Edwin I. Power Jr.
{{short description|American aviator & businessman (1922-2017)}}
Edwin I. Power Jr. (a.k.a. Ed Power Jr.) was the son of Edwin I. Power Sr. and Helen Harbison Power, the founders of the Nut Tree in Vacaville, California. Ed Power Jr., a pilot and aviation enthusiast, was responsible for the creation of the Nut Tree Airport.{{cite web |title=Ed Power, Nut Tree owner, aviation legend |url=http://www.kenwoodpress.com/pub/a/9384 |website=Kenwood Press |accessdate=24 October 2018 |date=1 April 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Fu |first1=Kimberly K. |title=Solano community remembers local leader, airport founder Ed Power |url=https://www.thereporter.com/2017/03/20/solano-community-remembers-local-leader-airport-founder-ed-power/ |accessdate=24 October 2018 |publisher=The Reporter |date=20 March 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Edwin I. Power
| birth_date = September 9, 1922
| birth_place = Unknown
| death_date = {{dda|2017|3|30|1922|9|9}}
| death_place = {{nowrap|Kenwood, California, United States}}
| father = Edwin I. Power Sr.
| mother = Helen Harbison Power
| education = Vacaville High School, Vacaville, California
| occupation = Aviator
Businessman
}}
Early life
Ed Power Jr. was born on the landmark Harbison Ranch in Vacaville, California to parents Edwin I. Power Sr. and Helen Harbison Power. Power attended Vacaville High School and served in the U.S. Air Corps as a mechanic on B-17 bombers. After returning from his World War II service, Power learned to fly on the G.I. bill and became "a national legend in aviation."{{cite web |title=Ed Power - Obituary |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sonomanews/obituary.aspx?n=ed-power&pid=184673985 |website=Legacy.com |accessdate=24 October 2018 |date=24 March 2017}}
Nut Tree and the Nut Tree Airport
Ed Power Jr. was one of the second-generation ownership partners of the Nut Tree, along with his brother Robert Power and sister Mary Helen Power. Ed Power Jr. "was the visionary for much of the world-famous institution." A trip to Denmark in 1957 gave Power and Nut Tree design director Don Birrell the idea of designing the Nut Tree's patio area to resemble the Tivoli Gardens with special lighting and kiosks.{{cite web |last1=McManis |first1=Sam |title=Nut Tree Nostalgia / A premier roadside attraction may be headed for a rebirth |url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Nut-Tree-Nostalgia-A-premier-roadside-3304706.php |website=SF Gate |date=25 February 2000}} Power commissioned Charles Eames to design the Nut Tree's furniture. Power also created and built the first wooden "Hobby Horses," a signature attraction of the Nut Tree.{{cite web |last1=Goerke-Shrode |first1=Sabine |title=How the Nut Tree grew to be a landmark |url=http://articles.solanohistory.net/328/ |website=www.solanohistory.org |date=10 September 2006}} Power is credited with "creating the Nut Tree Airport by way of its first landing strip."
References
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Category:Aviators from California
Category:Businesspeople in aviation
Category:Military personnel from California
Category:People from Vacaville, California
Category:Place of death missing
Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II