Our speaker today was a very well known author, public relations consultant and stand-up comic. If you have never met Nat Read, he is a character that not only thinks “out of the box”, but out of this world. In his role as a PR consultant, he founded Read Communications in Pasadena in 1985, which provides counsel on government relations and crisis management. Nat earned his history degree at Austin College. He served as a line officer in the U.S. Navy from 1962-1965 and finished active duty in the Naval Reserve as a public affairs officer. He then became a freelance cartoonist and an advertising copywriter. He became a public relations executive with Sears Roebuck for seventeen years until he opened his own firm. He served as a reserve officer in the L.A.P.D. south L.A. gang suppression division and with the vice squad in Hollywood. As a stand-up comic he has appeared at the Comedy Store, Improv and the Ice House. In his first comment at the podium he remarked about his days with the Vice Squad by saying he recognized some familiar faces of our members. Then he told the one about the guy who tried to rob him when he demanded, “Give me your wallet”, Nat replied, “are your crazy, its Victim Appreciation Week”, they argued about it so long the cops finally arrived.

Nat decided to write a book about a mountain man who became mayor of Los Angeles that many people might not know, Don Benito Wilson. Ever hear of Mt. Wilson? Yep, named after the same. He is largely unknown today because, until now, no one has published his story. Mr. Wilson was in the first party of Overland Settlers to reach Southern California and led the first battle of the Mexican War as a Captain in the U.S. Army. He was a successful mountain man who led the first non-Indian group into the San Bernardino Mountains and named the Bear Lake Area. Don Benito Wilson owned gold and silver mines in Southern California (yes, Southern California) and was one of the largest Vintners and citrus growers in the country. He started the predecessor college to USC and was president of the first railroad in Los Angeles.

It turns out that Don Benito Wilson was one of the most significant pioneers of Los Angeles. He was the grandfather of General George Patton and he owned Beverly Hills, UCLA and large parts of downtown Los Angeles. With that he owned the Cities of Riverside, Pasadena, Alhambra, San Marino, Altadena, Culver City and Wilmington and was one of the wealthiest persons in Los Angeles. Mr. Wilson was also the second Mayor of Los Angeles, sitting on the first City Council, and was an L.A. County Supervisor. Nat Read must have dug deep during his research to find out about Don Benito Wilson, he must of used his History degree to pull out all the stops because this book sounds fascinating. It took Nat three years to research Wilson’s life, visiting libraries, museums, archives and historical societies in California and Tennessee, Wilson’s birthplace. Thank you Nat, great program.

Pat Dolphin