Obituary of Arthur Holloway Edwards

Arthur Holloway Edwards Arthur Holloway "Art" Edwards was born September 3, 1918, in Whittier, California, to Nicholas Tillinghast ("N.T.") and Grace Holloway Edwards. He departed this life on August 19, 2010, at Pacific Coast Manor in Capitola, just two weeks short of his 92nd birthday. In between, he packed a whole lot of living. Art grew up in Whittier, attending grammar school and middle school there, graduating from Whittier Union High School in 1935. At Whittier College, where he was president of the Lancer Society, he earned a B.A. in Chemistry in 1940. Except for his service in World War II, Art lived his entire life within the state of California, first in Whittier, then in Long Beach, Santa Ana, Chico, and Sacramento. Upon his retirement, he moved to Shingle Springs, then to Pacific Grove, and finally, to Santa Cruz. At the start of World War II, Art was working at Lockheed in Burbank, but in 1942 he was appointed an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve and one year later was promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade. In 1944 he attended Radio Material School at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, to study radio and RADAR countermeasures and in July of that year he was promoted to Lieutenant. He served in the both the European and Pacific Theaters and was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries received during the invasion of Southern France. At the time of his discharge in 1946, he was a Qualified Communication Specialist in Counter Measures. After the War, Art worked as a chemist at Vapor Recovery in Carson, California. In the '50s and '60s, he was an industrial sales representative for Southern Counties Gas Company. After moving to Sacramento in the late '60s, Art had some interest in becoming a lobbyist but ended up as an Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms for the California State Assembly, a position that he held for 14 years until his retirement. Electronics, music, outdoor pursuits (camping, hiking, skiing, showshoeing, boating, and, occasionally, golf) were Art's favorite activities. For many years, he also had a private pilot's license. He loved to travel, especially to Hawaii, the San Juan Islands in Washington State and throughout the Southwest. In the ten years that he lived at Dominican Oaks in Santa Cruz, he enjoyed participating in their musical and informative activities. He hosted a series of "Meet Your Neighbors" events where he interviewed fellow residents with interesting stories to tell and he was always willing to suggest musical groups to perform for the residents. His final performance at Dominican Oaks was at a talent show in March of 2010 where he sang and played "Lovely Hula Hands" on his ukulele, accompanying another resident who performed the hula associated with that song. Art's memberships in Toastmasters International, the Sierra Club, the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, the Sacramento Ragtime Society, Gold Discovery Park Association, El Dorado National Forest Interpretive Association, and the Ukulele Club of Santa Cruz reflect his wide range of interests. While living in the Monterey Bay area, he did volunteer work at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's Bay Net shoreline naturalist program and at Dominican Hospital. In 1949, Art married Gloria Jane Vesper, of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They had one daughter, Marguerite Lynn, and a son, Arthur Jon, who tragically lived for less than 24 hours. They were divorced in 1964 and Gloria passed away in 1991. Art is survived by his daughter, Lynn Edwards Terashita. A memorial service is pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to one of the following organizations: Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, 617 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-4148; www.landtrustsantacruz.org El Dorado National Forest Interpretive Association, ENFIA, 100 Forni Road, Placerville, CA 95667; Yosemite Conservancy, 155 Montgomery Street, Suite 1104, San Francisco, CA 94104, website: www.yosemiteconservancy.org. Arrangements are under the direction of Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.