Great Park Honors its Heritage at 2009 El Toro Homecoming

Voices of El Toro's Historic Past Honored in Tribute

NOVEMBER 7, 2009 – IRVINE, California – Veteran’s Day came two days early at the Orange County Great Park when nearly 100 veterans returned with their families to the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), El Toro to be honored at the 2009 El Toro Homecoming. The El Toro Homecoming paid tribute to those who shared and documented their lives and memories through the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station Oral History Project, a collaboration between the Orange County Great Park Corporation and California State University Fullerton’s Center for Oral and Public History.

The day’s festivities began when Orange County Great Park Corporation Chair Larry Agran invited each narrator to stand and share their name, rank, when they were at El Toro, and where they are currently living. Three of the narrators in attendance were:

• Ernest Buford, a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. Buford was stationed at MCAS El Toro from 1949-50, 1951-52, and 1957-60. He served in both World War II and Korea as a pilot, taking part in combat missions. He currently resides in Laguna Woods, California.
• Corporal Pauline Buzan arrived at MCAS El Toro in 1943 and was one of the first female Marines to arrive at the air base. She worked in the officer’s mess hall, where she served Marines, celebrities, and dignitaries. At the age of 79 Mrs. Buzan joined the Peace Corps and currently lives in Laguna Woods, California.
• Sergeant James Ley was assigned to MCAS El Toro where he spent the next year working as an airplane mechanic on the F4U Corsair. Following his discharge in 1953, Mr. Ley returned home to Wisconsin to raise his growing family and now resides an hour from his birthplace in Lancaster, Wisconsin.

“The El Toro Homecoming was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and honor the people who made El Toro one of the finest military facilities in the country,” said Chair Agran. “The Great Park Oral History Program examines the evolution of Orange County during a time of extraordinary transition - from war to peace, from agriculture to industry, and from small towns to a vibrant metropolitan community.”

The Oral History Program is studying the impact of MCAS El Toro on the region and the community, including the transformation of the region’s economy after World War II and the changing demographics of the County. The Program is also exploring the individual experiences that helped to shape the region.

“The Great Park Oral History Program documents the relationship between a military base and the community that surrounds it,” said Dr. Natalie Fousekis, Director of Cal State Fullerton’s Center for Oral and Public History. “It provides a unique opportunity to explore the resulting transformation of the area after World War II and the changing demographics of Orange County while preserving the memories of the men and women who served the nation in times of war.”

Honorees and guests reminisced with friends at lunch next to historic airplane Hangar 244 and were treated to great big band music and dancing by Pete Jacobs and his Radio Wartime Review. They also enjoyed a reader’s theatre of performances by former and current CSUF master’s students, all of whom recorded oral histories for the project.

Those who served El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, or have fond memories of the former base and would like to participate in the Oral History Project, please call 657-278-8415 or e-mail [email protected] For more information about the Oral History Project please go to https://coph.fullerton.edu/

For more information about the Orange County Great Park, please go to www.ocgp.org

Press Contact:
Jenn Starnes
Public Information Officer
Orange County Great Park Corporation
(949) 724-6574