IN MEMORIAM
ROBERT COLLEARY (1929 – 2012)
We remember Patrons and friends bring the Lobero to life each night. The Lobero Theatre Foundation wishes to raise a toast to the lives of these remarkable individuals.
LEONARD “BUZZ” BLAIR (1915 – 2011)
Buzz was an energetic and creative force who was an active part of the Santa Barbara community. He attended Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon), and received a degree from Antioch in Santa Barbara. He served for five years in the U.S. Army, four with the 14th Army Air Force, where he received a Purple Heart. After his military service, Buzz became a writer, director and producer, primarily in radio and television, but also in theatre. He was involved in the inauguration of the Westwood Playhouse, now the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles. Retiring to Montecito, he became a member of the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, the Channel City Club, and served on the boards of the Lobero Theatre Foundation, the Montecito Association, and the Board of Visitors of Antioch Santa Barbara. He also continued to write extensively. Buzz is survived by his wife of 63 years, Emily, his son Christopher (Karen), daughter Stacy, a grandson and nephew, and many great nieces and nephews.
Born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, Bob Colleary was a hardworking writer and producer, who later proved to have a wide range of artistic talents to share. He graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City prior to spending time in the U.S. Army. He later attended the School of Radio and Television to learn about TV production. His first job was holding cue cards for the Hopalong Cassidy Show, where he eventually moved up to writing lead-ins. There he met and impressed Bob Keeshan, soon to be known as Captain Kangaroo. Bob was the Captain’s head writer for 20 years, winning a Peabody Award before moving to California to pursue a career in comedy writing. His writing credits include M*A*S*H and Barney Miller, for which he won a Best Writing Emmy. He was Executive Producer for Benson and It’s A Living before retiring to Montecito. In retirement, he pursued both furnituremaking and painting, creating seriocomic social commentaries which led to two art shows. Bob will be dearly missed by his wife of 55 years, Bridget, children Robert, Michael (Shannon), Bridget and Kate (Rand Ravich), along with seven grandchildren and his dog Fred.
BABATUNDE FOLAYEMI (1940 – 2012)
Born and raised in Harlem, Babatunde described his young self as a “brawler,” sometimes feeling the need to protect his siblings from gang activity. The child of strong and artistic parents, he would spend his life reflecting that upbringing, creating art and fighting for social justice. After serving in the Army Air Patrol during the Vietnam War, Babatunde became close to Malcolm X, who encouraged him to use his art to affect social change. He painted murals and opened the Harlem Art Gallery in the 1960’s. In the early 1970’s, he, his wife Akivah and infant son Cinque moved to Tanzania to help that country gain a peaceful independence from Great Britain. Their work took them from Africa to San Francisco, Los Angeles and, in 1987, finally to Santa Barbara. Babatunde’s legacy in Santa Barbara includes decades of service with youth and family programs, particularly working to prevent teen and gang violence. He served as City Councilman from 2002-2004, and was beloved throughout the community. He is missed by his wife and son, as well as two brothers and many nieces and nephews.
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