Widely known among parachutists as the "Father of American Skydiving" for popularizing sport parachuting in the U.S. Istel opened the first parachuting school in the country and led the American team to the World Championship of Parachuting in 1956 (a mere five years after first trying the sport himself). As a young man he toured college campuses to speak to students about the excitement of this up-and-coming sport. In a 1957 article in Time Magazine, Istel described the feeling of the sport he loved: "You just let go of the plane and suddenly you've changed elements. You start to drop but you don't feel anything - only a marvelous sense of control. It's like being immersed in light water. Then you bring your right arm up and you make a turn, just as simple as that. It's an incredible sensation."Having emigrated from his native Paris as a child in 1940 (just ahead of the German invasion) young Jacques-Andre entered school speaking almost no English and graduated five years later as Salutatorian of his class. He continued his education by studying economics at Princeton University. After college Istel achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. It was during this time that he first saw and fell in love with the vast open spaces of the southeastern California desert. After completing his military service, he and a partner founded Parachutes, Inc, a company that designed parachutes. The company soon branched out to open the first parachuting schools in the country. In 1957 he and his company trained the U.S. Army in free fall parachuting, a tactic previously considered too dangerous to have any practical application. His military students became the core of the world famous U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. Istel is an honorary member of both the U.S. Army Golden Knights and U.S. Navy Chuting Stars parachute teams in honor of his vast contributions to the development of the sport of parachuting. Jacques-Andre Istel retired from jumping and sold his company in 1972. His 1957 low porosity cloth parachute, acknowledged as the first sport parachute, resides at the Smithsonian Institution.
Istel used funds acquired from his successful company to purchase thousands of acres of the lonely desert country he had fallen in love with years before. The land he chose stretched from I-8 to the Chocolate Mountains. At the time of purchase he had absolutely no idea what he would do with the vast section of arid desert he now owned, but admitted to his wife that it would have to be "entertaining".
In 1985 Istel published a childrens book called "Coe: The Good Dragon At The Center Of The World". The book was a hit with both children and parents, being described by French critic Professor Claude Tannery as "the American
Babar". The ever creative Jacques-Andre had finally found his inspiration. He used the popularity of his newly published book to convince Imperial County, CA to legally recognize a spot on his property (the part conveniently located near the busy Interstate 8) as the Official Center of the World. The Institut Geographique National in France officially recognizes this spot as well. After that coup he incorporated the area and legally established the town of Felicity, named after his wife Felicia Lee. Soon after, Istel was unanimously voted Mayor of the town of two residents by a vote of 3-0. Wait...how is that possible you ask? Quite simple, according to Istel; a justice of the peace and chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Imperial County recognized a one-time-only vote by the invisible dragon character from Istel's book! And you thought politicians had no sense of humor... (I am actually thinking of trying that in our home-base town of Santa Cruz: "I'm sorry, City Council, the invisible dragons have voted you out". I'll let you know how it goes.)
The newly elected Mayor of Felicity ( a word meaning "happiness, culture") placed a bronze disc with a dot in the center on the spot officially recognized as THE Center and housed it in a polished pink granite pyramid soaring to a height of 21 feet. The pyramid was a tongue-in-cheek suggestion by wife Felicia, who joked "it's in the desert, why not a pyramid?". The idea amused Istel, and a pyramid it became. The tradition is for visitors to stand with their foot on the dot and make a wish. For an additional $2.00 per person (in addition to the nominal $3.00 donation for the tour and informational video screening) the staff will present you with an official certificate declaring the exact moment, down to the second, that you stood at the Center of the World. If you are lucky you may be shown around by Jacques-Andre himself, as he is often on the premises. Sadly, we were not that lucky, although the young lady who showed us around the pyramid was friendly and efficient as she moved smoothly between the groups of visitors arriving just a few minutes apart. We happily forked over the extra four bucks, and later Joe noticed that my certificate was number 77777. With a lucky number like that, how could my wish not come true?
The true pride and joy of this small desert oasis is the Museum of History in Granite, part of The World Commemorative Center at Felicity. These massive panels of Missouri Red Granite, each weighing 447 pounds and measuring 2" thick, are placed over a triangular base constructed of 1960 cubic feet of concrete poured over a framework of 5945 pounds of knitted steel. The steel frame is embedded in a three foot deep trench for stability in the oft
All of these symmetrically placed monuments subtly lead you toward the most noticeable of the local landmarks: the Church On The Hill. Patterned after one Istel admired in Brittany, the blindingly white church with bright blue doors sits atop the Hill of Prayer. Mayor Istel felt that a church should stand upon the highest piece of ground in the town it serves. Since his town was as flat as roadkill, he elected to make his own hill. He had 150,000 tons of dirt trucked in for the purpose and engineered the mount to meet earthquake zone 4 standards. Although non-denominational, the church was blessed by representatives of both the Catholic and Protestant churches. In 2008 it was dedicated to St. Felicity. The simple yet elegant traditional chapel is clearly
visible from Interstate 8 and for miles in any direction.
On the day we visited the sun was shining and the church stood out boldly against a clear sky of azure blue washed with a few lacy clouds.( By the time we were ready to leave, the sky had darkened and become completely overcast. It was interesting to watch the red granite change color in the changing light.) Although the chapel appears pure white from below, on closer inspection it is actually an off-white or light sand color. The cement stairs leading up to it and the central handrail were perfectly aligned with the vivid chapel doors at the top and the central row of polished stone monuments below. One of the most striking aspects of the Center of the World and it's landmarks is a strong sense of symmetry and order. The architecture displays simplicity and clean lines in every structure. The overall design is closely coordinated by the Felicity Historical Society. When the California Highway Patrol elected to establish it's new regional headquarters in Felicity they agreed to meet the requirements of the Historical Society, which resulted in their receiving a nomination for an architectural award.
There are a number of other local landmarks worthy of mention here as well, primarily because of their unique nature. Clearly visible from the interstate in both directions is a 25 foot high spiral staircase with a patina worthy of a museum display. It stands alone within a fenced enclosure, going absolutely nowhere. Having grown up just a few miles from the legendary Winchester Mystery House, I am fairly comfortable with stairways leading nowhere. Curiosity, however, is not to be denied and so I approached the stairs with their flaking paint and detected a small plaque just within the fence line. Typical of the French flavor of things here in Felicity, the stairs are part of the original stairway in Paris' Eiffel Tower. It seems that the French government determined in the early 1980's that the massive weight of the stairs, built using 1800's technology, was causing the tower to sway in an unsafe manner. In 1983 the top 500 feet of stairway was removed from the iconic landmark and replaced with a lighter weight version. The portion removed was cut into sections, twenty of which were numbered and auctioned off. This is section 12, acquired by Istel in an auction in 1989. While the stairway to nowhere serves no practical purpose except to attract the attention of passing motorists (remember how effective the "muffler men" and hot-dog-in-a-bun shaped eateries of the fifties and sixties were at attracting business in off the highways?), it is typical of the subtle reminders of his beloved homeland Istel has casually sprinkled around his new home. Articles from French newspapers hang in frames on the walls of the theater and some of the text on appropriate monuments is in both French and English, with French at the top!
If you feel compelled to become part of this amazing piece of future history, you can purchase a square stone plaque of approximately one square foot to be placed for posterity in the center of the cement Maze of Honor. Many of these plaques already grace the curving interior walls of this circular interactive monument with its cool grey walls. All are made from a photograph and the subjects of tribute run the gamut from fallen soldiers to beloved pets to a man who passed his big-rig driving
test at age 86. You can memorialize anyone or any event you choose for $300.00; one contributor even dedicated one to their pet boa constrictor!
Their is an official U.S. Post Office at Felicity, but it accepts only outgoing mail. On the day it was dedicated (Dec.5, 1987), the town with only two residents posted over 2300 letters! The diminutive but popular post office shares a space with a small and eclectic gift shop selling postcards, souvenirs, Paris related items, and childrens books and toys. After all, who wouldn't want to mail a postcard from the post office at the Center of the World (do you see what they did there?). Directly across from the post office is a small restaurant with very limited hours. It was closed when we were there.
occurs at noon on Christmas Day.
Jacques-Andre Istel, as much a romantic as his history would suggest, not only named an entire town he created after his beloved wife Felicia, in 1987 he hired a century old French company to create a fragrance for her, which he also named "Felicity". If you visit the town website, there is a number there to inquire about the fragrance. He was fulfilling a promise he made to his uncle while still a child; not only would he honor and respect all women, he would name something after the one he chose to share his life with. It is obvious that the young boy who was forced to flee his native land and adopt a new country as his own has never lost his French appreciation for romance and adventure. He learned to fly on wings of thin fabric, found the love of his life, and created a legacy for the ages designed to live far longer than any of us will. One monument is still mostly blank except for the first panel,
on which Jacques-Andre Istel has inscribed the following:
"Unless we destroy ourselves, or succumb to a cosmic accident,
our destiny should be set on a path to the stars".
Directly below that is a large question mark, and below that is a quote from Istel himself, reading:
"May distant descendants, perhaps far from earth, view our collective
history with understanding and affection."
Let us hope he is right! Bien amicalement. Bon Voyage, My Friends!
-Lynn
If you want to visit The Center of the World, be aware that tours are only offered December-March, when outside temperatures are within a reasonable range.
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