HENRY T. SEGERSTROM, BUSINESS LEADER AND PHILANTHROPIST
HENRY T. SEGERSTROM, BUSINESS LEADER AND PHILANTHROPIST, DIES AT 91
Costa Mesa, CA, February 20, 2015 — Henry Thomas Segerstrom, the visionary real-estate developer, patron of the arts, and philanthropist died today at his home in Newport Beach, California at the age of 91 following a brief illness. Henry Segerstrom helped lead the world-renowned South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California to become the highest grossing retail center in the U.S. with annual sales in excess of $1.7 billion, and was the founding chairman and major benefactor of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The death was announced by C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, owner and manager of South Coast Plaza, of which Mr. Segerstrom was managing partner.
Born on April 5, 1923 in Santa Ana, California, Henry Segerstrom was born to a Swedish immigrant family that began farming in the area in 1898. Coming of age in the mid-20th century, Henry Segerstrom was instrumental in building the infrastructure and institutions vital to California’s tremendous growth. His leadership, influence and innovation played a major role in Orange County’s evolution from a largely agricultural region into a cosmopolitan center of culture and commerce. A cultural leader renowned for his brilliance, elegance and humility, he was also a dauntlessly enterprising businessman, who frequently quoted as his personal motto the guiding words he had learned in his military service during World War II: Be bold.
Elected president of his class at Santa Ana High School, Henry Segerstrom entered Stanford University at age 17, but interrupted his studies to enlist in the Army following Pearl Harbor. After training in Officer Candidate School, he was deployed to the European front as a captain in 1944 and was severely injured in combat in the Battle of the Bulge, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. During his recuperation, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Stanford, subsequently earning a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
In 1948, Southern California was primed for unprecedented economic growth. Mr. Segerstrom foresaw these changes, and positioned C.J. Segerstrom & Sons to play a major role in the region’s future by leading its transition from lima bean farming to real estate development. Among the manifestations of this new direction by C.J. Segerstrom & Sons was the development of the first air-conditioned office tower in Orange County, a seven-story bank building in Santa Ana.
In 1962 the Segerstrom family began to develop plans to build what would become South Coast Plaza. Against all odds, the retail center would go on to become the highest-grossing in the United States. Perhaps Mr. Segerstrom’s most influential innovation was the addition of luxury fashion boutiques to the retail mix. He began the transition by personally partnering in business with top international designers of the time, opening luxury boutiques with Courrèges, Halston and Yves Saint Laurent at South Coast Plaza. In subsequent years, Hermès opened its first store ever in a retail center and Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton soon followed. Mr. Segerstrom envisioned South Coast Plaza as a retail destination that could rival any in the United States, and would play a significant role in developing Orange County into a modern and urbane metropolitan region. His vision has been realized, as today South Coast Plaza is recognized for having the largest and most prestigious collection of luxury retailers in any planned development in the United States.
Mr. Segerstrom’s unfolding civic and cultural vision for Orange County prompted him to lead the Segerstrom family in acquiring and commissioning contemporary sculptures for the retail center and its adjacent properties. Starting in 1973, they acquired outdoor and indoor installations of major works by artists including Henry Moore, Tony Smith, Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, Jean Dubuffet, and George Rickey. Mr. Segerstrom’s effort to create what was, and is, an informal public sculpture park reached its height when, on behalf of the Segerstrom family, he commissioned Isamu Noguchi to create the sculpture garden California Scenario (1982), recognized as one of the artist’s most important works in the U.S. In 2006, Henry and Elizabeth Segerstrom commissioned Richard Serra to create the monumental Connector, Serra’s largest sculpture until that time.
Mr. Segerstrom’s drive to create a world-class cultural center gained impetus when the highly regarded South Coast Repertory Theatre Company approached the Segerstrom family for help in building a much-needed new home. In 1976, he helped organize a gift of land from the Segerstrom family to the theater company, the first in a series of land donations to Orange County arts organizations that would eventually total 14 acres.
In 1980, Mr. Segerstrom became the founding chairman and led the fundraising effort that would create the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC) on part of that land. The capital campaign raised $74 million in private funds to build a 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and endow OCPAC, with no government funding sought or accepted.
In response to the growing demand for the performing arts, plans were soon in development to construct a Lincoln Center-type complex by building an additional performance venue on the OCPAC site: a dedicated symphony hall. Mr. Segerstrom made a personal pledge of $40 million (which eventually rose to $51 million) toward the construction of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006. An expanded facility for South Coast Repertory Theatre was completed nearby on land also donated by the Segerstrom family.
In recognition of the Segerstrom family’s contributions, the entire arts campus was renamed Segerstrom Center for the Arts in 2011.
Not content to have guided the development of this complex, Mr. Segerstrom also took the lead in filling it with world-class programming. In 2006, to inaugurate the Cesar Pelli-designed Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Mr. Segerstrom and his wife Elizabeth orchestrated a three-week Mariinsky Festival, which included the North American premiere of the Mariinsky’s critically acclaimed production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, conducted by Valery Gergiev. The opening also included a Pacific Symphony-commissioned work by William Bolcolm based on seven poems by Federico Garcia Lorca, sung by Plácido Domingo.
In 2007, the Segerstrom’s launched the Elizabeth and Henry Segerstrom Select Series, an artistic collaboration with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, to present internationally acclaimed performers at the arts complex.
In 2009, Mr. Segerstrom established a partnership with Carnegie Hall— the first time in its history that Carnegie Hall’s special festival programming was presented to audiences outside of New York City.
Mr. Segerstrom contributed his time, resources and leadership as a board member to numerous local, national and international institutions including Carnegie Hall (which honored him with its Medal of Excellence in 2010), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (of which he was a founder), the White Nights Foundation of America and the American Friends of Versailles. He also served as the National Chairman of the Business Committee for the Arts from 1999 to 2002, and received the organization’s Leadership Award in 1993.
Mr. Segerstrom was dedicated to public leadership and service. He served on the boards of many corporations including Southern California Edison, Union Bank, Security Pacific, Bank of America and Safeco. He was publicly elected to serve on the Orange County Water District board for more than 20 years, including as chairman. During his tenure, the district was a leader in pioneering efforts to replenish the aquifer that underlies Orange County and protect it from salt-water intrusion. He led a team including Stanford University engineers to develop innovative reverse osmosis for a coastal desalination plant. This groundbreaking technology was later shared with Israel, earning Mr. Segerstrom the Tree of Life Award from the Jewish National Fund, presented to him by Margaret Thatcher.
The many honors and awards presented to Mr. Segerstrom include a Knighthood by His Majesty Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden. In 1986, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law from Western University, and in 2002 he received an honorary Doctorate from Whittier Law School. In 2008, he was awarded the annual Ernest C. Arbuckle Award by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, its highest alumni honor.
International leaders of business, luxury retailing, fashion, architecture, art and culture held Mr. Segerstrom in the highest esteem. He was a friend, colleague and patron of influential artists, designers and other creative minds, including Isamu Noguchi, Plácido Domingo, Richard Serra, Valery Gergiev and Cesar Pelli.
Henry T. Segerstrom leaves behind an unparalleled legacy of dedicated community leadership and a lifelong commitment to Southern California. Mr. Segerstrom’s vision, work ethic and unerring aesthetic helped transform a largely agricultural region into a diverse and thriving center of art and culture, innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership in business and technology.
Mr. Segerstrom is survived by his wife Elizabeth, his children Andrea, Toren and Anton, their spouses, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A public visitation and tribute will be held at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, CA on February 28. Visitation hours are from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM.
Media Contacts
Debra Gunn Downing, 714-435-2021 or 714-742-0005
downingd@southcoastplaza.com
Philippa Polskin, 212-593-6488 or 917-842-0908
polskinp@finnpartners.com
Sharon Ruebsteck, 212-715-1578 or 310-663-6313
ruebstecks@finnpartners.com
科斯塔梅萨,加州,2015年2月20日 — Henry Thomas Segerstrom,远见卓识的房地产开发商,艺术资助人和慈善家今天在位于加州纽波特海滩的家中病逝,享年91岁。Henry Segerstrom带领位于加州科斯塔梅萨的世界知名的南海岸广场成为美国零售额最高的购物中心,年销售额超过17亿美元。同时他也是Segerstrom艺术中心的创始主席和主要资助者。Henry Segerstrom去世的消息由C.J. Segerstrom & Sons,即南海岸广场的业主和管理者宣布。Segerstrom先生是其管理合伙人。
Henry Segerstrom1923年4月5日生于加州Santa Ana一个瑞典移民家庭。该家庭自1891年起在当地从事种植业。20世纪中叶,对加州经济巨大增长起到关键作用的基础设施和机构建设蓬勃发展。Henry Segerstrom在其中发挥了重要影响。他的领导能力、影响力和创新能力在橙县从一个主要的农业区发展成为一个文化和商业的国际中心过程中扮演了主要角色。他既是一位以才华横溢、举止优雅和谦逊而闻名的文化领导者,同时也是一位无畏进取的商人。他经常引述的座右铭是他在二战服役期间的指导:大胆无畏。
Henry Segerstrom在Santa Ana高中读书期间被选为年级主席,17岁进入斯坦福大学学习。珍珠港事件后中断学业,应召入伍。在候补军官学校受训后,他于1944年作为上校被派往欧洲,在阿斯登战役中受重伤,为此被授予紫心勋章。康复期间,他完成了斯坦福大学文学学士的学业,随后从斯坦福商学院获得商业管理硕士学位。
1948年,南加州经历了前所未有的经济增长。Segerstrom先生预见到这些变化,把C.J. Segerstrom & Sons从种植利马豆转到开发房地产。他对公司这一新的定位在当地未来的发展中起到了重要作用。橙县的第一座配备空调的办公大楼 − 一所位于Santa Ana的七层银行建筑的开发就是C.J. Segerstrom & Sons转型过程中的一个显著体现。
1962年Segerstrom家族开始制定后来成为南海岸广场的计划。面对各种困难,这座购物中心向着成为全美国最高营业额的方向发展。或许Segerstrom先生最具影响力的创新是在零售业中引入奢侈品牌精品店。为此,他亲自与当时最顶尖的国际设计师进行商业合作,在南海岸广场开了Courrèges,Halston和Yves Saint Laurent精品店。在随后的几年中,爱马仕开设了其有史以来在购物中心的第一家门店;迪奥,Gucci和路易威登紧随其后。Segerstrom先生对南海岸广场的设想是使其可以和美国任何一家购物中心媲美,并在橙县发展成为一个现代化大都市区域的过程中起到至关重要的作用。他的愿景已经实现,今天的南海岸广场被公认为拥有美国最大和最负盛名的奢侈品零售组合。
Segerstrom先生对于橙县不断发展的社会和文化愿景促使他带领Segerstrom家族为购物中心和毗邻的地域收购并安置当代雕塑作品。从1973年开始,他们收购了多位艺术家的主要室内和室外作品。这些艺术家包括亨利·摩尔,托尼·史密斯,亚历山大·考尔德,Joan Miró,让杜布菲,和乔治·瑞基。Segerstrom先生也致力于创造一个非正式公共雕塑公园。1982年,他的努力结出硕果。他代表Segerstrom家族委托野口勇创造了雕塑园加州剧情。这一作品被公认为是艺术家在美国最重要的作品之一。2006年,Henry和Elizabeth Segerstrom委托Richard Serra创造了不朽的作品连接器。这是当时Serra最大的雕塑作品。
备受推崇的南海岸剧团公司(South Coast Repertory Theatre Company)接洽Segerstrom家族,为建设其急需的新家寻求帮助。这为Segerstrom先生创造一个世界级文化中心的努力提供了新的动力。1976年,在他的帮助组织下,Segerstrom家族赠送给了剧团公司一块土地。这也开始了其家族后来一系列对橙县多家艺术团体的土地捐赠,总面积达到14英亩。
1980年,Segerstrom先生成为创会主席,并领导了在那片土地上建立橙县表演艺术中心(Orange County Performing Arts Center)的筹款活动。这一活动共筹集了7400万美元的私人资金,用于建立了一个3000个座位的Segerstrom音乐厅并向橙县表演艺术中心捐款。 期间没有寻求或接受任何政府拨款。
为了回应对表演艺术不断增长的需求,新的计划迅速发展 - 通过在橙县表演艺术中心的土地上增建演出场所,来构建一座林肯中心类型的建筑:一座专用的交响乐大厅。Segerstrom先生个人捐赠4000万美元(最终上升到5100万美元)来建造Renée和Henry Segerstrom音乐厅。该音乐厅于2006年开放。一个扩大了的南海岸剧团演出场地也在附近由Segerstrom家族捐赠的土地上建成。
为感谢Segerstrom家族的贡献,整个艺术园区于2011年更名为Segerstrom艺术中心。
除了带领这座表演艺术园区的建设,Segerstrom先生还率先为其安排世界级的演出节目。2006年,Cesar Pelli设计的Renée和Henry Segerstrom音乐厅落成,Segerstrom先生和他的妻子Elizabeth精心策划了为期三周的Mariinsky节,其中包括由格尔吉耶夫指挥的,Mariinsky广受好评的Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen在北美的首演 。开幕还包括太平洋交响乐团受委托,由William Bolcolm在Federico Garcia Lorca七首诗歌基础上作曲,多明戈演唱的曲目。
2007年,Segerstrom夫妻推出了Elizabeth和Henry Segerstrom精选系列,与橙县爱乐学会合作,在这座艺术建筑里呈现国际知名艺术家们的表演。
2009年,Segerstrom先生和卡内基音乐厅建立了合作关系 - 这是卡内基音乐厅历史上第一次将其特殊节日曲目呈献给纽约市之外的听众。
Segerstrom先生作为众多地方、国家和国际机构的董事会成员贡献着他的时间、资源和领导力,其中包括卡内基音乐厅(2010年授予他卓越奖章),洛杉矶的当代艺术博物馆(他是创始人之一),美国白夜基金会和美国凡尔赛之友。他还于1999至2002年之间担任艺术商务委员会的全国主席,并获得了该组织于1993年颁发的领袖奖。
Segerstrom先生热心领导公益和服务。他曾担任多家公司的董事,包括南加州爱迪生公司,联合银行,Security Pacific,美洲银行和Safeco。他通过公开选举当选橙县水务委员会成员超过20年,包括担任委员会主席。在他任职期间,该委员会成为领导补充橙县地下含水层,保护它免受盐水入侵开创性努力的领导者。他带领的团队中的斯坦福大学工程师们,创新性地研发了反渗透沿海海水淡化厂。这种突破性的技术后来与以色列共享,Segerstrom先生由此获得犹太民族基金会颁发的生命树奖,由撒切尔夫人为他颁奖。
Segerstrom先生获得的众多荣誉和奖项包括瑞典国王卡尔十六世·古斯塔夫授予的骑士称号。1986年,他被西方大学授予法学荣誉博士学位;并于2002年被惠蒂尔法学院授予名誉博士学位。2008年,他被的斯坦福大学商学院授予年度Ernest C. Arbuckle奖,该奖是斯坦福商学院校友的最高荣誉。
商业、高端零售、时尚、建筑、艺术和文化领域的国际领袖对Segerstrom先生表达了最高的敬意。Segerstrom先生是包括野口勇,多明戈,理查德·塞拉,格尔吉耶夫和西萨佩里在内的众多有影响力的艺术家、设计师和其它创意者的朋友、同事和资助者。
Henry T. Segerstrom留下了作为社会领袖无与伦比的传奇,以及对南加州长达一生的承诺。
Segerstrom先生的远见卓识、职业操守和无误的审美鉴赏力帮助把一个主要的农业区改变为一个多元化、蓬勃发展的艺术、文化、创新、创业精神和商业以及技术领导能力的中心。
Segerstrom身后留下妻子Elizabeth,子女Andrea, Toren和Anton,他们的配偶,六位孙子女和7位曾孙子、孙女。
公共探视和献花将于2月28日上午10:00至下午6:00在加州Santa Ana的Fairhaven Memorial Park举行。
媒体联络 Debra Gunn Downing, 714-435-2021 or 714-742-0005 downingd@southcoastplaza.com
Philippa Polskin, 212-593-6488 or 917-842-0908 polskinp@finnpartners.com
Sharon Ruebsteck, 212-715-1578 or 310-663-6313 ruebstecks@finnpartners.com