Hammett’s history not limited to WWII

Young Chang

Bob Wilson had been telling me for months, maybe a year, to write

a Looking Back on Jack Hammett.

I’d say, unaware of my total ignorance, “But Mr. Wilson, Jack

Hammett’s been in our paper and we know he’s a Pearl Harbor veteran.”

Wilson would keep insisting there was much more to the story. I’d

keep saying, OK, maybe next week.

And then I read up on Hammett -- learned that he is a former mayor

of Costa Mesa, former planning commission chairman, former police

reserve officer, past chamber of commerce president and the person

who helped start Bristol Park Medical Group.

I finally thought, Hammett would make a great history column.

So here’s his story.

We’ll start with what he did for Costa Mesa and who he was for the

city.

He started Bristol Park Medical Group in 1960. The business now

has seven offices throughout the county and employs almost 1,000

people. In the beginning, there were five, maybe six doctors, said

Wilson, a friend of Hammett’s and also a former mayor of Costa Mesa.

The Pearl Harbor survivor, who was stationed there at the U.S.

Naval Hospital as a pharmacist’s mate, joined the Costa Mesa Police

Reserves in 1961 and held the position of senior reserve officer

until 1982.

He joined the Costa Mesa Planning Commission in 1963 and was

chairman for two of his seven years.

He was elected to the city council in 1970.

He became mayor in 1972.

He also, during these years, served on the Costa Mesa Chamber of

Commerce and was president of the group for two terms.

“I’ve had a rather diverse history,” said the 82-year-old Hammett,

who lives in Costa Mesa.

When asked what his favorite role in the city was, he said,

“Naturally, I enjoyed being the mayor. The head of the government,

it’s always nice to be.”

The Cleveland native said that his biggest accomplishments as

mayor included working closely with the state’s Department of

Transportation to get Highway 73 put in, improving the Bear Street

offramp and lighting TeWinkle Park.

Wilson said that as an early reserve officer with the Costa Mesa

Police Department, Hammett was one of the first to fly a helicopter

in the city.

“He flew them very often when it came to planning problems,”

Wilson said.

Hammett would fly with photographers who would take aerial photos

of big stretches of land that would later be used by the Planning

Commission.

He also had some stature on the state level. Then-governor Ronald

Reagan appointed him to the California Aeronautics Board and the

California Medical Examiners Board. Leo J. McCarthy, Speaker of the

Assembly, appointed Hammett to the Department of Transportation

Advisory Committee.

Today, Hammett is still active as chairman of the Freedom

Committee of Orange County. The group is made up of distinguished and

decorated combat veterans. They visit schools and speak.

“Our message to schools is that freedom is not free,” Hammett

said. “It’s been paid for.”

* Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a

historical LOOK BACK? Let us know. Contact Young Chang by fax at

(949) 646-4170; e-mail at young.chang@latimes.com; or mail her at c/o

Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627