Inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight and his own years living in South America, Theodore Gildred Sr. flew in 1931 from San Diego to Quito, Ecuador, on a journey called the “Sprit of Goodwill.” Once there, his Ryan Brougham airplane was acquired by the Ecuadorian government for the country’s first airmail system. Seventy-five years later to the minute, Gildred Sr.’s son, Theodore Gildred, ’59, (center) touched down in Quito with his sons Ted III, ’88, (second from left) and Stephen, ’10, (second from right) and Lindbergh’s grandson, Erik, (right) to commemorate that flight. Gildred, former U.S. ambassador to Argentina, covered 4,200 miles over seven days in a Pilatus PC-12, stopping in seven Latin American countries to meet with local officials and civic leaders. “Our primary purpose was to extend goodwill and friendship to the countries of Latin America on a very personal basis on behalf of the City of San Diego,” he says. Gildred celebrated the 50th anniversary in 1981 with a similar journey, and his sons have promised that they’ll do the same on March 31, 2031, at 10:52 a.m., 100 years after their grandfather.
