MILLENNIUM MOMENT

He fought all the grittiest battles; he blazed the sun-scorched

trails of the Wild West; and when he finally settled down to retire, John

Wayne hung up his hat in Newport Beach.

The famous actor lived in a sprawling six-bedroom home on Bayshore

Drive, a house he had built for him after a 1964 cancer operation. The

home, one of the city’s prime tourist attractions, has a spectacular view

of Newport Bay, a private screening room, and such luxuries as a

kidney-shaped swimming pool.

Wayne had to live with tour boats motoring by his house on a regular

basis as fans cruised in search of a glimpse of him. He professed not to

mind the attention, however, and lived in the home until his death in

1979. MILLENNIUM MOMENT celebrates the people who have made a major

contribution to the Newport-Mesa community during this century.