They Shaped Our Future

One way to look at the history of Orange County in this century is to think of how its pioneers and visionaries shaped the use of its resources of land, air and waterfront. Two giants, aviator Eddie Martin and planner Kenneth Sampson, died this past week. They were in their 80s. Each left an indelible impression on the way people go about their business here, both at work and at play, in the skies above and on the land below.

Martin flew a Jenny, a biwing airplane, back in the 1920s, when he leased some land from James Irvine in Santa Ana to open the county’s first airport. Orville Wright had signed his pilot’s license, and there was nothing else around where he took off from a grassy strip. He founded a charter service and flight school that operates to this day, and he ferried Will Rogers around the country. The airport later moved to its current location, but Martin’s imprint on aviation in Orange County is evident in the name of the current passenger terminal at John Wayne Airport: the Edward (Eddie) J. Martin Terminal.

Sampson was responsible for Dana Point Harbor and led the way to the expansion of the county’s regional parks system. He is best remembered for the care and attention he gave while supervising the 2,500-slip Dana Point Harbor project. When he took over as park director in the 1950s, there were only two regional parks in Orange County. By 1975, there were 12, and total park acreage increased during that period to 7,650--a tribute to his tenure.

The landscape has changed greatly since these two began shaping the county’s future in very different ways. Today, jetliners fly above corporate office parks and across a freeway to their landing. Suburban sprawl has made yesterday’s decisions about preserving open space appear wise.

It’s a testimony to think that, at some point, every person in Orange County is likely to come in contact with the legacies of both Eddie Martin and Kenneth Sampson.