ORANGE, Calif. - Under bright blue Southern California skies, more than 200 family, friends and colleagues of pioneering Landscape Architect Courtland Paul gathered at Irvine Regional Park on Feb. 22 to pay homage to the man known for his bow ties and personable demeanor. Many in attendance wore bow ties as a tribute to Paul and shared stories about their friend. Paul died Jan. 28 of congestive heart failure. Chaplain Gary Wilson, from Vitas Hospice in Orange presided over the service. Paul?EUR??,,????'???s wife of 55 years, Nadine, shared memories of her high school sweetheart. She recounted when Paul went into the navy at 17, and the time they met bandleader Tommy Dorsey and got his autograph. "The best thing that ever happened to me was I got married," she said. "We had ups and downs but mostly ups." Sanford, Paul?EUR??,,????'???s son shared about his father?EUR??,,????'???s love of fly-fishing, Idaho and the Southern California hamburger stand In-N-Out Burger. While others shared many of these same stories, it was the love of his family that was the common theme throughout the service. "He was committed to everything he did," said Rae Price, Principal of Peridian Group and Paul?EUR??,,????'???s business partner for 35 years. "He was very committed to his family." Price shared his memories of Christmas parties at the Paul house and performances by the family band "Chain Link Fence" in which Paul played the drums. Price also shared with those in attendance Paul?EUR??,,????'???s tremendous influence on the landscape architecture community. He founded Courtland Paul/Arthur Beggs and Associates later known as Peridian Group. Under his guidance Peridian was instrumental in the design of many successful projects and communities in California. His plans included major plan and design elements for Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Irvine, Valencia, Westlake, El Dorado, Simi, and Rancho Santa Margarita to name a few. "I can remember when Mission Viejo was nothing," Price said. "What made it so desirable to so many was because of the vision of Courtland Paul." One of Paul?EUR??,,????'???s most innovative concepts was developed in the master plan for "Harbor Ridge" in Newport Beach, Calif. His creative approach to hillside development for this project so impressed the City of Los Angeles?EUR??,,????'??? planners that they consulted with Paul and revised the city hillside grading ordinance to include his "land form" grading techniques. This approach to hillside development is a standard for most cities in the state. "Harbor Ridge was Cort?EUR??,,????'???s baby," Price said. "He showed how to keep the immutable things of the land and how to reinforce it." Peridian Group was instrumental in the development of Irvine Regional Park when in the late 1970s, the company was retained by the County of Orange to build upon the sycamores and other trees. Paul specified that roads be removed that were destroying trees. Colleague John Durbin remembered a time when Paul used "symbolism" to make a point about eucalyptus trees. "I was drawing these eucalyptus trees all in a row, thinking it looked really natural," he said. "Cort came by and said "That?EUR??,,????'???s not how eucalyptus trees grow.?EUR??,,????'??? He took a three-hole punch and emptied it out on my desk and said, "That?EUR??,,????'???s how eucalyptus trees grow.?EUR??,,????'???" Nadine told LASN after the service that Paul never thought he was a teacher even though he was a teacher and mentor to so many. "He always said he didn?EUR??,,????'???t want to be a teacher," she said. "But looking around here today he really was." Nadine, daughter Pamela Burns; son-in-law Robert; daughter Robyn Cueva and son-in-law Gabriel; daughter Kimberly; son Sanford and daughter-in-law Catherine; nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren survive Paul. Another son, Scott was killed in a plane crash in Canada several years ago. The family has requested that any donations be directed to the "Courtland Paul Scholarship Fund" administered by the Landscape Architecture Foundation of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Checks for memorial gifts to the Courtland Paul Scholarship Fund should be made out to: LAF with "Courtland Paul Fund" noted on the memo line. Mail donations to: LAF, Attn: Ron Figura, 818 18th Street NW, Suite 810, Washington DC 20006.