Those serving on the board of directors at Forest Lawn Memorial Park will continue to meet in the same location, but it will bear a different name as last month it was posthumously dedicated to former San Marino Mayor Lynn Reitnouer, who served as a board member and chairman from 1975 until his passing in March of this year.
The Lynn P. Reitnouer Board Room was unveiled during a ceremonious ribbon cutting attended by Winnie, his wife of 62 years, their son John and Forest Lawn employees and board members.
“It was an incredible, lovely, celebratory event,” Winnie told The Tribune. “Lynn very much enjoyed his service to Forest Lawn, which is a wonderful organization. He took it very seriously.”
Reitnouer began his service on the board of directors in March, 1975 and then as chairman of the board when he was elected in March,1986. Following his retirement from the Forest Lawn Mortuary Board of Directors, on which he served until earlier this year.
“Lynn Reitnouer demonstrated a spirit of generosity, dedication and achievement throughout his long career as a civic leader, businessman, coach, volunteer, family man and friend who showed immense skill and found great pleasure in helping people and institutions grow and prosper,” said Darin Drabing, Forest Lawn President and CEO at the dedication ceremony. “It is our honor to dedicate this board room in his memory.”
Reitnouer received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1955 following his time as a college basketball player. Lynn and Winnie, who were undergraduates together at UCSB, have continued to support the university that brought them together.
A testament to their generosity is Reitnouer Auditorium, a 100-seat events venue inside the Intercollegiate Athletics Building, which was made possible by a gift from the Reitnouers, for whom the Reitnouer Endowment Fund for Intercollegiate Athletics was established in 2000.
Reitnouer also earned a master’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles, which honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2000.
Reitnouer served on the San Marino City Council from 1976-86 and as mayor from 1980-84, and president of the San Marino City Club in 1978. He was presented with medals from the Republic of San Marino for establishing a Sister City relationship and from the Republic of Austria, for promoting friendships and services to Austrians.
Born in New Orleans in 1932 to Minnie and Arthur Reitnouer, Baptist missionaries and teachers, Reitnouer was raised in Monrovia. After college graduation, he taught physical education and coached basketball in Alhambra for five years before the family, with son John, moved to Germany with the U.S. Army Dependents Education Group. They spent four years teaching there before returning to Southern California in 1964, when Reitnouer joined the stockbrokerage firm Crowell, Weedon & Co., becoming a financial advisor, general partner, branch manager, and director of sales. He was honored with the company’s first ever “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2010.
In addition to his work with Forest Lawn Memorial–Park Association, Reitnouer was also a board member of The Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens; Chairman of the University of California, Santa Barbara Foundation; Director of Hollywood Park, Inc.; Governor of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.; Board member of the National Foundation Board of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity; a founding chairman of the NASDAQ Marketing Committee and a longtime member of Los Angeles Rotary, District 5.
