by Mike McCarthy / Times of San Diego / Sept. 17, 2025
Point Loma High celebrated its centennial with a gala on Sept. 13, marking a major milestone for the school’s long and decorated history. More than a thousand alumni and guests gathered at the Port Pavilion on the Broadway Pier for the festive event.
Several older alumni were given special recognition, including Eileen Finley McCarthy, who was presented as the school’s oldest living alumna. She will turn 104 on Oct. 25.
McCarthy was born in 1921 and raised in Point Loma. Her parents and older brother immigrated from Canada and settled in Ocean Beach in 1918. McCarthy’s early life was dedicated to dance and the performing arts. Attending public school was usually not an option at that time. The opportunity to be at Point Loma High “for two wonderful years (1935-37), was one of the best times of my life,” she said.
As a young girl and then a teenager, McCarthy was well-known in San Diego as an actress on the radio. During the Depression, this type of work was well-received and well-paid. The money was used to pay for her expenses as a ballerina, her first and real love. McCarthy was also the principal dancer for the San Diego Starlight Ballet.
In the late 1920s and early ’30s, McCarthy worked with KGB Radio, which had a popular show titled “The Children’s Hour.” Television shows were yet to come. After dinner, most families would sit around the radio for entertainment. McCarthy acted and sang on the radio with many who would later go on into the world of television.
One of these standouts was the late, legendary Art Linkletter. Linkletter had just completed his teaching credential at San Diego State. Working with McCarthy at KGB, he discovered his love and talent for radio. It also paid better than teaching.
While she was a sophomore at Point Loma in 1937, a well-known Russian choreographer, Theodore Kosloff, discovered McCarthy’s dancing talent. Kosloff was impressed by her ability to perform difficult ballet moves like steps and jumps on-toe. McCarthy joined Kosloff in Hollywood, where she was introduced to Cecil B. DeMille, the father of Hollywood cinema. DeMille was also amazed at her talent and beauty. McCarthy would soon join the movie world of dance.
But this new life would be short-lived. McCarthy met and fell in love with Jim McCarthy back in San Diego. Her dance career would be put on hold for a long time.
After raising six children with her husband, he died just before his 48th birthday. Eileen McCarthy was devastated, but found a way to keep on going. She married her late husband’s brother, John McCarthy, who had lost his wife in Iowa. They moved to Welks Village near Escondido and enjoyed many years of golf and tennis.
Her life of dance was renewed once again by becoming Lawrence Welk’s dance partner at The Village. She also became a model for Welk’s fashion shows.
Eventually, Eileen McCarthy’s second husband and all of her close friends died. But with the love and support of her children, she found a way to keep going.
She became a physical fitness instructor with 24 Hour Fitness. McCarthy worked with seniors in several assisted living facilities. She used line dancing as an incentive to motivate her classes.
McCarthy, at almost 104, still keeps on dancing.
She frequently can be heard yelling out her favorite Point Loma High cheer: “One-two-three-four, who are we all rooting for, Point Loma, Point Loma!”
The show keeps on going. Love you, Mom.
The writer, Mike McCarthy, is Eileen McCarthy’s son, who lives in Point Loma.
Wow, cool woman and cool stories.