NEWSMAKERS OF THE CENTURY -- The Irvines and the Segerstroms

Jenifer Ragland

There are those who shape a full year, setting the tone and the

direction. There are those who stand watch over a decade with sustained

power and leadership. But an entire century?

In the world, the list is short. In Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, the

list is two families long.

The Segerstroms: Swedish immigrants and farmers who settled in Orange

County and became the nation’s largest independent producer of lima beans

and, later, developers of one of the most prestigious shopping malls in

the nation. In addition, the family donated millions in land and cash to

the Performing Arts Center and South Coast Repertory -- setting the tone

for the entire South Coast Metro area. Without a doubt, they put Costa

Mesa on the map.

The Irvines: A family that kept together a nearly 100,000-acre piece of

real estate for more than 100 years and built an agricultural empire that

would become the foundation for Orange County’s largest, and one of the

country’s most prestigious, development companies. Without a doubt, they

enabled Newport Beach to become the haven for the wealthy and prominent

and the beautiful tourist destination that it is today.

Four generations of each family have lived, worked and died in

Newport-Mesa since before the turn of the century and throughout the 1900

and more will continue on through the next 100 years. The influence each

has had on the community transcends debate.

They are the Daily Pilot’s Newsmakers of the Century.