Browse Items (25 total)

Born in the Santa Barbara area in 1942, Tommy Chung and his family moved to the Presidio neighborhood after the construction of his father’s restaurant – Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens – was completed in 1946 and an attached…

Tomiye Muneno was known to most as Tomichi, a nickname given to her by her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Gladys Curtis. Tomichi was born April 1, 1914 near the corner of Anacapa and Canon Perdido Streets and grew up in the Presidio neighborhood. In 1933,…

Richard Oglesby is former President and longtime active member of SBTHP. He was a Professor of California history and the American West and had been teaching at a university in Illinois when he accepted a position at UCSB in 1965, where he taught…

Jimmy's Oriental Gardens owner Tommy Chung and his mother Nuey Chung, are interviewed by local photographer Walter C. Douglas during a busy day at the restaurant.

Clip 1: Tommy Chung explains why the Chung family switched their last name from Yee…

A graduate in civil engineering from UC Berkeley, Norman Caldwell went on to earn his Master’s Degree at Cal Tech and joined the US Army Corps of Engineers following America’s entrance into World War II. Shortly after his service, he enlisted in the…

Michael Hardwick came to Santa Barbara in the 1960s to attend UCSB. While he began as a pre-med student, he developed an interest in local Santa Barbara history and decided to pursue his degree in archaeology. He became involved with SBTHP in 1970…

Kathy Chalfant came to Santa Barbara in 1960 with her husband. After earning her degrees in Geography and Education from UCLA, she became an elementary school teacher and taught for over 30 years for the Hope School District. As a 3rd-5th grade…

Born April 4, 1937 in Milwaukee, Kathi Brewster lived in the Midwest until 1961, when her husband’s General Motors job transfer took them out West to Santa Barbara. In 1963 she started taking adult education courses at Santa Barbara City…

The above is an interview between two longtime Santa Barbara residents Julia Forbes and Louise Ardohain. Born in Pasadena, Julia Forbes moved to Santa Barbara as a five year old in 1919. She graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1931 and went…

Of Chumash and Spanish descent, Jack and his family moved from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara in 1946 for a better life. Jack recalls the invisible racial lines of both Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and how both cities have changed. Despite growing up…

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 8, 1926, Jim Mills and his family moved to Santa Barbara in March 1930. He credits his father’s courage in the decision – it was during the Depression and he had no job, just a friend to stay with…

Born May 7, 1919 at Cottage Hospital, Jayne Kelsey Wickman grew up in the Presidio neighborhood and has become a true humanitarian of Santa Barbara. She met Swede Wickman, who she would eventually marry, while vacationing in Los Prietos (Santa Ynez)…