ARTHUR Garretson’s original name was Gerritsen. The family came from Voorst in Gelderland. The man had tremendous energy and imagination. In California, he was brought in by a group of entrepreneurs to build the city of Corona, just outside Los Angeles. Arthur, with the Dutch knowledge of water in his back pocket, made sure above all that the city would have drinking water supplied.
He built the Grand Boulevard, an almost 3-mile-long ring road, hence the name Corona. Three speed races were run on it. After that, things quieted down. Lucy Ball came to live here. Fender built its guitar factory in town. And today the Monster energy drink also comes to you from Corona. Something Mr. Gerritsen didn’t need; he had plenty of energy himself.
In South Dakota, they named a town after him.
