By Sara Cardine
Staff Writer
July 10, 202611:16 AM PT
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How did Orange County become Orange County? Answering that question could take years, but a quicker response is available to anyone able to come out on Sunday to Costa Mesa’s Norma Hertzog Community Center
That’s where local author, content curator and O.C. culture maven-turned-historian Greer Wylder will share her notes on the people and places who’ve shaped the region, as showcased in her 2024 book, “Born in OC: Artists, Entrepreneurs and Visionaries Who Shaped Orange County, California.”
The latest installment in the Costa Mesa Historical Society’s Speaker Series, the afternoon discussion will cover Wylder’s mission to tell the stories of the county’s movers and shakers and industry leaders, both in her research for the book and through her website, “Greer’s OC,” and online newsletter “Daily Dose of OC.”
Greer Wylder’s “Born in OC: Artists, Entrepreneurs and Visionaries Who Shaped Orange County, California” was published in October 2024.
(Courtesy of Greer Wylder)
Wylder’s interview subjects range from businessman/philanthropist Anton Segerstrom and best-selling author Dean Koontz to Zoey Stevens, a scenic painter for Disneyland, and A.G. Kawamura, a third-generation produce farmer and former state secretary of food and agriculture who was the driving force behind the Farm + Food Lab at Irvine’s Great Park
“Everyone who I’ve interviewed could basically live anywhere, but everyone loves Orange County very much and they all give back in some way,” said the Costa Mesa resident
Wylder’s foray into publishing began in the early ’90s, when she covered new retail openings and other happenings in the Daily Pilot column “Best Buys.” But a 2005 layoff forced the columnist and mother of four sons to shift gears
“I was extremely upset, obviously, and one of my sons was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, so I decided to start my own publication,” she recalled Thursday. “This was pre-social media, so I started a website and a daily newsletter. And I’m celebrating my 20th year of that this month — it’s bananas.”
The site Greer’s OC focuses on the latest trends in fashion, travel and dining and puts its creator in touch with regional visionaries across industries, many of whom are featured in Q&A-style profiles, while the Daily Dose delivers notes on emerging lifestyle and culture brands directly to subscribers’ inboxes
One day in January 2020 while out on a run (she has so far completed 36 marathons), Wylder began hatching a plan for a new creation
“Everything I’d been doing for so many years and everything I’d done was so ephemeral — it’s all online,” she said. “I just wanted to do something tangible, something you can hold. And for 10 years, I’d had this idea for ‘Born in OC’ in the back of my mind.”
So she plumbed her network of contacts and engaged in untold hours of interviews, many heldthe narratives into a finished product that will be available for purchase and signing at Sunday’s event, which takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Costa Mesa community center, 1845 Park Ave
Costa Mesa Historical Society President Mikelle Fish, who organizes the bimonthly speaker-led events, said Wylder’s work and “Born in OC” were a perfect fit for the series
“This history touches on all the different areas we participate in — shopping, restaurants, parks and even cities’ streets and schools — and how they came to be,” Fish said. “By honoring that history, you learn about how and why we have the public spaces we do today.”
Sunday’s talk is free for members, $15 for non-members. RSVPs are recommended. For more, visit costamesahistory.org
