Today is Shirley Temple’s birthday. As the story goes, Shirley Temple was first a local star of Balboa, being named the first “Miss Newport Beach” at the age of 13.
The house she used to live in on Balboa Peninsula was in Peninsula Point near M Street, just past the Bartholomew house, at the closest point to the Coast Guard Beach (right where the peninsula “bends”). It was torn down and the plot now houses a beautiful home made of stone, glass, and wood.
Shirley was born April 23, 1928, rose to stardom in the 30s and passed just last year on February 10, 2014. Many outside politics do not know this, but Shirley Temple became extremely active in the Republican Party, even serving as ambassador to several foreign countries.
Here are some photos of Shirley from in some local settings!
From Dan Miller: “From our family scrapbook, photo evidence that Shirley Temple lived on Balboa Island. Shirley was six years younger than my mom (NHHS class of ’39). Mom lived on Marine Ave., while Shirley lived on Coral for a while (to the best of my mom’s recollection).”