A. Vincent Jorgensen, Philanthropist, Dies : Newport Resident Played Prominent Roles at Hoag Hospital and Performing Arts Center

A. Vincent Jorgensen, a prominent Newport Beach philanthropist long active with the Orange County Performing Arts Center and a driving force behind Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, has died of heart complications, friends of the family said Tuesday.

Jorgensen died Monday night at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. He was 73.

Working for Hoag was almost an obsession for Jorgensen, friends said. The retired former president of a marine supply firm in Newport Beach and San Pedro once jokingly told a Hoag staffer that he wasn’t sure which he loved more, his family or the hospital.

“He was a special person who can never be replaced,” hospital administrator Michael Stephens said. “He supported us with a rare enthusiasm and warmth.”

Jorgensen had served on the hospital board since 1956, including a stint as president from 1967 through 1973. When he first joined the board, the hospital had 75 beds. Today, it has more than 450.

Jorgensen was born in San Pedro in 1914, and was graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles with a degree in economics in 1937. He served six years in the Marine Corps, and, after World War II, entered the family’s ship chandlery business, which was founded at the turn of the century in San Pedro.

Jorgensen rose to president of the firm and expanded the business into Newport Beach, where he has lived since 1946. He sold the company--Balboa Marine Hardware--in 1969, but continued as manager before retiring in 1974 and devoting his energies full time to charitable work.

Jorgensen was a founding member of the Orange Coast Heart Institute and the 552 Club, a countywide philanthropic organization. He also served as president of the Rotary Club of Newport Beach and Balboa in 1951 and 1952. In 1969, he was named man of the year by the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

“He was just a super gentleman,” said Bob Wilcox, president of Commodores, a club affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce. “He was seldom angry but always fought for his rights.”

Jorgensen joined the Orange County Performing Arts Center board of trustees in 1980 and served as chairman of the Center’s community outreach committee.

“He’s going to be a major loss to the board,” Center President Tom Kendrick said. “He was very distinguished, with a wonderful warm smile, and very good at putting people together.”

Jorgensen is survived by his wife, Nora, and four children. A memorial service will be conducted Friday at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of Newport Beach.