CIVIC LIFE

I   WATER DISTRICT   I   TRANSPORTATION BOARD   I

Henry Segerstrom led a life dedicated to his family and the businesses he and they created. Much of it involved beauty, luxury, global commerce, art and culture. But Segerstrom was equally proud of his decades of service to civic life in California and his Orange County community.

Roads, drinking water, bus systems, parking, planning: all were areas of expertise for Henry Segerstrom. During the post World War II era of great growth in the region, as it transformed from a rural and agricultural area to a vibrant economic, cultural and residential region, Segerstrom was there helping plan and build the infrastructure that is the foundation of contemporary Orange County.

Segerstrom was as much an urban-planner as he was a real estate developer. As a member of many public and private

institutions, his progressive sense of social obligation has contributed to the current prosperous and agile lifestyle residents enjoy in Orange County. His concern for the environment and his knowledge of transportation systems and their impact on communities has helped empower “civic culture” which is fundamental to democratic politics and local citizenship. Henry T. Segerstrom believed that building—creating—a healthy public realm is predicated on the existence of a well functioning infrastructure.