El Toro
In your Dec. 5 editorial you referred to the OCBJ as historically pro-El Toro airport. Alas! You concede, “History is written by the victors.” And you pass that torch to South County organizer and Web master Len Kranser.
But conceding the history of the El Toro fight to Mr. Kranser is kind of like allowing Donald Bren to write the history of Orange County. It would not necessarily be all lies. But it would probably amount to about half the truth, the half that he wanted you to know.
I have spoken to Mr. Kranser, and he, like many of his South County anti-airport compatriots, seems forthright. But for all his Web wizardry and Internet organizing skills, the real Oz in all of this, the true slayer of the so-called “airport juggernaut” had to have the money, power and influence to tap not only into the psyche of South County property owners, but be able to throw a monkey wrench at the rightful heirs to El Toro, county and state government. It had to be able to reach even into Congress and the Pentagon itself to destroy not only the county’s admittedly flawed airport plan, but obscure and derail every reasonable and functional alternative that came after.
Who could that be?
Did I mention Donald Bren?
What is it the cop shows stress: motive, means, opportunity? Bren, and only Bren, had it all.
I do not mean to imply, however, that Bren should write the formative history of Orange County. For all of his billions, he is after all something of a come lately. He certainly is uniquely qualified to write the last few chapters though. And it looks like probably the next few.
Sorry, Len. It’s a larger hand than yours that is penning the recent history of this county. You’re just the stenographer.
John Underwood
Los Alamitos
Your Dec. 5 spread on the demise of the El Toro airport was excellent … both your introduction and the yearly wrap-up by Len Kranser. It was a very accurate portrayal of events and presented fairly, I thought. Too bad you were on opposite sides but it’s now understandable, considering the commercial interest you may have had. Those of us against the airport were mainly concerned about the potential disruption to our unique way of life and, thankfully, the OC electorate agreed decisively in two big elections. Len’s tribute to the volunteers was especially appreciated.
Jim Davy
San Clemente
Re your Dec. 12 letters:
Only in Orange County can we have four elections, millions of dollars spent and still try to reverse the outcome.
The El Toro airport is now the Great Park. And as for us, the stewards of this land, let us start thinking as one county, not separate cities, explore the tunnel and improve the 91 freeway.
No man or county is an island!
Joseph M. Hrycenko
Mission Viejo
Baxter Bunch
As a Baxter alum, I was immediately drawn to Vita Reed’s “Baxter Bunch” article in your Dec. 12 edition.
It was a great article, but I quickly learned that it wasn’t about the Baxter I remember; it was, instead, an article largely about American Hospital Supply alumni.
These two great companies were very different from each other. In fact, they had such radically different cultures that their short-lived “marriage”,the result of Baxter’s acquisition of American Hospital Supply in 1985,probably was doomed right from the start.
It’s impressive to note that, despite their disparate philosophies and strategies, each of these companies produced numerous entrepreneurial men and women who went on to found or lead successful healthcare companies across the country.
Your article mentions several such local companies launched or run by former American Hospital Supply executives.
The list for Baxter’s alumni, described in some detail by Harvard Business School Professor Monica Higgins in her book, “Career Imprints: How the ‘Baxter Boys’ Built the Biotech Industry,” includes companies such as Caremark, Pyxis, TheraTx, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, BioSite, Genetics Institute, Genzyme, Hybritech, Integrated Genetics, Boston Scientific and Total Renal Care, to name just a few.
The men who built American Hospital Supply (Karl Bays and Foster McGaw) and Baxter (Vern Loucks and Bill Graham) deserve a great deal of credit for the impact their “progeny” are having on healthcare in the U.S.
My thanks to Ms. Reed for writing an excellent article.
Dick Allen
President
DIMA Ventures
