A Marker at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in California

You never know when you might stumble upon something interesting in Huntington Beach, as I learned one clear, typically sunny morning. My son, daughter and I were visiting the Bolsa Chica wetlands in California to shoot some pictures of the blue herons that were nesting in a tree at the ruins of the old Bolsa Chica Gun Club.

As we made our way around the fence surrounding the Gun Club site, we noticed something covered by the branches and tall grasses: a small marker, perhaps 10 inches high. It stated that a Santa Catalina Ironwood Tree was planted there in memory of a man named Aaron Sloan, 1927-2003.

How mysterious. Who was Mr. Sloan? And who thought to place this marker, which one would only stumble upon by accident?

I started researching and found out who I believe this marker was placed in honor of from a 2003 obituary: “Producer, distributor and journalist Aaron Sloan died at age 77. Mr. Sloan was editor of the "Independent Film Journal." His company, Magick Seal Films distributed the Mexican films of Luis Bunuel in America. He also distributed and produced several of the films of Andy Warhol. Mr. Sloan co-produced and appeared in the Andy Warhol documentary "Andy Makes a Movie."Mr. Sloan served his country in WW II.”

Bunuel? The surrealist filmmaker whose stunning works first captivated me in college? And I recalled seeing the Warhol film, “Andy Makes a Movie,” too.

In it, Mr. Sloan, the producer of the film, interviewed Andy at length. Sloan asked Warhol who influenced him, and Warhol responded in typically off-center style, "Uh, I guess I'm influenced by everybody but, uh, I like the way Godard works... just because I think he's bringing television out to the movies and, um, I think that's what we're trying to do sometimes, too."

All these interesting, artistic avenues, along with serving his country in World War II, made Mr. Sloan, assuming it is the same Mr. Sloan, an extremely compelling fellow to me - honored right here in Huntington Beach at my favorite place to take a walk. I met Andy Warhol a couple of times, but never Mr. Sloan. I wish I had. Something tells me we would have had a lot to talk about.