Humans of Montecito
by Megan Waldrep
Where Have You Lived in Montecito?
“M
y husband and I were fortunate to live at El Mirador, the old Armour estate, on Coast Village Road. The owners had been there since 1916. In fact the grand dame, Lolita Armour, just passed away a couple years ago. You would go in on a Friday after work, close the gates, and you just didn’t leave until you had to on Monday morning. It was just packed full of history. Walt Disney would come visit, Charles Lindbergh would ride with Los Rancheros Visitadores. It was just a magical time. El Mirador was 70 acres at the time, before it was divided up, and you could roam through the Japanese gardens. It was totally great with the owners if you had a party, as long as they were invited. You were happy to be allowed to bring your friends up there because it would be hard to describe what it was like if they never set foot on the property. [Where we lived], it was called the “old farm building.” At night, the peacocks would be up in the trees for safety. We would throw the windows open and the silhouettes of the peacocks, with all of their feathers handing down against the starry night, was really a mystical feeling. Behind those big gates was an incredible experience.” Trish Davis Montecito History Committee •MJ
18 MONTECITO JOURNAL
MISCELLANY (Continued from page 6) Come Here Often? The late Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas, who died in February aged 103, was “a flirt to the very end,” says his Oscar winning son Michael Douglas, 75. The former Montecito resident says Kirk, who also had a home in our rarefied enclave, was constantly teasing him and trying to flirt with his Welsh actress wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, 50. “There wasn’t anyone like him,” Michael tells the TV show Entertainment Tonight. “There’s another generation, that was the great generation, post-World War II... and dad was one of a kind. “I think he’s very happy. I know he takes particular pride – not so much in whatever I worked with and I’m doing with the Motion Picture Television Fund – but I know he loves Catherine and the work that she’s doing. “He always used to tease me. We would call him up and he would be like ‘Enough with you, let me talk to your wife.’ He was a flirt until the very end.”
Keeping it Clean Santa Barbara’s Surf’s Up Bath Company, which manufactures sanitizer and bath products, has launched a new FDA compliant alcohol-based hand sanitizer, with ten per cent of the inventory donated to COVID-19 relief. In conjunction with the launch, 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer are being donated to the local non profit One805 in an effort to support COVID-19 relief, with the product being distributed to first responders and frontline providers serving highrisk roles throughout Santa Barbara County. “We are thrilled to bring this product to market at a time when it is needed most and give back to those protecting our community,” says Brooke Hansen, company director. “The support of local purchases has allowed us and our entire community to pay it forward. “We look forward to future partnerships of this kind as we ramp up manufacturing.” Stepping Down After nearly 40 years of service, Peter Jordano, 85, has retired from the board of directors of Montecito Bank & Trust. Peter is chairman and CEO of Jordano’s, the 105-year-old Santa Barbara grocery distributorship. “He has been an integral part of our growth to today’s nearly $1.8 billion in assets,” says Janet Garufis, the bank’s CEO. And, from a personal point of view, I always enjoy seeing Peter, a most
“Never doubt the courage of the French. They were the ones who discovered that snails are edible.” – Doug Larson
Peter Jordano retires from bank board
affable individual, and his Swedish wife, Gerd, at the myriad charity events we frequently attend. Having Hope
Proceeds from the limited edition Hope Bear go to United Way Worldwide fund
Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner’s limited edition multi-colored Hope Bear, which I wrote about in this illustrious organ last month, has been donated by the hundreds to children served by CALM and Storyteller Children’s Center, with 100 per cent of proceeds from sales going to the United Way Worldwide fund. “The world needs hope and this little bear just might bring us the smile we need right now,” says Ty, 75. “It is an honor to partner with United Way Worldwide, the world’s largest nonprofit organization, which has been providing hope to communities around the world for over 135 years.” CALM deals with childhood trauma and abuse, while Storyteller’s center is a year-round therapeutic school serving homeless and disadvantaged toddlers and preschoolers. Hot List Despite the doldrums created by the pandemic, Los Angeles billionaire Rick Caruso is smiling after Conde Nast’s Traveler listed his Rosewood Miramar hotel on its 2020 Hot List, 21 – 28 May 2020
