Encinitas: Our History and People

G
Despina Aslanidis fought in the Greek
resistance in World War II and was
recognized by the United Kingdom for
providing aid to Allied servicemen
(below). She and her husband,
Stellanos, emigrated to the United
States in 1955.
Vegas Motel. It’s now called the Leucadia Beach
Inn. It was here where Charlie started fixing cars
as a teenager in the alleyway.
“My grandmother owned a lot of property in
town and helped get my dad get started,” said Niko,
a proud member of the Encinitas Rotary Club.
Sadly, Despina died in September 1981, just
six months after Niko was born. To many, she
was a Greek hero. She fought as an anti-
Communist in the war. She was revered for
courageously aiding her country and Allied
servicemen during World War II as a resistance
fighter. The family still talks about how she
patiently hid in a tree for several days armed
with a machine gun. When the moment arrived
to engage the enemy, she bravely did her duty.
Maria knew firsthand the importance of
lending a helping hand to get someone’s career
off the ground. She, herself borrowed money
from an Indian family who was kind enough to
loan her funds for her real estate investments. A
colorful and entertaining personality, Maria died
at the age of 89 in December 2015.
Meanwhile, the maternal side of the family
(Niko’s mother is Shelly Jenkins) had its share of
talented and noteworthy characters. Niko’s
grandfather, Jon Jenkins, was a gifted inventor. His
notable invention was the volumetric infusion
pump. Jon was associated with the formation of
IVAC Corporation and later a co-founder of IMED
Corporation. These were start-up companies
founded in the late 1960s and 1970s in Sorrento
Valley. Their goal was to provide tools for nurses.
Niko’s grandmother, Fran Jenkins, was a
registered nurse who would often discuss the
need for better intravenous delivery for patients.
In that era, fluid delivery was still administered
by gravity feed with the nurse having to count
the drops and compute how many cc’s per hour
were being administered. With Jon’s inventive
mind, the volumetric IV controller was born.
Jon was also responsible for inventing the first
electronic oral thermometer.
From Greece to Encinitas, the Sougias family has
established deep roots in San Diego. And now with
son Niko and his wife, Christine, who purchased
the business in January 2016, and daughter Julia,
who is working on the property management side,
it is truly a family affair at Charlie’s Foreign Car
Service, one of downtown Encinitas’ most
successful and enduring local businesses.
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