Burbank High 1966 Media Page

Bob Lovejoy (1948-2018), Burbank
High School Class of 1966
There is an
inscribed plaque
on the wall of a building in Old Chinatown, Santa
Barbara, California. Placed by the Santa Barbara
Trust for Historic Preservation, (SBTHP),
the plaque
reads:
In the late 1800’s, ten percent
of Santa Barbara’s population was Chinese, who
formed a community along the first two blocks of
Cañon Perdido Street and parts of Anacapa and Santa
Barbara Streets. Flourishing within China Town were
grocery stores, import-export businesses, a laundry,
Chinese Junk maker, Joss House, herbalists,
restaurants and private social clubs with adult
entertainment. Chinatown also housed the Nationalist
Chinese Party, Koumintang, the Hop Sing Tong, the
Chee Kung Tong and the Bing Kong Tong.
Around
1895 the Chung family arrived here, and in 1947
descendant, Jimmy Yee Chung opened "Jimmy's
Oriental Gardens"
on this site. The Chung family is the last to remain
in Old Chinatown. Dedicated this 15th day of March
1997.
Few were as excited to find that garden, as was
local resident
Bob Lovejoy,
who first stumbled upon Jimmy's in 1976 while
working nearby. Stepping out of Jimmy’s thirty years
later for some fresh air, Lovejoy noticed a "For
Lease" sign on the building next door - today home
to Handlebar Coffee - and decided that was where he
and his son Clay, would realize their long-standing
dream of opening a deli.
In
spring of 2006, they christened it
Three Pickles.
At that time, Bob and Clay were thrilled that
Jimmy's Oriental Gardens was literally steps away.
"I thought I'd died and gone to heaven," said Bob.
Jimmy's Oriental Gardens was a longtime favorite for
locals and tourists alike, before closing its doors
in 2006, with the retirement of operator Tommy
Chung.
As the driving force, Bob Lovejoy vowed to see
Jimmy's open once more, serving food and drinks to
both the neighborhood and the populous at large.
After seven years of diligent efforts, Longtime
Jimmy's regular Bob Lovejoy and his son Clay
succeeded in remaking the historic bar into
The Pickle Room.
In September 2013, several of Bob's Burbank High
School
Class of 1966
classmates attended the reopening of the historic
establishment. It was a fun and nostalgic afternoon
for all. But
first,
Bob hosted an excellent deli lunch at The Three
Pickles, next door.
As 4:30 PM approached, classmates and old-timers
waited patiently outside for Jimmy's Oriental
Gardens to reopen as
The Pickle Room.
When the big red doors swung open, the stylishly
redecorated room filled immediately with happy
patrons. At sunset,
Bob Lovejoy,
his wife Dawn and son Clay presided over the
revelries. "This building deserves it," said Bob,
but he also believes in the people making it happen,
namely bartender
Willy Gilbert.
"Willy is the key to this whole place," Bob told the
Santa Barbara Independent.
Less
than five years after achieving his dream of
resurrecting his favorite place in Santa Barbara,
Bob Lovejoy passed away on July 7, 2018. He had a
massive stroke on Friday, July 6. Lynn (Lovejoy)
Volgraff (BHS 1965) was with Bob and his family when
they took him off life support and he passed away
quickly. No pain. "We are all in shock and now the
real work will begin since he had two delis, the
Three Pickles and the Pickle Room in Santa Barbara".
He leaves wife Dawn, son Clay and daughter Athena,
along with three grandchildren.
Bob Lovejoy will be missed by all who knew him and
thousands more who enjoyed the hospitality and
ambiance of both Three Pickles and The Pickle Room.
At the newly revived Jimmy's Oriental Gardens in Old
Chinatown, Santa Barbara, California, everybody knew
Bob's name.
To view a preview of the
Burbank High School Class of 1966,
55th Class Reunion, scheduled for October 16, 2021, click
HERE.
To view the original Media Page, honoring BHS
Class of 1966 alumnus, Rick Polikowski (1948-2013),
click HERE.