Carl Glassford made an indelible mark on Mission Viejo
Carl Glassford, the graphic designer who created the City of Mission Viejo seal, passed away this week. He was 78.
An artist and former resident of Mission Viejo, Carl designed and drew the seal for the City, which officially incorporated as a contract city on March 31, 1988.
Carl’s stamp on Mission Viejo dates back to 1984 when he served on the County of Orange's Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC). The MAC was one of the first local government organizations of the county area that would later be incorporated into the City of Mission Viejo. His work with the MAC and background as a graphic designer with Disney and other companies later caught the attention of Mission Viejo's first City Council (Norman P. Murray, William Craycraft, Christian Keena, Victoria Jaffe and Robert Curtis) in 1988 when they sought to create the City seal. Carl submitted some sketches, and community members provided their own ideas. A hallmark of this City, community participation was encouraged and embraced, and Carl was able to incorporate many of the community's ideas into the design. Two items of interest were: (1) the symbol on the right represents the old Rancho Mission Viejo's cattle brand; and (2) the torch that represents the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games, and more specifically, the Cycling Road Race which took place in Mission Viejo.
Carl and his wife Sherryl moved into their Mission Viejo home in 1970. Along with his design work for the City Council, he also volunteered to design and publish Mission Viejo High School's football team's program from 1994-1999. The program successfully highlighted local businesses and garnered much financial support for the team. Carl, Sherryl and their children embodied volunteerism – participating in many community service projects around Mission Viejo from 1970 through 2004. After residing in Mission Viejo for nearly 35 years, Carl and Sherryl moved out of state in 2004 to care for his mother. He passed away on November 10.
The City is grateful for Carl’s tremendous work and contributions, which will forever be etched into the fabric of Mission Viejo.
