Jared Farmer. Farmer is the author of three books of landscape history, most recently "Trees in Paradise: A California History." His book "On Zion's Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape" won the prestigious Francis Parkman Prize for best-written nonfiction work on an American theme, a literary award that honors the "union of the historian and the artist."
Stephen Gee. Gee has worked on numerous award-winning television productions. As a senior producer for ITV Studios, Gee has directed and produced coverage of high-profile news stories, including four U.S. presidential elections. A graduate of City University, London's prestigious postgraduate newspaper journalism course, Gee lives in Los Angeles. "Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles" is his first book.
Gregory Orfalea. Orfalea was born and raised in Los Angeles. His newest of nine books is "Journey to the Sun: Junipero Serra's Dream and the Founding of California." Orfalea has taught at the Claremont Colleges and Georgetown University and has been named director of California Studies at Westmont College.
The following are my notes on the panel conversation. There are likely errors in what I'm writing. Hopefully, none done on purpose.
Jared Farmer. He grew up in South Gate. The family moved to Utah. His dad attempted to recreate the California landscape via planting trees. When he went to Stanford, he noticed all the orange and palm trees. His love of trees made him think: what can I do with trees to provide an unusual take on history. Trees represent a conquest of California as the state had very few trees initially.
California has the oldest and tallest trees in the world. California has a monopoly on certain trees: almond trees. Trees in California are also symbolic. Palm trees signify the California Dream.
He is criticized for not writing about oak trees. He had to make certain decisions and felt the eucalyptus trees provided a better narrative.
Stephen Gee. He took tours while working in Downtown LA. He learned that the architect associate with many of the buildings was John Parkinson. He was intrigued. Also, Gee's father and Parkinson came from the same town in Ireland. Parkinson designed the Coliseum, Union Station and much of USC. He had no formal education in architecture.
Parkinson arrived in America in 1885. One of his thoughts: One needs to be civil and polite in order not to get shot or stabbed. He went home every year. How do you talk to friends when you helped define a city? He got into architecture by chance. He was drawing out his future house when his landlord came over and saw his drawing. It was suggested that he design an addition to a bank.
Gee got so caught up in his research that one day while looking at old newspapers in the library, he saw an advertisement for a Parkinson showing. He wanted to go until he realized the ad was from 1928. Gee believes a great myth about Los Angeles is that there is no great architecture. He was nearly finished with his book when he found a diary by the daughter. He wishes he could have included that in his book.
Gregory Orfalea. Wrote a book about Junipero Serra who is either seen as a saint or as being guilty of genocide. He definitely had a blindside related to the floggings of Native Americans. California was planted in Spanish imagination. This might have drawn Serra to California. Orfalea was excited to retrace California through the eyes of another. If his book could have been longer, Orfalea wished he could have traced the lineage of Native Americans who were baptized or married by Serra.
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