Free Republic

Henry T. Segerstrom, the arts philanthropist and visionary behind South Coast Plaza who helped turn his family's lima bean fields into one of the most successful shopping malls in the United States, died Friday . He was 91. Segerstrom was known for his charitable giving – he made the largest single private donation in Orange County history, $40 million in 2000 to expand the Orange County Performing Arts Center – and for luring high-end retailers to Orange County. In 1978, he successfully courted Nordstrom, persuading the luxury department store to open its first location outside the Pacific Northwest, forever changing...