Legend gets his Park Place

June Casagrande

For decades, the residents of Shore Cliffs have known that a legend

lives among them.

Arnold Beckman, whose name graces college buildings from here to

Illinois and whose innovations in medical instruments have helped

save untold lives, turned 103 on Thursday. In his honor, neighbors of

the seaside development where Beckman has lived more than 40 years

dedicated a park in honor of Beckman and his deceased wife, Mabel.

“We think he certainly deserves a recognition like this,” said

Robert Scholler, a longtime neighbor of Beckman’s who was among the

Beckman fans who hatched the idea for the Arnold and Mabel Beckman

Park.

Scholler and others held a little ceremony on Beckman’s birthday

to dedicate the approximately 100-foot-by-290-foot park at the

Seaward Road entryway to the 140 homes that comprise Shore Cliffs.

“We really wanted to honor him.”

Beckman is the scientist and philanthropist behind the Beckman

Laser Institute at UC Irvine, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

and the Beckman Coulter Co., which he founded as Beckman Instruments

Inc.

His scientific achievements include advances in neonatal

incubators and in laser technology for medicine and other

applications. His philanthropic legacy includes matching funds

donated for college buildings at UC Irvine, Chapman University and

the University of Illinois.

The foundation has also benefited ecological causes, including a

$7.5 million donation to the Zoological Society of San Diego to help

build the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Reproduction of

Endangered Species at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

“About 20 years back we had a big problem in the neighborhood with

raccoons coming up out of Buck Gully and tearing up roofs of the

houses,” Scholler recalled. “The animal control people loaned us

traps but the traps didn’t work. The raccoons would get the meat and

leave. They were smarter than we were.

“So one day when Beckman left work early, he was over 80 years old

at the time, mind you, and went in his garage and built a good trap,

a big one, that really worked. He caught a bunch of raccoons and then

loaned it to the neighbors and everybody turned the raccoons over to

animal control. That’s the kind of guy he was. At 80 years old you’d

see him on his roof up there making repairs. He liked to get things

done.”

Scholler said that the park at Shore Cliffs will continue to be

undeveloped open space, with a bench commemorating Beckman’s

contributions.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.