 1908, he left a fortune worth more than $850 million in today’s dollars.

Bonura shared highlights of her newest book during a presentation Saturday at the Rancho Bernardo History Museum. The title comes about four years after she penned “Empire Builder: John D. Spreckels and the Making of San Diego.”

The historian said John Spreckels spent much of his life emulating his father. “Most people do not realize this, but a lot of the things his dad did, he did,” Bonura told the crowd.

A few examples: The Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego’s Balboa Park is rather reminiscent of the Music Concourse (also known as the Spreckels Temple of Music) in Golden Gate Park, which Claus Spreckles donated to San Francisco. In 1880, the patriarch bought the newspaper that would become the Honolulu Advertiser. Ten years later, son John bought the San Diego Union, then picked up the Evening Tribune in 1901. (Before the end of the century, they would become The San Diego Union-Tribune.) He also built a railway, as his father had.

“The Sugar King of California” traces the older man’s rise to wealth and the later fracturing of his family. There are several interesting tales along the way, including a lucrative late-night deal with the king of Hawaii, which was still a sovereign nation.

Claus Spreckels grew sugar cane and sugar beets, and his name is legacy throughout California. At one point, the man owned all of Aptos (near Santa Cruz) and created five railroads, including one with denim legend Levi Strauss. He built and named a small town after himself in Hawaii. One in California, too.

At the end of her talk Saturday, Bonura got a bit of a surprise. One of the attendees had stuck around, a smiling North County resident waiting to introduce herself. She said the presentation taught her a thing or two.

Her name? Torry Brey, granddaughter of John D. Spreckels and great-granddaughter of Claus.

Originally Published: August 10, 2024 at 6:06 p.m.

There’s no denying that Jackson Merrill is getting used to the hero role.

He’s far from the only Padre lifting his game during this second-half surge.

The Padres’ .811 OPS since the All-Star break is fourth in baseball heading into Saturday’s 1:10 p.m. start in Miami.

That’s a bump from .729 in the first half, good for 11th in the majors.

Merrill leads the post-All-Star bunch with a 1.111 OPS over 77 plate appearances and Jurickson Profar has continued an MVP-caliber season (at least for this team) with a .970 OPS.

After that dynamic duo, it’s two of the expected team leaders finally rising toward the top as Manny Machado has a .920 OPS and Xander Bogaerts is tied with catcher Kyle Higashioka with a .913 OPS.

Machado has hit five of his 18 home runs over his last 18 games, driving in 15 runs —one fewer than Merrill, who has four homers since the break.

Bogaerts has just one home run in that stretch, but he’s hitting .378 and slugging .500 on the steam of four doubles and a triple.

All of the above are in Saturday’s lineup in their accustomed spots as the Padres look to clinch a seventh straight series.

Otra Noche en Miami pic.twitter.com/GJzds1bBae

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 10, 2024

The Padres (65-52) are a season-high 13 games over .500, just 2½ games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and lead the Diamondbacks by a game as the NL’s top wild-card team.

Here is how Miami (43-74) will line up for Game 2:

Legacy Saturday Lineup

🤝: @PNCBank
📺: @BallySportsFL, @BallyMarlins
👂: @MarlinsRadio, @FoxSports940
⏰: 4:10 PM ET #HomeOfBeisbol  // https://t.co/5rOTQv6054 pic.twitter.com/vMskk2RaMZ

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 10, 2024

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Saturday’s pitching matchup

Padres RHP Matt Waldron (7-9, 3.79 ERA)

He beat the Marlins in late May in San Diego with eight strikeouts over seven shutout innings. Waldron has a 3.11 ERA over 12 road starts this season.

Here is how (what’s left of the Marlins roster) has fared against Waldron:

• INF Jake Burger (2-for-3, K)
• INF Otto Lopez (0-for-3)
• OF Cristian Pache (1-fo-3, 3B, RBI)
• OF Jesus Sanchez (0-for-3, K)
• OF Derek Hill (0-for-2)

Marlins RHP Roddery Muñoz (2-6, 5.68 ERA)

The 24-year-old rookie has walked 35 in 69⅔ innings since making his MLB debut in April. He has allowed 21 homers, six off the MLB-leader (Boston’s Cutter Crawford with 27).

This is his first appearance against the Padres or anyone on their roster.

Originally Published: August 10, 2024 at 10:51 a.m.