Guide to the Ray E. Williams Files on Newport Bay Environmental Issues
MS.R.108
Christine Kim
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
(cc) 2011
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Ray E. Williams files on Newport Bay environmental issues
Creator:
Williams, Ray E.
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.108
Physical Description:
3.3 Linear Feet
(8 boxes and one XOS folder)
Date (inclusive): 1942-2003
Date (bulk): 1968-1988
Abstract: This collection comprises the papers of
Ray E. Williams, an environmental and political activist in Newport Beach, California. The
collection documents Williams's efforts as president of the board of Friends of Newport Bay
(1973-1976), as well as his work as a member of the Newport Beach City Council (1976-1980),
to preserve the Upper Newport Bay's wildlife and natural environment. The collection
includes correspondence, reports, maps, meeting minutes, newsletters, clippings, analyses,
speeches, and teaching materials.
Language of Material:
English .
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by
the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish,
please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Ray E. Williams Files on Newport Bay Environmental Issues. MS-R108. Special Collections and
Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Ray E. Williams, 2003.
Processing History
Processed by Christine Kim, 2010.
Historical Background
Ray E. Williams is an environmental activist in Newport Beach, a city in Orange County,
California. He was a member of the Friends of Newport Bay, serving as president from 1973 to
1976, and was a member of the Newport Beach City Council from 1976 to 1980. He also taught
at California High School in Whittier for 12 years and then joined the faculty at Rio Hondo
College as an environmental biologist. He worked to preserve Upper Newport Bay's wildlife
and natural environment, eventually becoming involved in the creation of the Upper Newport
Bay Ecological Reserve, which was established in 1975.
Williams was born in Los Angeles, California in 1933. His father was the librarian at
Whittier High School and the family relocated to Newport Beach each summer, living in a tent
camp on 19th Street for a few weeks up to two months from about 1938 to 1942. He lived in
Newport Beach as an adult from 1969 to 1981.
Williams took an evening class at UC Irvine in 1969 after he had started teaching at Rio
Hondo College. The class, aimed at teachers, was about Orange County environmental problems
and issues. Williams worked with a group on a class project that focused on the Upper
Newport Bay, also known as the Back Bay. He attended a tour of the Back Bay with Bob Fry, a
Newport Harbor High School teacher, as tour leader. Williams got involved after the tour and
was heavily involved with the organization for the next 10 years.
Williams' main involvement in Friends of Newport Bay began in 1973, following successful
efforts by local activists to save the Upper Newport Bay from development by halting a land
exchange between Orange County and the Irvine Company. The organization was asked what they
wanted for the future of the Back Bay, and environmental activists Frank and Frances
Robinson led a group of about a dozen citizens to prepare a plan for a park reserve, for
which Williams was a spokesperson. The Friends of Newport Bay was founded in 1967, later
renamed Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends after merging with the Upper Newport Bay
Naturalists in 2000, then the Newport Bay Conservancy in 2010.
Williams got involved in Newport Beach politics through an appointment to the Newport Beach
Planning Commission, after which he was elected to the Newport Beach City Council. The major
issues during his years on the city council were a senior citizens center and efforts to
slow growth. From 1978 to 1980, Williams and other environmentalists led the Newport Beach
City Council with a five to two majority. Williams served as mayor pro tem from 1978 to
1980. In the 1980 election, Williams and Mayor Paul Ryckoff, the two incumbents, were
defeated by a three to one margin.
Williams retired from full-time teaching at Rio Honda College in May 2006, continuing to
teach part-time thereafter. He retired as a guide for monthly Back Bay tours in 2006. He was
elected to the Board of Directors of the Newport Bay Conservancy in 2011.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises the files of Ray E. Williams, an environmental and political
activist in Newport Beach, California. Materials were largely created and compiled while
Williams was president of Friends of Newport Bay (1973-1976) and while he was a member of
the Newport Beach City Council (1976-1980). These files reflect his involvement in the
preservation of the Upper Newport Bay's wildlife and natural environment, including his
efforts toward the creation of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve. Forms of materials
include correspondence, reports, maps, meeting minutes, newsletters, clippings, analyses,
speeches, and teaching materials.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 3 series:
- Series 1. Friends of Newport Bay files, 1942-2003, 1.2 linear feet
- Series 2. Newport Beach City Council files, 1973-1981, 1.5 linear feet
- Series 3. Reports and other materials, 1971-2003, 0.6 linear feet
Related Collections
Related materials can be found in the following collection: Collection on Upper Newport
Bay. MS-R94. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine,
California.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Public lands -- California -- Upper Newport Bay -- History --
Sources
Activists -- California -- Orange County.
Newport Beach (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century --
Sources
Land use -- California -- Upper Newport Bay
Newport Bay (Calif.) -- Environmental conditions -- 20th
century
Wetland conservation -- California -- Upper Newport Bay
Ecological reserves -- California -- Upper Newport Bay
Newport Bay (Calif.) -- Archives.
Land use -- Environmental Aspects -- California -- Orange
County
Williams, Ray E. -- Archives
Friends of Newport Bay -- Archives
Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve (Calif.) --
Archives
Friends of Newport Bay files Series 1.
1942-2003
1968-1988
Physical Description: 1.2 Linear
Feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains materials generated by the Friends of Newport Bay, including
correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, publications, and newspaper clippings. The
bulk of the materials were created while Ray Williams was president of the Friends of
Newport Bay.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by topic or material type.
Back Bay Trunk Sewer: reports and other materials
folder XOS 01
Maps of proposed trunk sewer,
1977 February 14
box 1, folder 1-4
Reports, correspondence, and other materials,
1976-1978
box 1, folder 5
Birds in Newport Bay list,
undated
box 1, folder 6-13
Clippings, correspondence, and other materials,
1969-2003
Scope and Content Summary
Includes writings, advertisements about local ecological issues, and analyses.
Note
During processing, clippings were photocopied for preservation. Originals were
discarded.
Compiled materials
Arrangement
Materials were compiled by Williams in a notebook, the order of which was retained
during processing.
box 2, folder 1
Board meeting agendas and minutes,
1973-1976
box 2, folder 2
Handouts and newsletters,
1968-1975
box 2, folder 3
Orange County Foundation for Preservation of Public Property
papers,
1968-1975
box 2, folder 4
Public presentation materials and notes,
1968-1976
box 2, folder 5
Published materials,
1942-1975
box 2, folder 6
Research papers and other materials,
1969-1974
box 2, folder 7
Training materials for tour guides and other materials,
1966-1968
Correspondence and other materials
box 2, folder 8-10
Correspondence,
1968-1977
Correspondence, reports, map, and other materials
box 3, folder 1, box 2, folder 11-12
Correspondence, reports, and other materials,
1970-1982
folder XOS 01
Map of Upper Newport Bay area,
1970 June 12
box 3, folder 2
Summaries of letters, speeches, and testimony, 1968-1980,
undated
Scope and Content Summary
The summaries correspond with letters that are located in Correspondence, box 2,
folders 8-10.
box 3, folder 3
Newport Bay research papers,
1972, 1981
box 3, folder 4
Plants in Newport Bay list,
1977 June
box 3, folder 6
Slope Stability Study: Upper Newport
Bay
,
1974
box 3, folder 7-8
Upper Newport Bay Field Committee: reports, correspondence, and other
materials,
1973-1974
box 3, folder 9
Upper Newport Bay park proposal,
1973 September
box 3, folder 10
Upper Newport Bay teacher packet,
1995-1996
Scope and Content Summary
Contains resources including essays, notes, schedules, newsletters, a map, and an
activity guide.
box 3, folder 11
Wetlands: newsletters and other materials,
1988-1992
Newport Beach City Council files Series 2.
1973-1981
Physical Description: 1.5 Linear
Feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series documents Ray Williams's work on the Newport Beach City Council, and
contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, reports, and other materials. Also
included are the planning papers of several city development projects, as well as
election documents.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by topic or material type.
box 3, folder 12
Campaign notes and related materials,
1978-1980
box 3, folder 13
Candidate questions and responses,
1980
box 4, folder 1-10
Clippings, political advertisements, and analyses,
1976-1983
Note
During processing, clippings were photocopied for preservation. Originals were
discarded.
box 4, folder 11
The Irvine Company v. The City of Newport Beach lawsuit:
correspondence,
1980 February
box 5, folder 1
Legal research: reports, journal articles, and statutes,
1973-1976
Pacific Coast Highway Bay Crossing Planning Committee materials
folder XOS 01
Maps of Pacific Coast Highway bridge plans,
1973-1974
box 5, folder 2-5
Correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, and related
materials,
1974-1975
box 5, folder 6
Re-election documents and related materials,
1980-1981
box 5, folder 7-9, box 6, folder 1
Section 208: Water conservation project materials,
1976-1980
Scope and Content Summary
Contains correspondence, work plans, progress reports, newsletters, clippings, and
meeting materials.
box 6, folder 2
Speech drafts, clippings, and other materials,
1974-1976
box 6, folder 3
University Drive extension: correspondence, reports, and other
materials,
1975-1981
Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve materials
folder XOS 01
Maps of proposed Back Bay trunk sewer,
1976
box 6, folder 4-6
Correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, and other materials,
1973-1977, undated
Reports and other materials Series 3.
1971-2003
1971-1986
Physical Description: 0.6 Linear
Feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises reports, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, settlement agreements,
writings, and other materials on Newport Bay compiled by Williams.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by report title, topic or material type.
box 6, folder 7
At the Crossroads: A Report on California's Endangered
and Rare Fish and Wildlife
,
1972 January
box 6, folder 8
Back Bay Trunk Sewer: Summary of Project and
Conditions
report,
1977 August
box 6, folder 9
Chronology of events in Newport Bay from 1901 to 1998,
undated
box 6, folder 10
City and School Politics
manuscript,
undated
box 6, folder 11
Determination of the Age of the Islands in Upper
Newport Bay
report,
1974 February
Scope and Content Summary
Report was written by Royal R. Marshall, a consulting geochemist.
box 6, folder 12
Development and Comparison of Alternative Management
Systems
report,
1982 August
box 7, folder 1
Important Fish & Wildlife Habitats of
California
report,
1980 September
box 7, folder 2
Newport Bay Tour student report,
1981
Scope and Content Summary
A school assignment on Newport Bay. Includes labeled photographs of plants, birds,
and the Upper Newport Bay landscape.
Processing Note
In order to comply with privacy laws governing student records, the report's title
page was copied to redact the student author's name. The original title page was
removed from the collection.
box 7, folder 3
Newport Beach Annual Report,
1974-1975
box 7, folder 4
Photographs,
circa 1978-1980
Scope and Content Summary
One photograph of Paul Ryckoff, mayor of Newport Beach (1978-1980), and three
photographs of a Friends of Newport Bay event.
box 7, folder 5
Political figures of the 1970s in Newport Beach list,
2003, undated
box 7, folder 6-7
Preliminary Title Report of the Three Islands in Upper
Newport Bay
,
1974 June
Scope and Content Summary
Contains a preliminary attorney's opinion, and includes maps, a list of pertinent
case laws, an introductory letter, findings of fact and conclusions of law, a
recapitulation of the report, a list of exhibits, and a bibliography.
box 7, folder 8
Sedimentation Analysis report,
1982 July
Sediment Source Analysis and Sediment Delivery
Analysis
report
folder XOS 01
Maps of Upper Newport Bay watershed and drainage areas,
1982
box 7, folder 10
Silt Removal: Upper Newport Bay
report,
1973 November
box 7, folder 11
Speeches, letters to the editor, and other materials,
1980-1986
Scope and Content Summary
Also includes campaign materials, notes, and clippings.
box 7, folder 12
Stormflow Sedimentation Control Alternatives
report,
1982 October
box 8, folder 1
Study of Environmental Quality of Newport Bay
report,
1972 September
box 8, folder 2
Upper Newport Bay Cooperative Planning Project
report,
1971 November
box 8, folder 3-4
Upper Newport Bay settlement agreement,
1975
Scope and Content Summary
Land transfer to the County of Orange and the City of Newport Beach, by the Irvine
Company. Also includes an agreement to create an ecological reserve in Upper Newport
Bay.
box 8, folder 5
Upper Newport Bay Teacher Workshop materials,
1996
box 8, folder 6
Writings: notes and drafts,
1978-1980
Scope and Content Summary
May include notes from city council meetings.