DANA POINT : County Officials Honor Reporter

Gordon Grant, a career newspaperman who spent more than two decades covering South Orange County for the Los Angeles Times, was honored by county officials Monday at a picnic site in Dana Point Harbor that will bear his name.

Surrounded by family, friends, former colleagues and county officials, Grant was honored for his “warm, sensitive articles about Orange County’s characters and wildlife, its wilderness and parks, its harbors and beaches,” in the words of a bronze plaque installed at the site. Located near the end of Puerto Place, the trellised picnic area overlooks the harbor.

The plaque goes on to say that Grant’s “writing enriched this county, inspiring respect for natural beauty in everyday life.”

“This award for Gordon is long overdue,” said Eric Jessen, chief of planning and acquisitions for the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks and one of the many local officials on hand to honor Grant.

Grant was accompanied by his wife, Gloria, and his daughters, Patty Grant and Linda Grant Vars; his stepdaughter, Amanda Bereny; his grandson, Michael Whitcomb, and family friend Ralph Cistero of San Francisco.

“By and large, people generally have the idea that newspaper reporters are ink-stained wretches who work at the bottom of the wage scale,” Grant told the gathering. “But when something like this happens, who cares about a paycheck?”

Grant, 76, began his newspaper career with the Chicago Times in 1935 and served as a war correspondent for the Tampa Tribune in World War II. While on the front lines in Germany, he lost the sight in his left eye.

In 1968, Grant was among the first group of reporters assigned to cover the county when The Times launched its Orange County Edition. His beat included the then relatively undeveloped South County.

He retired last year.

Although he wrote about a wide array of topics, Grant earned a reputation as something of an expert in local environmental issues because of his great interest in wildlife and maritime issues.

In 1971, Grant covered the opening of the harbor that was the site of Monday’s gathering.

Among those on hand to pay tribute to Grant was Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, whose district encompasses South County. Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution naming the picnic area in Grant’s honor.