These historical roots go deep

Local historian Hank Panian is a man with interesting roots.

People who have heard the retired Orange Coast College history professor speak at Costa Mesa Historical Society events have heard him talk about Costa Mesa and Newport.

And many of his former students have heard him speak of ancestors from his mother’s side who fought on both sides of the Civil War. On his father’s side, Panian believes his family was Armenian and fled the Ottoman Empire.

“As you can see, history has been part of our life,” said Panian, 77, who will be speaking at 11:30 a.m. today at the Costa Mesa Historical Society’s 40th anniversary at Estancia Park.

His talk will be about the group’s work since it was founded in 1966.

Panian, who retired from OCC in 1990 after teaching for 34 years, and his wife, Barbara, moved to Costa Mesa in 1956. They have lived in the same house in the College Park neighborhood since then.

Panian has a long history with the historical society. He served as president of the group in 1970, and served on its board from 1978 to 1996. He was also editor of the society’s quarterly from 1975 to 1985. His involvement with the group now involves speaking at events, such as the one today.

A history professor at the University of Oregon — where Panian earned his first degree in history — sparked Panian’s interest in history.

“He was a wonderful professor who made history come alive for me. His name was Paul Dull, and he was anything but dull,” said Panian, who holds a master’s degree in Latin American history from UC Berkeley.

Panian was born in West Virginia but was raised in Pennsylvania. During World War II, his family moved to Oregon. From Oregon, he moved to Hawaii, where he met and married his wife.

Like many historians, Panian has traced his family’s roots.

His father was from Slovenia, which is in south-central Europe.

“The origin of the name, Panian, is not pinned down, but based upon the research we have done, we believe we were Armenians that fled the Turkish empire,” he said.

“We feel that they fled the Turks and settled in a small village in Slovenia, named after our family.”

As for his mother’s roots, they go back to the late 1770s in Pennsylvania.

His interest in history also came from living near Gettysburg, Pa.

“We lived very close to that area,” he said. “I was raised in a historical setting.”

Since Panian retired, he has traveled around the world with his wife.

Mongolia and Siberia are two spots on the globe they have visited.

He said one of the reasons they visited those areas is because they both wanted to ride the Trans-Siberian Railway, which travels throughout Russia.

Although he is fascinated by all world history, he is specifically interested in the history of Spain, the only European country to be invaded by Muslims, who ruled it for 700 years.

As for how history is taught in American schools, Panian said: “One of things that bothers me is that we tend to emphasize history east of the Mississippi River. We don’t pay as much attention as we should to the history of, for example, California.”

As for sparking an interest in youth in local history, Panian said it is a challenge.

“You have to remember that so many people in California come from out of state. They don’t necessarily focus on the roots of California, and that’s a constant challenge,” he said. “And that’s why the Costa Mesa Historical Society is so important. It’s a repository of the city of Costa Mesa.”