Ray Watson, Irvine Company’s original architect and planner, was remembered before a gathering of about 250 people at the University of California, Irvine, on Nov. 11. Watson, who died Oct. 20, helped design and implement the master plan for the historic Irvine Ranch, creating the city of Irvine, UC Irvine, Fashion Island, Newport Center and residential villages across Newport Beach and Irvine. Watson went on to serve as president and chief executive of Irvine Co. as well as chairman of Walt Disney Co. He was remembered by family, friends and colleagues, including Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren, a friend of his for more than 50 years. The follow- ing are Bren’s remarks from Watson’s memorial.
For many years, I’ve had the honor, the privilege and the good fortune to call Ray Watson my good friend.
In the many years that I’ve been affiliated with the Irvine Company, I’ve faced many, many challenges. But now I find myself facing the biggest challenge yet—saying a final goodbye to my very dear friend.
And just as challenging is trying to describe in a few moments Ray’s immeasurable contributions to the company, the community, and to the University of California, Irvine.
Enduring Relationships
I believe no single person in the history of the Irvine Company did more than Ray to foster those enduring relationships between the entire Orange County community, UC Irvine and our company.
As a planner, leader, director and trusted friend, Ray has left a brilliant, perman- ent impression on everyone in our community.
When the master plan for the Irvine Ranch was nothing more than a dream, Ray brought that dream into focus and helped create something very special and unprecedented in the United States: the new city of Irvine.
As Ray laid the master-plan planning foundation and framework for the city of Irvine, he also guided the early building and development in Newport Beach and the Newport Coast.
So, every day I feel extremely fortunate to be in a position to carry on Ray’s lifetime work by daily implementing his extraordinary ideas and his dreams.
Ray and I first met long ago. It was soon after the Irvine Company somehow managed to persuade him to leave a promising architectural career in San Francisco. There wasn’t much here at that time beyond vast orange and avocado orchards and great pasture lands.
Nevertheless, Ray and his wife Elsa made a tremendous leap of faith and came south to a foreign land called Orange County.
It was shortly after Ray’s arrival in Orange County that we met and discovered we had much in common to talk about, including sharing a mutual respect for the company’s historic stewardship of the Irvine Ranch, and the 93,000-acre master plan that touched six cities and encompassed one-fifth of Orange County.
It was later in the summer of 1965 our professional and personal friendship truly blossomed, when Ray and I traveled for three weeks with a serious group of new-community planners and developers to study new cities in Europe, a trip organized by the publishers of Time, Life and Fortune.
As we crisscrossed the European continent, I recall Ray, in particular, continuously asking everyone very thoughtful questions. He wanted to know how he could apply the lessons of great European cities to the Irvine Ranch.
What many of our traveling companions didn’t know was that Ray was fine tuning his ideas for creating the most livable and the most successful new city in America—Irvine, California.
Ray’s ideas, his energy, his intellect and his character impressed me then as they continue to do so in memory today.
Recognizing Ray’s many outstanding accomplishments, in October 2005 the pedestrian bridge that appropriately links the UC Irvine campus with the city of Irvine was named in his honor.
The bronze plaque on the bridge reads appropriately, “Ray Watson: Modern Renaissance man: gifted architect, planner, teacher, astute businessman and inclusive, persuasive leader.”
“Wisdom, Guidance, Integrity”
Ray’s wisdom, guidance and integrity prove invaluable as the company continues to fulfill his vision of the best place in America to live, work and play.
When the histories of the Irvine Company, UC Irvine and the city of Irvine are written, Ray’s name will appear prominently in every chapter and on every page.
So, Ray, my wonderful friend, we will miss you more than you can imagine; however, I trust your energetic spirit and great legacy will always be with us.
God bless you, Ray Watson.
