Before Gwen Stefani entertained the world, she was a high school kid in a ska band in Anaheim; before Greg Louganis started collecting gold medals, he was diving into the Santa Ana College pool; and before Amanda Beard broke a world record in the Olympics she spent long days in an Irvine pool.
For the achievements these three and seven other Orange County greats went on to make, they were inducted Friday as the inaugural class of the OC Hall of Fame in a ceremony hosted by the OC Board of Supervisors. Friends and family gathered with county leaders for the celebrations as they accepted their plaques and posed for pictures, including country star Blake Shelter, Stefani’s husband.
Along with three Orange County Supervisors, the 2023 Inaugural Class of 10 honorees into the Orange County Hall of Fame or their representatives, pose for a photo in the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. They are from left: Amanda Beard, Supervisor Andrew Do, Frank Jao, Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, Elizabeth Segerstrom, wife of Henry Segerstrom, Greg Louganis, Michelle Lund, granddaughter of Walt Disney, Gwen Stefani, Supervisor Katrina Foley, Joanna Miller, granddaughter of Walt Disney, Bill H. Lyon, son of General William Lyon. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, left, stands by as Gwen Stefani holds her plaque during during her induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, left, speaks with Olympic gold medal diver and Orange County Hall of Fame inductee, Greg Louganis, right, prior to the induction ceremony for the 2023 Inaugural Class of 10 honorees at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisors Andrew Do, left, and Donald P. Wagner, second from right, and Katrina Foley, right, listen as Orange County Hall of Fame inductee and Olympic gold medal swimmer Amanda Beard, center, speaks during her induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, left, and Michelle Lund, right, granddaughter of Walt Disney, look on, as Joanna Miller, center, granddaughter of Walt Disney, speaks about her grandfather during the ceremony inducting the 2023 Inaugural Class of 10 honorees into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Blake Shelton, husband of Orange County Hall of Fame inductee, Gwen Stefani, stands in Board Hearing Room prior to the induction ceremony for the 2023 Inaugural Class of 10 honorees at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisors Andrew Do, left, and Donald P. Wagner, right, listen as Greg Louganis speaks during his induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisors Andrew Do, left, Donald P. Wagner, second from left, and Katrina Foley, third from right, pose for photos with Gwen Stefani and husband Blake Shelton, and members of Stefanixe2x80x99s family, following her induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, left, and Supervisor Katrina Foley, right, present Gwen Stefani with her plaque during her induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisors Andrew Do, left, Donald P. Wagner, and Katrina Foley, right, listen as Gwen Stefani speaks during her induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, January 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Elizabeth Segerstrom, left, wife of Henry Segerstrom, speaks about her husband as Orange County Supervisors Donald P. Wagner, center, and Katrina Foley, right, listen during Henryxe2x80x99s induction ceremony into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisors Andrew Do, left, Donald P. Wagner, and Katrina Foley, right, pose for photos with Greg Louganis, during his induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, left, gives an introduction for Orange County Hall of Fame inductee and Olympic gold medal swimmer Amanda Beard, center, as she stands with Supervisor Katrina Foley, right, during her induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Supervisors Andrew Do, left, and Donald P. Wagner, right, listen as Bill H. Lyon, center, son of General William Lyon, speaks during his fatherxe2x80x99s induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Frank Jao, left, speaks during his induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame as Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, stands at right during the ceremony at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
As the audience listens, Bill Medley speaks in a recorded video speech during his induction into the Orange County Hall of Fame at the County Administration building in Santa Ana on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“I grew up on a cul de sac in westside Anaheim, across the street from a strawberry field and Tom’s Farm’s market. My entire world was between Euclid Street and Harvard Boulevard,” Stefani said in her acceptance speech before the audience gathered in a hearing room usually used for government meetings.
“Orange County is where my dreams were born and the foundation that shaped my life. Anaheim California is my roots,” she said. “It’s my culture, and I’ve never left Anaheim behind. It’s always been with me. I’ve been able to share it with the world through my songs, through my style, and I’ve always had such pride and gratitude from where I’ve come from.”
Orange County is known for many things including its universities, sports teams, beaches and a thriving business community, Third District Supervisor Don Wagner said, all of which has been made possible by innovative leaders in the community.
“Orange County has been home to renowned scientists, actors, musicians, philanthropists, engineers, builders, athletes, soldiers, civic leaders, educators, innovators and so many more,” Wagner said during his opening remarks Friday. “They are decorated individuals, and the Orange County Hall of Fame was established to honor the world-changing contributions from those leaders across five categories of achievement: music, arts and entertainment, sports, indigenous, philanthropy, and civics.”
Beard, Louganis and Stefani attended the ceremony Friday along with fellow inductee Frank Jao, a developer and owner of Asian Garden Mall and leader in the Little Saigon community. Bill Medley, who rose to fame as one-half of The Righteous Brothers, recorded a video for the ceremony.
Also inducted were the late LA Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant, professional golfer Tiger Woods, Walt Disney, Gen. William Lyon, an Air Force major general who became a leading housing developer in the county, and Henry Segerstrom, developer of South Coast Plaza and a local philanthropist.
Family members of Disney, Lyon and Segerstrom accepted the honor on behalf of their loved one.
“A quick thing about my father is – he wouldn’t have said it about himself, but I’m going to – he would describe certain people as doers and he was definitely a doer,” Bill H. Lyon said. “He had many careers, enough for several lifetimes. He loved getting involved. Loved making things happen. I think that’s what this whole thing was about. Very proud of him and very thankful for the honor.”
Louganis said he was reminded of messages he hears from young people who look up to him, thinking of the people who share they are bullied for the color of their skin or sexual or gender identity, as well as those who have shared they are HIV positive.
“They point to me and say, ‘You’re my hero.’ My response to them is, ‘Be your own hero,’” Louganis said. “Use me as a benchmark to inspire you, but go beyond me. I want to see my records broken.”
From here on out, a Hall of Fame Ad Hoc Committee will be created each year by the Board of Supervisors to choose the next 10 inductees. Supervisors will nominate five individuals or businesses that have a minimum of 10 years as a resident or business owner in the county and had one major life experience or won a big award in Orange County or have been a civic leader.
“The Orange County Hall of Fame serves as a reminder that Orange County’s trailblazers shape our nation’s history, culture, and economy,” Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley said. “I look forward to sharing the stories of more great leaders with roots in our extraordinary communities.”
The Hall of Fame plaques will be installed in the lobby of the county administration offices for the community’s viewing. Wagner also invited the public to share the names of folks they would like to be considered for next year’s induction.
“I ask all of Orange County, let us know who comes next. Email, call,” Wagner said. “We do look forward to next year, and I hope all of you do, too.”
