Irvine Has Lost One of Our Local Treasures: Ed Pope

Ed Pope

Ed was born and raised in San Francisco. After earning his bachelor’s degree, in the early 1960s he served in the United States Army where he was assigned to the Seventh U.S. Army in Germany during construction of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile crisis.

The years he spent in the military helped to instill the values that shaped Ed’s later life. He once said that “the Army taught me a sense of duty, honor, and service to my country and my community.”

After his time in the military, Ed returned to California, completed his master’s degree, and began a 31-year career as a high school social studies teacher in Orange County. Ed often said that the decades he spent teaching were personally very rewarding — he felt he was part of a profession where he was making a positive difference in kids’ lives.

In 1972, Ed purchased a home in one of Irvine’s first villages, Turtle Rock. Later joined by his lovely wife Antoinette (Toni) Olivera, Ed lived in that home for the next 53 years, until his death.

Ed was named Orange County’s “High School Teacher of the Year” in 1984 by the Orange County Board of Education. In his acceptance speech, Ed said: “The fact I won the award is great, but what makes me most proud is knowing that so many of my students’ parents, colleagues, and community leaders took the time to write letters in support of my nomination.”

In addition to teaching, Ed spent more than 20 years volunteering with local youth and at-risk kids through his association with the Westminster Boxing Club. He was licensed by the California State Athletic Commission as a professional boxing trainer, serving as director of the club from 1974-1996, where he was able to provide youth in Orange County with alternatives to drugs and gangs.

Ed was one of the original leaders and advocates for building a Veterans Memorial Park & Cemetery at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station on what is now the northern edge of the Great Park.

His all-volunteer team gathered nearly 20,000 Irvine resident signatures twice in support of the project, and successfully defeated a land developer’s scheme to turn the former base into a massive development project. Irvine voters rejected the development scheme with a 63% to 37% vote!

Even after his stroke, Ed continued to lead the effort to make good on the City’s promise to our veterans and their families. His friends have vowed to continue the fight in his name. I cannot think of a better tribute to a man who believed so strongly in respecting and honoring those who served our great nation.