Plenty of fond sentiment in OC upon Huell Howser’s passing last week after a two-year fight with cancer. Automobile Club of Southern California Chairman Tom McKernan—whose Costa Mesa-based mutual sponsored Howser’s California’s Gold program for years and often had him for personal appearances at its own travel shows—said the native Tennessean was a gracious celebrity and a particularly good fit because he got folks excited about driving to see the gems he would regularly uncover all around the Golden State. “He had such an enthusiasm for that—a zeal that was infectious,” McKernan said …
OC Supe John Moorlach struck up a friendship with Howser when both helped out on the state’s 150th anniversary back in 2000. Moorlach reports that Howser recently told him he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread over a long list of landmarks throughout the state …
Howser donated his California’s Gold archives to Chapman University last year, and the school has digitized the episodes and made them available online for free public viewing. The campus is Orange last week set up a showcase of Howser artifacts …
Walkie Ray was one of four folks tossed off the Great Park Corp. board in a recent move by a new City Council majority in Irvine. Ray says he’s “disappointed, of course,” but confident that a truly great park will someday get built. He’s just as diplomatic when asked about the wisdom of getting rid of seats that afforded representation beyond Irvine’s five city council members. “No comment,” Ray said last week …
An addition to the “retirement” schedule of Tom Rogers, who counts Security Pacific Bank, City National and the Irvine Company on his resume from his days as a working stiff, and currently serves as chairman of Plaza Bank in Irvine. Now he’s been tapped for the board of another Irvine-based company, builder Tri Pointe Homes, which has plans for a $201.8 million IPO (see story, frontpage) …
Big doings for the Kalscheur clan lately. Denis Kalscheur saw the Aviation Capital Group aircraft leasing company he runs for Pacific Life get a lot of ink when it placed a $6 billion order with Boeing, which put the manufacturer over the 1,000 mark on orders for its new 737 Max. His sister-in-law Mary Jones—she’s his wife Gail’s sibling—got some ink of her own with a strong review for her oil paintings on the Huffington Post’s arts page. A painting by New York-based Jones was at the George Gallery in Laguna Beach as of press time.
