Mr. Smith goes to Costa Mesa City Hall

Young Chang

With election fever running high, I thought it would be

interesting to write about a Costa Mesa councilperson who wasn’t

elected, who was sort of just chosen by the rest of the council

members and asked to join.

John Smith, a Pennsylvania native who moved to California in 1940,

was visited by two council members in 1956 and asked to fill an

unexpected vacancy. He had shown how active he was in various

community aspects of the city and had impressed council members with

his service-oriented ways.

“The council went out and wanted him,” said Bob Wilson, former

mayor of the city and historian. “He was just a civilian like you.”

The story, according to Wilson’s history “From Goat Hill to City

of the Arts: The History of Costa Mesa,” goes that Smith was happy

with the invitation. He became mayor of Costa Mesa in 1958.

Wilson’s book tells us that the late Smith, who died in 1981, was

orphaned at the age of two and learned virtues like honesty and

responsibility at an orphanage. After moving to California, he joined

the U.S. Air Force and became a cadet at the Santa Ana Army Air Base.

Smith later became a fighter pilot and served in the 459th Fighter

Squadron.

As a member of the community after all the military service, Smith

was just as active. He was a devoted member of the Costa Mesa Kiwanis

Club, of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and an appointed member

of the Boys’ Empire Scout Council of Orange County, according to

Wilson’s book.

He was president of the Orange County Chapter of the California

League of Cities and was “about as sweet as they come,” Wilson added.

Smith’s most prominent accomplishment as mayor was the formation of

TeWinkle Park.

“We went on record of asking our congressmen to take all this Air

Force land [and turn it] into what is now TeWinkle Park,” Wilson

said.

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

historical LOOK BACK? Let us know. Contact Jennifer Mahal by fax at

(949) 646-4170; e-mail at jennifer.mahal@latimes.com; or mail her at

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