75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
The
Orange County REALTORS®
Legacy
By Michelle McCann and Sherri M. Butterfield
P
eople often inquire about the origins of Orange County REALTORS®–a question that leads us through an intricate history involving several associations, mergers, and the evolution of names. Before we embark on this journey through seven and a half decades of legacy, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated members, past and present leaders, and all those who have been instrumental in making Orange County REALTORS® what it is today!
Our story begins in San Clemente, the southernmost city in Orange County. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, San Clemente was founded in 1925 by former Seattle Mayor Ole Hanson. He envisioned a Mediterraneanstyle coastal resort town whose hill, mountain, and ocean views would make it a haven for Californians weary of urban living. San Clemente was incorporated as a city on February 27, 1928. Twenty years later, on November 17, 1948, the San Clemente Board of REALTORS® was chartered by the National Association of REALTORS®, and it is to this event that Orange County REALTORS® traces its beginnings.
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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2023
OC REALTOR®
1948
1966
San Clemente Board of REALTORS®
San Clemente– Capistrano Valley Board of REALTORS®
In that same year, Warner Brothers showed the first color newsreel, which was of the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl; Democrat incumbent Harry Truman defeated Republican Thomas Dewey, “Dixiecrat” Strom Thurmond, and Progressive Party candidate Henry Wallace to become President of the United States; the United Nations established the World Health Organization (WHO); the Berlin Airlift began, and the Soviet Union started jamming Voice of America broadcasts. On May 10, 1966, the National Association of REALTORS® approved a name change from San Clemente Board of REALTORS® to San Clemente– Capistrano Valley Board of REALTORS®; and five years later, on May 11, 1971, approved another name change for this group to South Orange County Board of REALTORS®.
