ON THE TOWN:Orange County’s Guggenheims

Orange County began on July 17, 1955, with the opening of Disneyland. Prior to that, we were a collection of families living on or near farms.

One of those families was the Segerstroms who, 10 years later, would open what would become one of the nation’s premier shopping malls.

If Disneyland put Orange County on the map, the Segerstroms added the little arrow that reads, “You are here.” “Here” is an area that has become the envy of America. Where the county was once the butt of jokes about our conservatism and surfers, we are now a top destination for tourists who want to have a good time and families who want to have a good life.

If that was true before, it was certified by the development of two Orange County-based television shows. Even someone who avoids television, as I do, has to concede this benchmark.

But Friday, we hit an all-time high. With the grand opening of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the county celebrated another in a string of accomplishments that launched a new era of culture.

The concert hall is the next step in a Segerstrom vision to create out of the former farm land a vibrant community that offers its residents a life with choices and possibilities. It helps tremendously that the family also has very good taste.

And so it is time to pause and say “thank you” to Henry Segerstrom and to this family for their many contributions to our higher standard of living.

It is easy to lavish praise on the Segerstrom clan because the cultural center they have developed just so happens to fit my personal tastes. And while there is no doubt that those who do not appreciate classical music or live theater may underestimate the value of these artistic venues, those folks surely understand the magnitude of their gifts.

The Segerstrom family contributions extend far beyond the ability to contribute money and raise funds for the county’s cultural center.

In Santa Ana, John Daniels and Sandy Segerstrom Daniels have been leaders in the growth and development of the Orange County High School of the Arts, a farm of sorts, where local talent in a variety of artistic disciplines can spread their wings in an environment that encourages their differences.

At South Coast Repertory, there is also an independent version of the same concept.

In Costa Mesa, South Coast Plaza has been providing food, shopping and entertainment for more than 40 years. More than that, the mall has been providing jobs and taxes, millions of dollars in taxes that have helped the area prosper. Perhaps that is part of the master plan; perhaps it is an extension of the Henry Ford model. Ford, who believed that each of his workers should be able to afford to buy one of his cars, paid them the wages and a path to do so.

Perhaps the Segerstroms believe that a prosperous community is better able to afford to shop in an upscale mall. I don’t know, but I would not doubt it.

There are those who would argue that the family has gotten as good as they’ve given, but I would argue the opposite. I would argue that unlike the taxes we all must pay, that their charitable contributions are voluntary. The fact is that the family could have done many other things with their money, but they chose to invest in you and me and to give back in a grand way to the cities and counties that have provided them with their bounty.

The Segerstroms are our Guggenheims, our Chandlers.

As a resident of Costa Mesa, I am particularly appreciative of the presence of the new concert hall, but I know that Newport Beach readers meet or exceed my enthusiasm. This is a hall for everyone.

The family is not done. When you visit the area across from South Coast Plaza that is now our arts center, you will see a few works in progress. In a short period of time, more county residents will be able to live so near to the excitement that is South Coast Plaza, the Performing Arts Center, South Coast Repertory and the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, plus all of the other stores and restaurants that they will be able to walk to all of it. Some will also be able to walk to work.

In an era in which our political leaders still have trouble understanding the difference between spending and investing and between action and vision, the Segerstroms not only understand both concepts, they live them.