Moulton Family Foundation president Jared Mathis and Moulton Museum Executive Director Dr. Elisabeth Lange will discuss the history of the historic Moulton Ranch at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!
Lewis Moulton and his horse, Lady. photo courtesy of Moulton Family Foundation
In this illustrated lecture, the origins, growth, and eventual breakup of the Moulton Ranch operations will be brought to life, from the sheep herding beginnings to the cattle-raising end. Along the way, you’ll gain insights into the personality and character of Lewis Moulton and Nellie Gail Moulton, two pioneers of Orange County history, and their interactions with historical figures like James Irvine, Judge Richard Egan, and artist Edgar Payne. Come hear how the story of the Moulton Ranch influenced the development of Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and Mission Viejo.
Branding cattle on the Moulton Ranch photo courtesy of Moulton Family Foundation
Jared Mathis is the President of the Moulton Family Foundation, and a leader in the cultural and education ecosystem of South Orange County. He was recently awarded the Madame Modjeska Visionary Leadership award from ArtsOC for his many philanthropic endeavors. His efforts uphold the family legacy of Lewis and Nellie Gail Moulton; he is one of their great-grandchildren and along with the rest of his family, actively supports the preservation of history and art in South Orange County, including the ranching heritage. He grew up on a ranch outside of Sacramento and has been in the commercial real estate field for most of his professional life.
A graduate of Mission Viejo High School, Dr. Elisabeth Lange went on to earn a PhD in Scandinavian Languages and Literature from U.C. Berkeley. She has been working in the museum field for over 30 years, first as a curator of an exhibition about the Vikings, then at a Scandinavian heritage museum in the Pacific Northwest, before focusing on local history museums. She became the Executive Director of the Moulton Museum in May of 2024, and is excited to be contributing to her hometown area historical awareness and preservation efforts.
Please join the Society and welcome Moulton Family Foundation president Jared Mathis and Moulton Museum Executive Director Dr. Elisabeth Lange as they bring the rich story of the historic Moulton Ranch to life at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!
Dr. Art Hansen, 2015 photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
A great historian, a gifted teacher, a true friend to OCHS, a powerful voice for civil rights, and a man with a tremendous heart, Dr. Arthur August “Art” Hansen died on Oct. 29, 2025 after a long illness.
Art taught and guided students for 43 years as a professor of History and Asian-American Studies at CSU Fullerton. He was a trail blazer in gathering, studying, and writing about Japanese-American history for almost 60 years. His research specialization was resistance activity within the World War II Japanese American exclusion and detention experience. Art was also a leading light in the field of oral history; served on the boards of countless historical organizations, and provided a rare welcoming home for Orange County history in academia. In the process, he made the world a better place than he found it.
Art Hansen at OCHS Meeting 2011 with Phil Brigandi (standing) photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Art never hid his feelings. From furious indignation in the face of injustice; to high enthusiasm for his work and his favorite sports; to deep sadness at the loss of a friend; to effusive kindness, to love and empathy for all in his life, no one ever wondered where he stood.
His students found his vast knowledge, mentorship, and often lifelong friendship invaluable and inspiring.
“His care and concern was uplifting, joyous, and affirming,” said Tracy Smith Falk, who, like fellow OCHS board member Stephanie George, was lucky enough to have Hansen as both a professor and her boss.
Art Hansen with Chris Jepsen and Stephanie George at JANM Nov 2023 photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
“Art supported and participated in elevating and celebrating local history and local historians,” said Falk. “He mentored his students to be the best writers, researchers, oral historians, and people they could be. He taught them to seek out the full story and uncover all the experiences that made Orange County so diverse, interesting and unique. He led several conferences celebrating Orange County history and brought together wide groups of people who then discovered common interests.”
Debbie & Art Hansen with Tracy Falk, June 18, 2019 outside of Rutaborgz’s in Fullerton, CA. photo courtesy of Tracy Falk
Born October 10, 1938, in Hoboken, New Jersey, Arthur Hansen was born to Haakon A. & Anna Stover Hansen. (Art was always proud of his Norwegian heritage.) His older brother, Roy, also became a university professor.
Art’s love of baseball began early, and he always kept his grades up, so he could play. (He would later become a big fan of Cal State Fullerton baseball and always had season tickets.) Tracy Falk and Art could talk about Titan baseball and players for hours! Truth!
The Hansens valued education so much that Art’s father decided to move the family to California, so his boys could attend Cal Tech. Misunderstanding where Cal Tech was located, and confusing it with Cal Poly, they ended up near Santa Barbara, settling in Goleta after learning that the new UC Santa Barbara would soon be built there. Ironically, Art briefly attended Cal Berkeley before deciding to enroll in UCSB after all. There, he earned his BA, MA, and PhD in history.
While working on his PhD, he lived in Laguna Beach and taught at Tustin High School before accepting a position at California State University Fullerton in 1965.
Art met Debra L. “Debbie” Gold at CSUF and they were married in Maine in June 1977. Debbie also has a PhD in History and later taught library science classes at San Jose State University School of Information. The two were an impressive team and they split their time between their two homes in Yorba Linda and Los Osos.
Art taught at CSUF from 1966 until 2008, making a national name for himself as a professor of History and Asian American Studies and a central figure in the university’s Oral History Program (later called the Center for Oral & Public History or COPH and now The Lawrence de Graaf Center for Oral and Public History). He taught classes in local history, community history, and oral history methodology, as they related to Orange County and the world at large.
There aren’t enough terabytes on the Internet to list all his accomplishments and all the hats he wore during those years, but here are a few of them:
· Founding director of the Japanese American Project of the CSUF Oral History Program (1972)
· Founding faculty member of the Asian American Studies Program at CSUF
· Director of the Center for Oral and Public History, CSUF
· Visiting Professor, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (1979-1980)
· Editor, Oral History Review (1980-1987)
· President, Southwest Oral History Association (1991-1992)
· President, Oral History Association (2002-2003)
· Senior Historian, Japanese American National Museum (2001-2005)
· James V. Mink Oral History Award-winner, Southwest Oral History Assoc. (1988)
· Named Outstanding Teacher, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, CSUF (1996-1997)
· Named Outstanding Faculty Member, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, CSUF
· Distinguished Faculty Member, College of Humanities & Social Studies, CSUF (2001-2002)
· Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Asian American Studies (2007)
He was also a prolific writer and editor. Just a few of his many, many publications included,
· Reflections on Shattered Windows: Promises and Prospects for Asian American Studies (1987, co-editor)
· Japanese American Evacuation World War II Oral History Project [5 volumes] (1992-2005, editor/author)
· Barbed Voices: Oral History, Resistance, and the World War II Japanese American Social Disaster (2018, author)
· Manzanar Mosaic: Essays and Oral Histories on America’s First World War II Japanese American Concentration Camp (2023)
· Nisei Naysayer: The Memoir of Militant Japanese American Journalist Jimmie Omura (2018, editor & introduction)
· Beyond the Betrayal: The Memoir of a World War II Japanese American Draft Resister of Conscience (2022, editor)
· A Nikkei Harvest: Reviewing the Japanese American Historical Experience and Its Legacy (2024, author)
Many also remember Art raising money from the Japanese American community for the building of the 8,500-square-foot Orange County Agriculture and Nikkei Heritage Museum at the Fullerton Arboretum (at CSUF), which opened with an excellent exhibit in 2007. But despite promises made, the University scuttled the museum as soon as Art retired and they had the donations in hand. This infuriated and saddened Art.
In retirement, Art served as Emeritus Professor of History and Asian American Studies at CSUF; wrote, edited and lectured extensively; continued to serve as historian for the Japanese American National Museum; and won the Manzanar Committee’s 2014 Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award.
At one point in his later years, he suffered a heart attack while delivering a presentation at CSUF. True to form, he insisted on finishing his program before being taken to the hospital. He recovered from the heart attack, but there would be other health challenges ahead. Through it all, he continued to research, write, and edit – even in the last week of his life.
Dr. Art Hansen will be truly missed by all who knew him, including the Orange County historical community. His good work, however, will continue, through the oral history programs he started, through the interviews he conducted, through a library’s-worth of articles and books he wrote, and through the organizations he helped create and build. He will also live on through his students and their work, and through those who in turn, learned from his students. Art will always be with us.
Thanks to Chris Jepsen, Tracy Smith Falk, Stephanie George and Dr. Debra Gold Hansen for their help with this article.
SUGGESTED VIEWING:
Nisei Naysayer Discussion at JANM with Art Hansen (2018)
Art discusses journalist James Omura, JACL leader Mike Masaoka, and war hero Ben Kuroki in the film “Conscience and the Constitution”
Art and Lawson Fusao Inada talk with the family of WWII Japanese American Draft Resister Yoshito Kuromiya
Art’s comments at the 2023 Manzanar Pilgrimage
“Voices of Resistance” presentation to the Nichi Bei Foundation (2019)
Keynote address, 39th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage (2008) – Part 1
Keynote address, 39th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage (2008) – Part 2
A Preview of Art Hansen’s Book “A Nikkei Harvest”
Part of OCHS’ Tribute to Phil Brigandi, including Art Hansen
Sample a few of the oral history interviews Art conducted for DiscoverNikkei in the early-to-mid 2000s
Found treasures of the past photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Come to “Show & Tell Night” at the Orange County Historical Society, Thursday, December 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. The public is welcome!!!
Bring a choice artifact or bit of memorabilia that connects to an interesting story about Orange County’s past. Rummage around your house or garage for an interesting artifact or bit of ephemera that tells us something about local history. Maybe you have a handbrake from a Pacific Electric car, or maybe great-grandpa’s branding iron is stored in your attic. Or maybe you have an outstanding photo of early Orange County that hasn’t seen the light of day in many years.
Now’s your chance to trot out those curiosities you’ve had stashed away. The public is welcome. This time, YOU are our program for the month, and everyone’s looking forward to seeing and hearing about the item you bring. We’ll have a sign-up sheet at the entrance and participants will be called up one at a time. Anyone bringing more than one item, may be asked to wait to share their second item until everyone else has had a chance to present.
See you at the “Show & Tell Night” at the general meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, Thursday, December 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. We are looking forward to seeing and learning about your Orange County historical treasures!
Vietnamese Heritage Museum Founder and President, Chau Thuy will discuss “The Vietnamese Diaspora and Little Saigon”, at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcomed.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and of the beginnings of the Vietnamese American community in the part of Orange County we now know as Little Saigon.
Refugees on U S aircraft carrier, during Operation Frequent Wind, 1975
photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps in Japan
After the fall of Saigon, USMC Camp Pendleton served as America’s first Vietnamese refugee camp. Soon, church groups in the heart of nearby Orange County began sponsoring many of those refugees. Many families settled permanently in Westminster, Garden Grove and surrounding cities, building a new community which attracted still more displaced people. Today, Orange County’s Little Saigon is a thriving commercial and cultural center and home to the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam.
Little Saigon, Westminster, CALittle Saigon, Westminster, CA. photos courtesy of Chris Jepsen
A survivor of a harrowing boat escape from Vietnam to Thailand, Chau Thuy’s personal journey fuels his deep passion for cultural preservation and education. He is an artist, author, and engineer dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the Vietnamese diaspora. He’s committed himself to safeguarding and sharing the stories of resilience, sacrifice, and survival that define the Vietnamese refugee experience. His books about the Vietnamese “boat people” include Vực Xoáy and Bloodstained Sea. He is also an expert in Vietnamese calligraphy and his artwork has been exhibited at numerous universities and museums and at the State Capitol in Sacramento.
His vision is to establish a permanent institution that preserves and amplifies the history of Vietnamese refugees worldwide, ensuring their struggles and triumphs remain a vital part of the global narrative. To learn more about the Vietnamese Heritage Museum, please visit their website at: https://vietnamesemuseum.org.
Little Saigon today, Westminster, CA, photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Please join the Orange County Historical Society in welcoming Vietnamese Heritage Museum Founder and President, Chau Thuy as he helps us all learn and understand more about “The Vietnamese Diaspora and Little Saigon”, at the next Society meeting, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. We look forward to seeing you!
Rudy Boysen in Anaheim, 1948 photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Local historian Chris Jepsen will discuss “Rudy Boysen and the Boysenberry” at the October 9, 2025 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, held 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The event is open to the public.
The Boysenberry’s story is so improbable, it’s surprising it survived to go into commercial production. The tale winds across California like a vine – from Merced County, to Napa, to Fullerton, to Buena Park, to Tustin, and to Anaheim where Rudy Boysen (1895-1950) became the city’s beloved Parks Director. Come learn about the Boysenberry, the creative and hardworking Mr. Boysen, the critical contributions of Walter Knott, and how the berry – after nearly disappearing from the world at least twice – is making another comeback.
Chris Jepsen is the longtime president of the Orange County Historical Society and an independent historian. He’s a frequent lecturer; has created museum exhibits and historical tours; and has written for historical journals, magazines, and his own blog: The O.C. History Roundup. He wrote the first significant article about Rudy Boysen and the Boysenberry for OCHS’ journal, Orange Countiana, (Vol. XII, 2016,) and continues to research the subject today.
Boysenberry art – CDR menu, ca 1951 photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Author and journalist Nate Jackson will discuss the era of Orange County’s punk and third-wave ska scene (1978-2000) at the September 11, 2025 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Jackson will focus on the historical and musical roots that led to this creative explosion of rock-and-roll amid the relative calm of surburbia. This event is open to the public.
The Orange County punk scene stands out as an undeniable trendsetter that helped define the sound and style of the rapidly evolving genre. From hard luck storytellers Social Distortion and multi-platinum sellers like The Offspring to cult heroes like The Adolescents and T.S.O.L., there’s much insight to gain from the story of this popular though often misunderstood music scene.
Nate Jackson is co-author of Tearing Down the Orange Curtain: How Punk Rock Brought Orange County to the World, with fellow journalist Daniel Kohn. The book explores the trajectory of punk and ska from their humble beginnings to their peak popularity years when their cultural impact was felt around the world. Delving deep into the personal and professional lives of local bands like Social Distortion, The Adolescents, The Offspring, and their ska counterparts No Doubt, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, Save Ferris, and more, this book gives readers a deeper look into the very human stories of these musicians, many of whom struggled with acceptance, addiction, and sometimes brutal teenage years.
Jackson was born in Orange County and came up in the local punk scene, playing in bands and rumbling through the mosh pit in warehouses, DIY venues, and clubs across SoCal. He is currently the Deputy Editor of entertainment at the L.A. Times. He was previously the Music Editor for OC Weekly and staff writer for the Times.
Please join us on September 11, 2025 at the meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, 7:30p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange.
Join the Orange County Historical Society for a special guided bus/walking tour of Orange County’s Little Saigon, the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam. Discover the stories of resilience, culture, and entrepreneurship that shaped this vibrant neighborhood beginning in the 1970s. The tour will highlight historic landmarks, local businesses, and community spaces that have become central to the Vietnamese American experience, including, but not limited to, Bao Quang Temple, Asian Garden Mall, and Moran Street, site of several Vietnamese newspapers. A special Vietnamese lunch will be served.
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025 8:45 a.m. – 3 p.m. This tour has been canceled.
Meeting location: Garden Grove (Specific location to be included in confirmation information.)
The Wild West at the Beach with Orange County historian Chris Jepsen. photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
Historian Chris Jepsen will present “The Killing of Frank Wilson by Alfred Wolff at San Juan-by-the-Sea” at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, May 8, 2025, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!
An 1888 dream of what San Juan-by-the-Sea would become. photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen
This is a colorful 1880s Wild West story that took place in what’s now Dana Point. This tale of ornery varmints and frontier justice includes a look at the Railroad Boom and one of the “lost” towns it briefly spawned.
Santa Fe engine near San Juan, 1890s. Courtesy First American Corp
On May 23, 1888, a strange “family” drove a wagon into the Santa Fe Railroad’s tiny beach resort town of San Juan-by-the-Sea, armed and looking to settle “unfinished business” with local fisherman and boozehound Frank Wilson. Leading the group was hot-tempered former graverobber Alfred R. H. Wolff. With Wolff was his wife, his wife’s lover (a wild-looking Swede), and a baby. After searching the saloons, they found Wilson in front of the Pioneer Hotel, where Wolff gunned him down in cold blood.
Pioneer Hotel after it was moved to Newport Beach. Photo Courtesy of Santa Ana Public Library
Jepsen will discuss not only the details of the crime, but also what led up to event (including earlier crimes), the unusual characters on both sides of the law, the now-forgotten “ghost town” in which it all occurred, the context of the fading “Wild West,” and the fates of the involved parties afterward.
Orange County historian Chris Jepsen is the longtime president of the O.C. Historical Society and has been involved in local history work for about 35 years. He’s a frequent lecturer; has created museum exhibits and historical tours; and writes for historical journals, magazines, and his own blog: The O.C. History Roundup.
Join us on May 8th, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St.
Huntington Beach Armistice Day Parade, 1923 – Courtesy Kathie Schey
Historian and Huntington Beach City Archivist Kathie Schey will tell stories of the many Huntington Beach residents of who served in World War I at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, Thursday, April 10, 2025, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!
American Legion Post 133 in Huntington Beach is among the oldest continually active posts in the nation and is only a few months younger than the Legion itself. It was built on a remarkable legacy of service: Those who left a sleepy coastal farm town to fight an international war they could never have imagined amidst the threat of an international pandemic.
Santa Ana Register, Feb 28, 1918 Courtesy OC Archives
The small group of veterans who founded Post 133 represented a cross-section of the community. One was an attorney, another a land developer and most of the rest had small businesses or farms. Some had seen the horrors of battle, while others hadn’t even made it off their troop transports. Each of their stories shine a light on the lived experience of that time.
More than one hundred local men joined the Service after the U.S. entered WWI in April 1917 – a staggering number for a tiny city less than a decade old. They served on land, on sea (and under it), and in the air. Most went to France while others were sent to China or were members of the occupying force in Germany.
U.S. Cavalry Courtesy OC Archives
Scouring newspapers, letters, diaries and more, their stories have unfolded. Among them, heroism in the sky, mastering new technologies, lying “doggo” in a muddy trench while artillery roared overhead, witnessing the burial at sea of a Spanish Influenza victim. Introductions to just a few examples follow:
Three boyhood friends met serendipitously in a French battlefield, then separated, their fates unknown to each other and to their frantic families at home.
Another soldier wrote to his father to watch for him in a newsreel.
One infantryman disembarked at the very port his father immigrated from decades earlier.
The first African American graduate of Huntington Beach High School was proudly assigned to one of only two Black units allowed to bear arms.
Some returned home to jubilant welcomes. Others returned in coffins. All their stories are worth knowing and sharing.
Kathie Schey is currently the Archivist of the City of Huntington Beach. She holds a master’s degree in history, receiving the Nicholas Perkins Hardeman Prize for her work. Subsequent awards include two nationally competed Visiting Research Fellowships. Kathie has served on numerous history-related boards – including OCHS – and holds certification in archives, historic preservation and urban planning.
Please join us to hear this important presentation on service given by Huntington Beach residents during the turbulent years of Word War I on Thursday,April 10, 2025, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. The public is welcome!
