SOUNDING OFF:Harold Reed’s legacy to Laguna

My sister, Barbara Reed Gossett, and I were in town to visit friends and go to the [Laguna Beach] Historical Society slide show [March 19].

As old-time residents, we thought we might be able to add some information.

Our father was Harold E. Reed. He was a three-term Councilman from 1942 to 1954. We lived on Cleo Street, where Ralphs is now located, where my father had a picture-frame shop. He made frames for the now-famous “plein-air” artists. He also had an ice company on the corner.

During the war, my father grew vegetables on a truck farm on Temple Hills, taking the products to the early morning market in Los Angeles. The high school would let their students out early to pick the vegetables, as help was at a premium. He later developed residential property in the hills.

My father was the only person to design and organize the making of floats for the Tournament of Roses for Laguna Beach. He made floats in 1930, 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1939. His 1939 float, “The Last Supper,” (pictured at left) caused the parade audience go silent in awe as it passed. The costs were kept nominal through donations and volunteer help from the local people.

Local artist Owen Holmwood painted the underpainting for the flowers.

An article about the floats was in the Laguna Beach Post on Sept. 26, 1963.

As Parks and Recreation commissioner, he was instrumental in having Mr. Irvine donate the property for the amphitheater for the Festival of Arts.