Edwin I. Power Jr. (a.k.a. Ed Power Jr.) was the son of Edwin I. Power Sr. and

Helen Harbison Power Nut Tree is a mixed-use development in Vacaville, California near the intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 505. The original Nut Tree History The original Nut Tree opened in 1921 on the Lincoln Highway (old U.S. Route 40). It was crea ...

, the founders of the

Nut Tree Nut Tree is a mixed-use development in Vacaville, California near the intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 505. The original Nut Tree History The original Nut Tree opened in 1921 on the Lincoln Highway (old U.S. Route 40). It was c ...

in Vacaville, California. Ed Power Jr., a pilot and aviation enthusiast, was responsible for the creation of the

Nut Tree Airport Nut Tree Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) northeast of the central business district of Vacaville, in Solano County, California, United States. The airport is near the junction of Interstates ...

Early life

Ed Power Jr. was born on the landmark Harbison Ranch in Vacaville, California to parents Edwin I. Power Sr. and Helen Harbison Power. Power attended

Vacaville High School Vacaville High School is an American public high school in the Vacaville Unified School District located in the city of Vacaville, California, serving the north side of the city and the far northern unincorporated communities of Allendale, Buckt ...

and served in the U.S. Air Corps as a mechanic on B-17 bombers. After returning from his World War II service, Power learned to fly on the G.I. bill and became "a national legend in aviation."

Nut Tree and the Nut Tree Airport

Ed Power Jr. was one of the second-generation ownership partners of the Nut Tree, along with his brother Robert Power and sister Mary Helen Power. Ed Power Jr. "was the visionary for much of the world-famous institution." A trip to Denmark in 1957 gave Power and Nut Tree design director

Don Birrell Don R. Birrell (1922–2006) was director of the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California, from 1951 to 1953, and was the design director for the Nut Tree in Vacaville, California, from 1953 until his retirement in 1990. In addition to his des ...

the idea of designing the Nut Tree's patio area to resemble the Tivoli Gardens with special lighting and kiosks. Power commissioned

Charles Eames Charles Ormond Eames Jr. (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) was an American designer, architect and filmmaker. In professional partnership with his spouse Ray Kaiser Eames, he was responsible for groundbreaking contributions in the field of a ...

to design the Nut Tree's furniture. Power also created and built the first wooden "Hobby Horses," a signature attraction of the Nut Tree. Power is credited with "creating the Nut Tree Airport by way of its first landing strip."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Edwin 1922 births 2017 deaths Aviators from California Businesspeople in aviation Military personnel from California People from Vacaville, California Place of death missing United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II