BOB PRATTE

Merlyn L. "Mack" McIntyre, a Hemet farmer with a penchant for thoroughness, should be remembered as a force behind one of the most significant historical developments in the San Jacinto Valley -- the 1960s construction of Sierra Dawn Estates that placed his city on the map as a retirement mecca and sparked development on the town's west side.

McIntyre, who suffered from heart ailments and pneumonia, died at age 84 in his sleep Tuesday at home. He possessed the homespun humor of an enthusiastic farmer, but he also was an innovative entrepreneur who doggedly followed his ideas to completion.

Funeral services are at 10 a.m. today at Miller-Jones Mortuary in Hemet.

He was an organizer of the volunteer 1950s building of Hemet District Stadium, which was torn down for construction of Jacob Wiens Elementary School. He ably served on the board for Eastern Municipal Water District.

"He wasn't highly educated, but when he got his mind into something, he became a scientist of what it was," said his son, Mike McIntyre.

He became an expert at water agency delivery systems and, most significantly, building an innovative senior housing project that changed Hemet.

I have an aerial photograph of Hemet taken in the 1950s, which was during Hemet's pre-Sierra Dawn era. The west side of town was a patchwork of farmers' fields. The McIntyre family lived way out in the country at Palm and Stetson avenues.

Mike McIntyre said Art Linkletter's attorney, who was marketing a portable irrigation system, conducted a demonstration of the watering device on their family's farm. The lawyer suggested it would be a great place for a unique development. Daunted by the cost of farming, McIntyre agreed to the proposal and Linkletter received a small share, which helped with promotion.

McIntyre owned about 50 percent and the other half was shared by several investors.

It was one of the first projects in the country where mobile-home owners could own their lots instead of renting space. There were some mobile-home parks in the valley with traditional leased spaces at the time.

Mike McIntyre said his father was highly involved with the design and visited similar projects in Arizona and Florida.

He said the layout of streets and recreation facilities were important to him, as was an innovative way to store trash cans in holes beneath the sidewalk, which later was changed to spare garbage collectors' backs.

The development of 1,474 mobile-home sites and four clubhouses spurred the famous influx of retirees to the west side of Hemet and remains a popular habitat for seniors today.

Dan Goodrich, operations manager for Sierra Dawn's homeowners association, said one intelligent aspect of the design remains a big help financially.

Instead of building Sierra Dawn behind gates with private roads, the lots are on city streets, saving the homeowners association considerable maintenance costs.

"The zoning people didn't know what to expect," Mike McIntyre said. "They knew what a mobile-home park was and they knew what a housing tract was, but they didn't know what it would be like to mix them."

What San Jacinto Valley residents witnessed was the innovative blend was a success.

Reach Bob Pratte at (951) 763-3452, bpratte@PE.com or 474 W. Esplanade Ave., San Jacinto, CA 92583.

LINKLETTER PARTNER: Merlyn L. "Mack" McIntyre helped pioneer a real-estate boom.

By HERBERT ATIENZA
The Press-Enterprise

HEMET - Merlyn L. "Mack" McIntyre, a longtime Hemet resident who was a partner of businessmen including TV personality Art Linkletter to establish Sierra Dawn Estates senior mobile home community, has died. He was 84.

Mr. McIntyre died Tuesday in his sleep at his Hemet home, said his son, Hemet resident Mike McIntyre. Mr. McIntyre battled a heart ailment, had pneumonia last fall, and felt weak in recent months.

A well-known farmer, businessman and civic leader in the San Jacinto Valley, Mr. McIntyre left his mark in Hemet in the early 1960s by helping form Sierra Dawn Estates, a sprawling senior mobile home community in which owners lived on their own lots.

The community, which became famous because of its frequent mention on Linkletter's television program, helped establish Hemet's identity as a retirees' haven.

"I don't think his vision was for it to put him on the map, it was economics more than anything else," Mike McIntyre said.

The family had grown walnuts, potatoes, carrots and other produce on about 440 acres of Sierra Dawn Farms, but his father struggled with the cost of farming, Mike McIntyre said.

He said this led his father to look into a proposal from businessmen, including Linkletter, who sought land to develop.

"It was an interesting adventure," said Linkletter, who described McIntyre as an enthusiastic business partner.

Born June 23, 1921, in Bakersfield, Merlyn McIntyre grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, and served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

His family inherited farm property in Hemet and in Fresno County. With a partner, Earl Stoltenberg, Mr. McIntyre formed Sierra Dawn Farms in the early 1950s.

Mr. McIntyre served 17 years as director and president of the Eastern Municipal Water District and was involved with a number of civic and community groups.

He also developed several buildings in the San Jacinto Valley that have become local landmarks, including the former Automobile Club of Southern California building, now DaVita Dialysis, and the Sir George Smorgasbord, now the Sizzler restaurant.

Aside from his son, Mr. McIntyre is survived by his wife, Eleanor; a daughter, Maureen Christopher, of Oxnard; a son, Marshall, of Hemet; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Viewing will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Miller-Jones Mortuary, 1501 W. Florida Ave., Hemet.

Funeral services are at 10 a.m. Friday at Miller-Jones. A reception will follow at the Ramona Room. Graveside services will be private.

Reach Herbert Atienza at (951) 763-3464 or hatienza@PE.com