Burgie

R.I.P.

The memories are from a long time back, but they are lasting ones. I met Burgie in High School after he and Phil left Bishop Garcia Diego, the cross town Catholic high school, to attend San Marcos High. Weekdays, after school, Burgie worked for his dad and uncles at the El Paseo Restaurant and Somerset, before it closed. He later became the Maitre‘D at the El Paseo and managed that restaurant — many a story I could share, especially some Fiesta ones that would certainly be applicable to this blog/site. Those may remain in memory only, as will Arturo Taylor ‘Burgie’ Perez, Jr., may he rest in peace.

Just to clarify the nickname: The former Burgermeister Brewing Company was partly responsible as was a Leadbetter Beach barbeque held by his father, uncles, family and friends. The beverage in the coolers was, of course, Burgermeister beer and although I can’t name the creator, (this was in the 1960’s and I wasn’t there) one of the family or friends picked up a very young Arturo Jr. and made the reference to holding a ‘burgie’. That was it, he was forever ‘Burgie’. I think I’d known him for a month or so before I even knew what his first name was, maybe even his last name too for that matter. He was simply ‘Burgie’. To this day I haven’t run across one other individual who had the same nickname. So there was never any problem when referring to him, not once did I ever hear someone say; “no, I meant Burgie Perez, not Burgie Jones”, it was unique.