Leisure World, Seal Beach, California
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Leisure World Seal Beach is an active-seniors’ retirement community opened in 1962 that introduced many innovations characterizing later senior property developments. When built, it was the nation's first mass-marketed housing project, first gated senior community, first all-electric community, and the first to have a health insurance plan and access to an on-site medical center included in its residents’ monthly payments. At its opening, it was the world's largest housing development for seniors, the
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’ largest cooperative housing development, and the prototype for six other Leisure World communities across the United States built by the Rossmoor Corp, co-founded by developers Ross W. Cortese and his wife, Alona Marlowe Cortese. It is located in Seal Beach, which fronts the
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in Orange County,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Leisure World houses approximately 9,600 residents in 6,608 one- and two-bedroom apartments and condominiums.


History

While both were taking evening real estate classes at
Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. His ...
, Ross W. Cortese, a Depression-era high-school dropout, and a part-time contractor flipping homes in Compton, met former
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
contract actress Alona Marlowe (née Ilona L. Goetten). They married in 1948, and capitalizing on her real estate license, organized a corporation under the name Alona Rey Homes, Inc. After building a small development in
Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...
, the couple began undertaking larger projects such as Frematic Homes in
Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...
. Frematic Homes employed designer Cliff May’s innovative California Ranch residential concept “that let the outside in," integrating extensive prefabrication techniques, post-and-beam construction, slab floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows later incorporated into Leisure World. The Frematic development also showcased the Corteses’ emerging public relations sensibility, with Westinghouse spokesperson,
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
actress
Betty Furness Elizabeth Mary Furness (January 3, 1916 – April 2, 1994) was an American actress, consumer advocate, and current affairs commentator. Early years Furness was born in Manhattan, the daughter of wealthy business executive George Choate Furness ...
, appearing in newspaper photographs with Ross Cortese in one of Frematic's “Betty Furness Beautility Kitchens.” The Corteses’ repeated successes led them, along with general contractor Murray Ward, to found Rossmoor Corp. in 1951. From 1955 through 1961, the company built the “Walled City of Rossmoor,” a comprehensive Orange County development the company envisioned would contain all the services of a town for its projected 10,000 residents. However, Ross Cortese's concept of a “comprehensive” development was thwarted when the hospital he wished to build for Rossmoor's population was repeatedly denied.


Interest in Aging

Nonetheless, the couple's study of medical services drew their attention to the health and housing needs of older adults, whose numbers were growing rapidly in the post-war period. The Corteses’ interest culminated in the couple's $4 million gift founding what became the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
’s gerontology school, now the world’s largest academic program researching older adults. Alona Cortese later endowed The Alona Cortese Elder Law Center at the
Chapman University School of Law The Chapman University School of Law (officially the Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law) is a private, non-profit law school located in Orange, California. The school offers the Juris Doctor degree (JD) and combined degree programs ...
, which provides pro bono legal representation for seniors. This interest influenced many of the Corteses’ future business enterprises. In 1961, upon finishing the Rossmoor housing development bordering Los Alamitos, California, Ross Cortese said the housing needs of seniors “have not been met even half-way thus far. None has answered the attendant economic, medical and sociological needs of the majority of our senior citizens.” While
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
’s Youngtown and Sun City senior living developments had already established the concept of dedicated
retirement communities A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves. Assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socialization opp ...
, the Corteses contemplated a new model for senior housing: a comprehensive cooperative development in which the residents owned not their residential unit, but a share of stock that permitted them to live in the community and own the rights to all the development’s common amenities. The community’s managers, not individual residents, would be responsible for their homes’ maintenance, painting and plumbing, appliances, and landscaping. It would be “not stuck out in the desert,” but near a city so residents could continue to enjoy a city's cultural opportunities and frequent visits from families and old friends. Emulating the company's “Walled City of Rossmoor” experience, the community would be the United States’ first and largest gate-controlled, walled retirement community. One of the most important amenities was a plan offering free on-site medical care and prescriptions as part of the monthly resident's fees, again a first in a U.S. retirement community.


Financing and Construction

Rossmoor Leisure World (as it was initially named) was to be built on a portion of the Hellman Ranch in what was then an un-incorporated square-mile plot in Orange County. Nearly adjacent to the walled Rossmoor development, the $150 million project ($1.4 billion in 2021 dollars) would be the United States’ largest cooperative housing development and its first all-electric community. However, the project's scope and its “untried” cooperative ownership scheme generated skepticism among potential lenders. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. eventually agreed to finance the project, but stipulated the
Federal Housing Administration The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), also known as the Office of Housing within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a Independent agencies of the United States government, United States government agency founded by Pr ...
(FHA) guarantee the loan. FHA authorities agreed, but established “very strict regulations.” Rossmoor could provide the land and the plans, but “could have no part in building, sales or management.” Instead, the FHA required that separate nonprofit corporations share the project's ownership. One, the Leisure World Foundation, would supervise the project's construction and marketing. When residents began to move in, there would be elections from among the residents to serve on the Golden Rain Foundation (GRF) as trustees for all the development's common facilities and to provide community-wide services such as recreation and security. Finally, as each of the parcels comprising the development were populated, the 6,470 planned residential units and the land on which they would be built would be controlled by “mutuals,” a third level of non-profit corporation collectively owned and managed by a board elected by residents of each of the development's parcels.


Promotion

Notwithstanding the awkward governing arrangement, construction of the Seal Beach Leisure World began in mid-1961. Interest rose quickly, propelled by a national marketing campaign that included a 1962
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
magazine advertisement claiming the development was “the most revolutionary new concept in housing since World War II.” The Life advertisement was part of what is thought to be the first national mass-marketing campaign for a housing project. Hill and Knowlton, then the world's largest public relations firm, obtained widespread newspaper, radio and television coverage that by mid-1963 let the community claim residents from 43 states and 11 countries. The Corteses’
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
-based advertising firm, Brangham Brewer, spent so much money marketing the development that Leisure World's 1963 ad budget was announced in a free-standing
Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in ...
magazine item. Leisure World's prominence soon allowed the Corteses to assemble a Leisure World Foundation board headed by William G. Simon, the former head of the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
’s Los Angeles field office and a founding director of The
J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American attorney and law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau o ...
Foundation; and executive vice president
Kenneth E. BeLieu Kenneth Eugene BeLieu (February 10, 1914 – February 10, 2001) was the United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Logistics) 1961–1965, Under Secretary of the Navy in 1965; Under Secretary of the Army 1971–1973; and t ...
, the former undersecretary of both the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
and the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
. The other seven trustees included
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
owner Walter O’Malley; Hollywood producer
Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. During the 1930s, he was one of the two great practitioners of economical and effective film directing at Warner Bros., Warner Brothers studios, ...
;
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
vice president Y. Frank Freeman; Sylvester Smith Jr., a past president of the
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; and former U.S. Rep. Allan O. Hunter. While the development would include usual retirement amenities - a golf course, swimming pool, clubhouses and shuffleboard courts - the Seal Beach construction incorporated insights the Corteses had gained through their “desire for data about older adults.” Stairs, steps and curbs would be replaced by ramps. Countertops and wide doors simplified wheelchair access. Showers had built-in seats to avoid slipping accidents. An on-site medical center and pharmacy would provide free access to doctors, diagnostic services, physical therapy and medication to all residents. Every mutual would include large greenbelts, and centralized parking structures would preserve the residential units’ parklike setting and encourage walking and physical activity.


Opening

On Oct. 29, 1961, about four months after construction began, the first model units, called “manors,” went on public display. By day's end, 10,000 people had thronged the grounds and approximately 550 of the 844 units offered had been sold. By March 1963, the administration estimated 300,000 people had toured the grounds and the model homes. The development's sub-800-square-foot units drew surprisingly prosperous buyers. Even though most residents no longer worked, their annual per-capita income in 1963 was $6,000, 80% higher than the national average. On June 8, 1962, a single year after construction began, the first residents moved in. A year later, 5,200 of the units had been sold. Over 10% of the first 4,500 units were purchased via mail transactions, many without the buyers ever having seen Leisure World. All the original units were sold by late 1964.


Leisure World's "Medicare"

The Corteses’ health plan, launched amid a vigorous national debate over government involvement in social welfare measures, was frequently labeled “utopian.” It was an important perk touted in the extensive advertising and public relations campaigns that drew attention from national magazines, local broadcasters and newspapers throughout the United States and Canada. The community's initial executive director, Lewis M. Letson, formerly the top administrator at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California, said Leisure World's health plan was explicit proof the free enterprise could effectively meet older adults’ health care requirements: “It indicates that there are better solutions to the medical needs of the elderly than socialized medicine.” The Corteses made major investments in the medical plan. Cortese recruited a former medical director for the
United States Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The assistant s ...
, surgeon Weldon A. Williamson, to be Leisure World's medical director. Leisure World was almost immediately recognized as a test bed for senior health. Within the clinic's first year, two studies, on heart and vascular diseases, were being conducted among the community's population. Similarly, the concentration of seniors in one well-known community located in politically conservative Orange County made Leisure World a target for the
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
administration's push for its projected government-subsidized senior health care plan. In a 1963 visit to Leisure World, Kennedy's under-secretary for Health, Education and Welfare, Ivan A. Nestingen, mocked the
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...
, which he said characterized medical professionals urging government elder health care as “quacks and charlatans.” After Kennedy's assassination, President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
dispatched his and Kennedy's press secretary,
Pierre Salinger Pierre Emil George Salinger (June 14, 1925 – October 16, 2004) was an American journalist, author and politician. He served as the ninth White House Press Secretary, press secretary for United States presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon ...
, to make another personal pitch for what would become known as Medicare. Ironically, the Corteses’ health care plan precipitated their removal from direct involvement in Leisure World Seal Beach's management. Almost immediately after the first Leisure World residents settled in, their recognition of the value of free doctor visits, medical tests and prescriptions overwhelmed the 10 doctors and 26 nurses Leisure World had hired to manage the community's health needs. The Corteses’ projections dramatically underestimated the attraction of free health care. Instead of the predicted 6.2 doctor visits per year, Leisure World residents averaged 12 doctor visits annually. In 1963, the GRF board coped with the unexpected costs by replacing free medical services with a 20% co-pay for all services and prescriptions. In 1964, when the community's governing board asked for an assessment increase, the medical care fee constituted 70% of the additional $10.50 requested. The resulting resident revolt led to the 1965 GRF vs. Leisure World Foundation lawsuit that effectively severed the Corteses’ continued involvement in Leisure World-Seal Beach's administration. The rollout of the federal Medicare program, enacted by the Johnson administration in 1965, caused Leisure World to abandon its community-run health plan. On March 7, 1966, the first Leisure World residents signed up for Medicare.


Services

With the exception of the free medical plan, the Corteses’ concept of a comprehensive seniors’ community was largely fulfilled. The community operates a heated swimming pool and spa, a 10,000-square-foot fitness center, and 9-hole, par-3 golf course. All were renovated or rebuilt between 2020 and 2022. Dedicated facilities are also provided for pickleball, bocce ball, ballet and dance classes, table tennis, shuffleboard and billiards. Its five clubhouses contain studios for art, woodworking, lapidary, ceramics and needle arts. Other spaces are provided for video production, theater events and the activities of over 150 clubs. In the wake of Orange County's 1994 bankruptcy, GRF bought the building and collection of the Orange County Library branch adjacent to Leisure World and enclosed it and its 40,000-volume collection within the community's security wall. In 2021, the community opened an internet-enabled learning center to host college courses, and a fully equipped cooking classroom for instruction in cuisines and nutrition. Arts events and guest speakers appear in the clubhouse meeting rooms and two specially dedicated performance venues, a 2,500-seat outdoor amphitheater that hosts a summer-long series, and a smaller stage adjoining the library. The community has an on-site medical center managed by a private company that provides resident doctors, X-rays, laboratory services, a physical therapy clinic, optometry services, acupuncture, specialist care, and an adjacent pharmacy. Leisure World also houses a credit union; weekly newspaper; copy center; three independent, free-standing churches, with scores of other congregations meeting in clubhouse facilities; a recycling collection facility; and car wash. Leisure World is one of Seal Beach's major employers, and its approximately 175 full- and part-time workers provide maintenance, infrastructure inspection, property transfer and financial services. The GRF's security department provides patrol service, gate control and parking enforcement 24 hours a day. A Cortese-built 12.5-acre shopping center immediately outside the security wall now houses financial institutions and advisors, medical and dental offices, hair stylists, an automotive repair and service station, and stores selling golf equipment, jewelry, medical supplies, groceries and general supplies. Scheduled minibus routes crisscrossing the community offer free transportation within Leisure World and connections to Orange County Transportation buses and commuter rail lines. Community volunteers provide other services. The Golden Age Foundation is a 501(c)3 charity that has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund Leisure World projects, and scores of other community groups provide financial and volunteer help to residents and community projects.


In the News


Should Elders Have Leisure?

Even before Leisure World Seal Beach was completed, the firm's huge marketing campaign assured Leisure World would be the poster child in a national discussion of the social, economic and psychological implications of age-segregated communities. While some journalists lauded the youthful energy Leisure World residents exhibited, one
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
writer suggested too much leisure weakened elderly minds. He mocked retirement villages as escapist, places where “reality and utopian fantasy merge in ‘an air of elegant euphoria.’” Simultaneously, “old-age ghettos” was how a syndicated essay portrayed Leisure World and its ilk. An
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
article, “Let’s Quit Working and Retire,” even chided the pre-70 retirees of Leisure World and similar developments for slacking in their duty to enrich the American economy.


1995 Flood

A flood control channel that traverses Leisure World Seal Beach overflowed in the wake of a 5-inch rainstorm on January 4, 1995. Approximately 170 Leisure World units were declared uninhabitable, and 200 more suffered some water damage. The amphitheater filled with 10 feet of water, while the basement of the Redeemer Lutheran Church held 12 feet of water. Seal Beach's mayor estimated the flood caused $2 million in damages.


HOA Law

Leisure World Seal Beach's pioneering role in introducing cooperative community governance to California led it to be a party in two important lawsuits that helped establish the state's
homeowner association A homeowner association (or homeowners' association OA sometimes referred to as a property owners' association OA common interest development ID or homeowner community) is a private, Incorporation (business), legally-incorporated orga ...
(HOA) regulations.


''Golden Rain Foundation v. Leisure World Foundation'' (1965-1966)

To assure creditors for the Seal Beach development would be paid, the FHA advocated continued professional management of Leisure World. As community fees rose to pay for the Leisure World medical plan, an often-bitter series of public meetings erupted pitting residents against management. According to court documents, “a local city official” suggested to GRF's executive director “that it might be well to conduct an investigation” of Lloyd Gummere, the leader of the residents’ protest group who was also a candidate for the Seal Beach city council. When two private detectives were arrested for wiretapping Gummere's phone, an active revolt began. After a dissident slate of candidates unseated the 1963-64 GRF board, that incumbent board bound the 1964-65 board to a management agreement with a Cortese-affiliated company. Some shareholders suggested the decision ceding control to Cortese's now-multi-community management company weakened the developers’ original promise that “residents will formulate the policies of the community.” Although facing vigorous opposition from the FHA, the new GRF board sued Cortese. In October 1966, the court voided ties with Cortese's management company, allowing the GRF board to make fundamental decisions about managing the community.


''Golden Rain Foundation v. Carol Franz'' (2004-2008)

A group of shareholders petitioned for access to GRF board documents under California regulations governing HOAs. GRF asserted that because GRF owned no residences, it was not an HOA, but a management company under contract to the home-owning mutuals. In a series of cases ending at the
California Court of Appeals The California Courts of Appeal are the State court (United States), state Appellate court, intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along List of counties in California, county lines in ...
, GRF's structure, which GRF's expert witness testified was “unique” within the United States, was ruled to be an HOA and subject to all relevant provisions.


Demographics

In 2019, 9,595 people, with an average age of 74, lived in Leisure World Seal Beach. Slightly more than 60 percent were female. Thirty-three percent of the community's population was over 80. Fifty-one residents were aged 100 or more. The population density of the development's 531 acres is 11,560 people per square mile.


Attractions

The Leisure World Globe, located at the development's Seal Beach Boulevard entrance, is one of the nation's largest globes. Cortese wanted his new development to attract attention and remembered the 50-foot Globe-A-Drome in the 1939
Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) was a World's Fair held at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California, U.S. The exposition operated from February 18, 1939, through October 29, 1939, and from May 25, 1940, through September 29, ...
’s midway. Frustrated in his attempt to buy the original, he commissioned a 32-foot-tall, 14-ton rotating structure that originally was surrounded by fountains. The Leisure World globe is frequently thought to be modeled on the 1964 New York World’s Fair
Unisphere The Unisphere is a spherical stainless steel Globe, representation of the Earth at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York. The globe was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Commissione ...
, but it was completed months before the Unisphere’s plans were unveiled. The Leisure World globe is the only free-standing sculptural piece listed among “Orange County’s 125 Icons” during the county's 125th anniversary. It was refurbished in 2016. The Leisure World Amphitheater is a 2,500-seat outdoor performance space that hosts community gatherings and performances, and national entertainers. Its proscenium, stage and pit closely replicate the
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...
’s first permanent structure, which opened in July 1922. The Leisure World Historical Society Museum, a display of artifacts, photographs and documents, displayed in the first-built Leisure World clubhouse. The development’s historical archives are now located at the
University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...
. A bronze statue of a ballerina, ''Premiere Danseuse Etoile'', by noted Italian sculptor Pino Conte (1915-1997), is mounted at the entrance to Leisure World Seal Beach’s Administration Building. Now referred to within the community as “Twiggy,” it was a 1963 gift to the community from the Corteses.


Located within a 3-mile radius of Leisure World

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...
* Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum *
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is a Japanese garden encompassing on the campus of California State University, Long Beach, in Long Beach, California, United States. It was dedicated in 1981. Ed Lovell, landscape master plan architect for ...
* Carpenter Arts Center - The Carpenters’ memorabilia are exhibited in this concert hall *
Walter Pyramid The Walter Pyramid, formerly known as The Long Beach Pyramid, is a 4,000-seat, pyramid-shaped indoor arena on the campus of Long Beach State University in Long Beach, California. It serves as home venue to the University's men's and women's ...
– 18-story CSULB arena is one of the United States’ three true pyramids Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos * JFTB Aquatics Center: U.S. Women's National Water Polo Team training site is open to public * Navy Golf Course: public 27-hole facility was
Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...
’ childhood home course
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
Marina: U.S.’s largest municipally-owned marina system, with 3,600 slips
Rancho Los Alamitos Rancho Los Alamitos takes its name from an 1834 Mexico, Mexican partition of the 1784 Rancho Los Nietos, a Ranchos of California, Spanish concession, covering an area in present-day California's southwestern Los Angeles County, California, Los ...
– In the 1850s, this was headquarters for the largest U.S. cattle ranch. Early 19th century buildings and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.-designed gardens are open for tours. Seal Beach Municipal Pier – at 1,835 feet, California’s second-longest wooden pier San Gabriel River Trail – 35-mile trail from Azusa to Seal Beach passes alongside the community Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach
* World War II National Submarine Memorial – West


In Popular Culture

In 1964,
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’s ''
Queen for a Day ''Queen for a Day'' is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. ''Queen for a Day'' originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945, ...
'' broadcast an entire show dedicated to women in Leisure World. At the show’s conclusion, host Jack Bailey granted that day’s winner, Leisure World resident Mabel Menke, with her wish for a new tricycle. In 1986, an episode of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
’s ''
Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred its creator and co-director Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth to help peo ...
'', starring and directed by
Michael Landon Michael Landon Sr. (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on th ...
, was filmed at Leisure World Seal Beach. The episode, titled “Love at Second Sight,” premiered Nov. 6, 1986, in the series’ third season. Future U.S. presidents
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
,
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
and
George H.W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
spoke at Leisure World during campaign events. Future presidential candidate, U.S. Sen.
Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorney, auth ...
, campaigned in Leisure World for her spouse,
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
Majority Leader
Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Party leaders of the United States Senate, Republican Leader of th ...
, during his 1996 presidential campaign. Leisure World Seal Beach's proximity to Los Angeles assured its summer amphitheater concerts often had star lineups. The weekly events have featured singers
Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...
,
Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...
,
Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. From the age of 12, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...
,
Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...
,
Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...
, Anita O’Day, Tony Martin, Buddy Greco,
Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including Record ...
, John Davidson and
Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...
; and the bands or orchestras of
Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...
,
Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...
,
Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...
, Les Brown,
Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...
and
Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...
. Prominent small groups included
The Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed The Four Mills Brothers and originally known as Four Boys and a Guitar, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and g ...
,
The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American vocal pop group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style predated the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ...
,
The Lettermen The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio whose trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contemporary chart (i ...
,
The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...
,
The Four Freshmen The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal quartet that blends close and open harmony, open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, and The Mel-Tones, founded in the Barbershop music, ...
,
The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood (The Coasters song), Young Blood", "Charlie Brown (The Coasters song), Charlie Bro ...
,
The Lennon Sisters The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group that has been made up, at one time or another, of three or four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne (a.k.a. DeeDee; born Dianne Barbara, December 1, 1939), Peggy (born Margaret Ann ...
, and
The Diamonds The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet that rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with 16 ''Billboard'' hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville (lead), Ted Kowalski (tenor), Phil Levitt (baritone), and Bill Reed (ba ...
. Among the actors who appeared at the Amphitheater were
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...
,
Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the ''Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing C ...
,
Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr.; April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom ''The Beverly Hillb ...
,
Nanette Fabray Nanette Fabray (born Ruby Bernadette Nanette Theresa Fabares; October 27, 1920 – February 22, 2018) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and became a musical-theatre actress dur ...
,
Martha Raye Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including on Broadway. She was hono ...
,
Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American singer and actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Henderson ...
and
Sally Kellerman Sally Clare Kellerman (June 2, 1937 – February 24, 2022) was an American actress whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as List of M*A*S*H characters#Margaret Houlihan, Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film ''M*A*S ...
.


Recognition

* Ross Cortese named “Builder of the Year” in 1963 by
National Association of Home Builders The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is one of the largest trade associations in the United States, representing the interests of home builders, developers, contractors, and associated businesses. NAHB is headquartered in Washington, D ...
* Ross Cortese inducted into Housing Hall of Fame in 1983 by National Association of Home Builders * Ross and Alona Cortese named among “The Most 100 Influential Builders of the Century” in 1999 by Builder Magazine * Named among "Seven Most Popular Destinations for Seniors,” in 2017 by
The Motley Fool The Motley Fool is a private financial and investing advice company based in Alexandria, Virginia. It was founded in July 1993 by co-chairmen and brothers David Gardner and Tom Gardner, and Todd Etter and Erik Rydholm. The company employs over 3 ...
* Voted “Best Orange County Leisure Community” by
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
Readers’ Poll in 2019, 2020 and 2022 * Named among "America's Seven Best and Most Affordable Beach Towns for Retirement in 2020 by
National Association of Realtors The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is an American trade association for those who work in the real estate industry. it had over 1.5 million members, making it the largest trade association in the United States including NAR's institute ...
. * Named among 10 Most Affordable Beach Towns to Buy a Home in 2022 by
National Association of Realtors The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is an American trade association for those who work in the real estate industry. it had over 1.5 million members, making it the largest trade association in the United States including NAR's institute ...
. * Voted Best Retirement Community and Best Active Adult Living Community in 2025 by readers of Long Beach Press-Telegram.


Notable People

* Cecile Belle Adam, (1881-1977): After completing post-graduate studies at the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
, Adam published the novel, ''Red of the Dawn'', in 1937. * Alice B. Addenbrooke, (1881-1972): Led fundraising and supervised restoration to save two
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
properties:
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
's Bowers Mansion and
Fort Churchill State Historic Park Fort Churchill State Historic Park is a state park of Nevada, United States, preserving the remains of a United States Army fort and a way station on the Pony Express and Central Overland Routes dating back to the 1860s. The site is one end of t ...
, and wrote a book about each. * Don Albin Alford, (1897-1973): Plowed the fortune he made in the 1921 Signal Hill oil strike into founding and publishing ''The Independent'' newspaper, one of the precursors to today’s Long Beach
Press-Telegram The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, L ...
. * Tom Amberry, (1922-2017): At age 71, made 2,750 consecutive basketball free throws to set a
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
. * William W. Biddle, (1900-1973): Academic social scientist, he made important early steps in studying the psychological effects of propaganda and later altered the study of community development. * Loureide J. Biddle, (1902-1996): An Earlham College professor, she co-wrote ''The Community Development Process'' with her husband, William W. Biddle. *
Dee Booher Deanna Booher (August 6, 1948 – January 7, 2022) was an American actress, professional wrestler, and roller derby skater. She is known for her appearances with Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling as Matilda the Hun, as well as her appearances in film ...
, (1948-2022): Athlete and actor, she skated in professional roller derby before joining the initial cast of
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (also known by its initials as GLOW or G.L.O.W.) is a women's professional wrestling promotion that began in 1986 (the pilot was filmed in December 1985) and has continued in various forms after it left television. ...
(G.L.O.W.) as “Matilda the Hun.” She guest hosted
The Gong Show ''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to ...
14 times and appeared in Married... with Children and
Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 4, 1984, and ended on May 31, 1992, after nine seasons consisting of List of Night Court episodes, 193 episodes. The show is set in the night shift of a Manhattan ...
. * Ruby Frazier Coppedge, (1892-1970): As Ruby Frazier Frey, she wrote the best-selling 1946 historical novel, "Red Morning," relating the story of her ancestor,
Jane Frazier Jane Frazier (or Fraser, sometimes Fraizier, also referred to as Jean or Jenny; January 1, 1735 – April 14, 1815) was a Virginia pioneer captured by Native Americans in the 18th century. The wife of Scottish frontiersman John Fraser, she was ta ...
, and her colonial-era capture by the
Delaware Tribe The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historical territory included present-day northeastern Dela ...
, her escape and several-hundred-mile wilderness trek to return to her family. * Richard C. Currier, (1893-1984): Editing department head at the
Hal Roach Studios Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and, through its TV production subsidiary, Hal Roach Television Corporation, television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and busin ...
from 1920 to 1932, he worked on nearly every
Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
and
Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
comedy. During his 39-year career in movies and television, he logged over 400 editing and directing credits. * Friedrich, Frank (1903-1988), and Joseph (1906-1997): Sibling Hollywood hair stylists who turned
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
blonde, and styled actresses
Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...
and
Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...
, and wrestler
Gorgeous George George Raymond Wagner (March 24, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. In the United States, during the First Golden Age of Professional Wrestling in the 1940s–1950s, Gorgeou ...
. * Earl Stanfield Fullbrook, (1883-1964):
University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
dean of business, he also served as the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
's secretary/treasurer. The University of Nebraska annually presents the Fullbrook Award for marketing studies. * Anton Grot (1884-1974): A five-time
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominee for art direction, Grot was credited with creating the classic 1930s
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
's signature look. He is a member of the
Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame The Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame was established by the Art Directors Guild in 2005 to recognize and honor the accomplishments and contributions of significant art directors and production designers in the film industry. Inductees 2005 * ...
. * Luella J. Hall, (1891-1973): After receiving a doctorate in history from
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and completing a 40-year teaching career, Hall published a 1,114-page tome, ''The United States and Morocco, 1776-1956'', shortly before her death. * Joseph J. Healy, (1926-2019): 1970s CEO of
Flying Tiger Line Flying Tiger Line, also known as Flying Tigers, was the first scheduled cargo airline in the United States and a military charter operator during the Cold War era for both cargo and personnel (the latter with leased aircraft). The airline was boug ...
, the world's largest air cargo carrier prior to the airline's purchase by Federal Express Corporation. * Luke I.C. Kim, (1930-2015): Founding president of the Association of Korean-American Psychiatrists, he was considered a major figure in introducing how cultural factors influence the treatment of mental illness among Asians. * Mary F. Lindsley, (1907-1997): A creative writing professor at New York City's
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
for 41 years, she published over 15 books of fiction, poetry and plays. Also wrote as Mary L. Jaffee. * Joseph Longfield, (1890-1975): Mayor of
Hanford, California Hanford is the most populous city and the county seat of Kings County, California, located in the San Joaquin Valley region of the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 57,990 at the 2020 United States census, ...
, the city's community center is named after him. * Sherman Lowe, (1894-1968): Screenwriter for Hollywood westerns, adventures, musicals and spy films, he contributed to many serials, including
The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Maga ...
, Frank Buck's
Jungle Menace ''Jungle Menace'' (1937) is the first serial released by Columbia Pictures. Based on the success of Republic Pictures's 1936 serial ''Darkest Africa'', starring real-life animal trainer Clyde Beatty, Columbia made this exotic jungle serial ...
,
The Green Hornet Strikes Again! ''The Green Hornet Strikes Again!'' is a 1941 Universal black-and-white 15 chapter movie serial based on ''The Green Hornet'' radio series by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. It is a superhero-themed story about the eponymous superhero, ...
and Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere. * Glen MacWilliams, (1898-1984): Academy Award nominee for
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
's 1944 feature, Lifeboat, he photographed films and television shows in England and United States from 1914 through 1969. * Buddy McDonald, (1922-2008): One of the
Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
child actors in the early 1930s, as a recovered alcoholic he founded several rehabilitation centers that pioneered "best of practice" techniques for treating addictions. * Kate Pedigo, (1911-2016): A folk-art painter who wrote and published books in three different genres after her 80th birthday. * Alvin P. Pierson, (1898-1975): Finance professor at California State-Fullerton for 27 years, he was a
Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...
professor in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and served as the university's interim head football coach for two years. * Francis B. Settle, M.D., (1891-1975): A founding member in 1937 of the
American Board of Surgery The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge. Surgeons cert ...
, the group helped established certification procedures to distinguish surgery as a specialty practice apart from general practitioners.


References

{{coord, 33, 46, 3.85, N, 118, 4, 40.10, W, display=title 1962 establishments in California Gated communities in California Neighborhoods in Orange County, California Populated places established in 1962 Retirement communities in the United States Seal Beach, California