Category: Archive

Hear authors of the latest Orange County history books discuss their work, and then have a chance to meet them, buy their books, and have them signed at OCHS’ annual “Authors’ Night” program on Thursday, November 8, 2012, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. This event will also mark the release of Orange Countiana, Vol. 8—this year’s OCHS historical journal. Contributors to the journal will also be on hand to sign copies. (A copy of the journal comes with OCHS membership, but additional copies will be available for purchase.) Between books and journals, this will be a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping—for others or for yourself. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served.

Some of the authors and books you can expect to find at this event:

Jason Schultz – Disneyland Almanac. Schultz, archivist at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum and former Disneyland cast member, will discuss this third book on the unique daily history of Disneyland, co-authored with MiceAge columnist Kevin Yee.

Mike Heywood – Orange County: Twelve Decades of Extraordinary Change. Heywood is a historian for the Huntington Beach Coordinating Council which supports service groups in the community and retired insurance executive. His second book provides his view of O.C. from 1889 to 2010.

Ted Dougherty – Knott’s Halloween Haunt: A Picture History. Dougherty’s book, which arrives in time for Halloween Haunt’s 40th Anniversary, features images and anecdotes about this annual event which has grown into an enormous 5-week juggernaut emulated by other theme parks around the world. The author also operates UltimateHaunt.com online.

Chris Epting – Baseball in Orange County. No stranger to our Authors’ Night events, Epting’s latest book explores America’s favorite pastime as it was played in Orange County. A noted pop-culture historian and a frequent collaborator with Arcadia Publishing, we’re curious to see what he’s written about one of his great passions: baseball.

Frank Ritenour – San Juan Capistrano Treasures. Ritenour and his wife Marlene run Ritenour’s Photography in San Clemente, and are award winning photographers with more than 25 years of professional experience. The author will bring copies of several of his books with photographs documenting past and present views of Dana Point, San Clemente, and San Juan Capistrano.

Phil Brigandi – Orange Countiana Volume VIII. Brigandi, our intrepid editor, will be presenting OCHS’ latest historical journal, along with perhaps two of the contributors to this edition who are both members of the Society:

John M.W. Moorlach, C.P.A., contributed a first-hand account of “The Orange County Bankruptcy” to our journal. Moorlach has served as Supervisor for Orange County’s 2nd District since 2006, and was appointed Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector following the resignation of Robert Citron in the wake of the county bankruptcy. A former member of the Board of Directors of the Costa Mesa Historical Society, he also served as Vice Chairman of the California State Sesquicentennial Foundation.

Froy Tiscareño, author of several books, contributed an article about his memories of colorful Orange County figure and historian William McPherson as well as tales of his Mexican-American family’s life in Orange County during the first half of the 20th Century. Tiscareño, who taught mathematics at Mt. San Antonio College for 27 years and currently teaches at Irvine Valley College, came to O.C. from Mexico in 1949, settling in the little town of McPherson, near El Modena.

Orange County’s role in California Style watercolor painting will be the subject of the Orange County Historical Society’s season kick-off program on Thursday, September 13, 2012, at Sherman Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Highway, in Corona del Mar. If you’d like to participate in the Society’s appetizer and dessert potluck beforehand, arrive at 6:30 p.m. with a plateful of goodies. Otherwise, arrive in time for the 7:30 lecture by author, historian, exhibition curator and art dealer Gordon T. McClelland.

From the 1930s through the 1970s, an innovative approach to watercolor painting called the California Style, flourished in Southern California. Artists like Rex Brandt, Phil Dike, and Emil Kosa, Jr. were considered part of the American Scene or Regionalist movement and often painted scenes of everyday city and suburban life. Their work featured bold design, creative use of the white paper as a “color,” and highlighted the transparency of their unique medium. One of the key schools that taught this approach to creating art was the Brandt-Dike Summer School of Painting in Corona del Mar.

The presentation will feature outstanding examples of California watercolors inspired by scenes in Orange County, with an emphasis on works painted in and around Newport Beach. McClelland will also address the historical and artistic importance of these works both locally and nationally.

Local historian Cynthia Ward will speak on “Historical Preservation: Thinking Outside the Box,” at the OCHS’ next meeting, Thursday, May 10, 2012, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange.

As California’s economy shifts, and local governments lose redevelopment funds, preservationists must find new avenues to maintain and restore our historic legacy. Join us for an open discussion of how communities and non-profit groups may be moving forward in the future. Cynthia will also present examples of how others have used creative thinking to preserve our built environment.

Cynthia Ward is a preservation consultant, and owner of Cynthia Ward Historic Preservation Consulting. She specializes in research and documentation of historic homes for Historic Register applications, and Mills Act tax reduction program filings. She also designs restorations and adaptive reuse for both interior and exterior changes to vintage homes. She and her husband Richard are currently restoring their own second historic home, the 1908 era Owens House, in the Anaheim Colony Historic District.

Hear the authors of the latest Orange County history books discuss their work, and then have a chance to meet them, buy their books and have them signed at our annual “Authors Night” program, Thursday, April 12, 2012, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Here’s a look at some of the authors and books scheduled:

Tustin As It Once Was, by Juanita Louvret

In an era when the heart of Tustin was the intersection of Main and D, folks flocked to town to get supplies and swap stories. Some of these stories featured Tustin notables like C.E. Utt, who tried his hand at every local crop; Sam Tustin, whose Buick touring car became the town fire truck; Big John Stanton, who formed the one-man police department; and Dr. William B. Wall, who found inspiration for his orange crate label in a rooster painting from Grover Cleveland. Drawing from her Tustin News column “Remember When,” third-generation Tustin resident Juanita Lovret recalls Tustin’s small-town ranching roots.

Images of America: Irvine, by Ellen Bell

Ellen Bell and her family have lived in Irvine for more than 20 years. Most of the photographs in this book are from the collection of the Irvine Historical Society. Ellen also writes the local travel blog, SoCal Day Tripper. On the OCRegister.com sports page, she is known as “The Afternoon Angel,” and writes about her passion for Angels baseball. She is a contributing writer for Orange Coast Magazine, OC Family and Orange County Register Travel. In a recent Register interview, she wrote, “History gives us a sense of community. …In a time of constant change, history is not self-sustaining. It takes effort to keep it alive.

A Brief History of Orange, California: The Plaza City, by Phil Brigandi 

Orange started small but grew big on the promise, sweat and toil of agriculture. Born from the breakup of the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, its early days were filled with horse races, gambling and fiestas. Citrus was the backbone of the economy for more than half a century, though postwar development eventually replaced the orange groves. Historian and Orange native Phil Brigandi traces the city’s roots back to its small-town origins: the steam whistle of the Peanut Roaster, the citrus packers tissue-wrapping oranges for transport, Miss Orange leading the May Festival parade, and the students of Orange Union High celebrating Dutch-Irish Days.

The History of Fullerton Union High School 1893-2011, by Diane Oestreich 

The story of one of Southern California’s oldest high schools is captured by Diane Oestreich, who looks at her alma mater (Class of 1964) and former workplace (she was the school’s teacher librarian from 1994 to 2010), from a variety of perspectives. The book examines the early days of Orange County and the growth of the school and community during its 118-year history. Topics include notable faculty and alumni, the Mission Revival campus, clubs and organizations, student activities, and an overview of curriculum. A chapter on athletics looks at various sports, facilities, and leagues over the years.

Wild and Beautiful: A Natural History of Open Spaces in Orange County, by Allan A. Schoenherr 

Dr. Schoenherr’s new book explores the natural history of the creatures, plants, habitats, and landscapes that constitute the open spaces in Orange County. The Register described his book as, “packed with facts and stunning photos of wild land, habitat and species, as well as full-color maps. There are sections on climate, weather, seasons, wildfire, geology, earthquakes and the subtle intricacies of the tidal zones. And Schoenherr carefully untangles the web of federal, state, local and private wild land to make sense of the many overlapping jurisdictions.” Schoenherr is a retired Professor of Ecology from Fullerton College, and has written extensively about California’s natural history.

Orange County’s favorite historian, Jim Sleeper has also been invited to attend. Whether or not he can be there, his books will be available for sale. Jim has been exploring the back country and writing and since he was fourteen years old. He also spent two years in the Army Air Force, eight in college, six as a reporter and script writer, ten with the Forest Service, and four as staff historian for the Irvine Co. He also served as historian for the Rancho Mission Viejo Co. and a consultant to both the Register and the Los Angeles Times. Since he began freelancing in 1969, he has written eight books and more than 500 articles. Jim will sell and sign copies of his Third Orange County Almanac of Historical Oddities, the first volume of Great Movies Shot In Orange County, and whatever earlier titles he may have stored away.