I. Keith Hardman

I. (Irvin) Keith Hardman Of Marin County, passed away peacefully at home on January 16, 2007 at the age of 81. Keith was born in 1925 in Bluffdale, UT, where his family owned a dairy farm, the first in the area to move into automated milking. In 1945 he was part of the U.S. Army postwar rebuilding effort in Germany and France, where the local cuisine inspired a lifelong interest in gourmet food. Following military service he went to Los Angeles, graduating from Pepperdine University, then to San Francisco to attend Hotel and Restaurant Management School at CCSF. While in the program he approached "Trader" Vic Bergeron with the desire to work for his expanding restaurant chain. He began working for Trader Vic's in the mid 50s, beginning in Beverly Hills where he met and wooed Alice Grosscup Pearson, the stunning coat check girl. He moved to the Chicago Trader Vic's in 1957 and from there advanced to Havana, Cuba to manage the restaurant in the Havana Hilton. Alice and he were married in Havana in 1958. When Fidel Castro took control of the country in 1959 and made the Hilton his headquarters, Keith delivered his first meal to him personally. After the revolution forced the closing of Trader Vic's Havana, Keith, Alice and their newborn son, Toby, relocated to Portland, OR, then Seattle, WA, to manage the restaurants in both cities. Their daughter, Tracy, was born in 1960 in Seattle. In 1969 the family moved to Ross when Keith became executive vice president overseeing Trader Vic's many locations worldwide. Work related travel took Keith and often Alice to Europe, South America, Asia, Polynesia, Australia and even New Guinea. He was later promoted to CEO and vice chairman of the board and later retired in 1987. After retirement he traveled extensively and enjoyed time with his family and grandchildren. Upon Alice's passing in 1997 he moved to a hillside home in Sausalito where he loved his view of Mt. Tamalpais and the Sausalito harbor. Possessing the charm of a consummate gentleman as well as a ribald sense of humor, he got along famously with and was respected by all he met and worked with from the busboys and cooks to the many successful restaurant patrons and business associates around the world. He made a lasting impression on all and will be greatly missed. Keith is survived by son, Toby Keith Hardman and wife, Deborah Abele of Portland, OR; daughter, Tracy Louise Kirst of San Rafael; grandchildren, Moss Hardman, Lucius and Cascade Kirst; brother, J. Warren Hardman of Bluffdale, UT, and sister, Louise Haupt of Downey. Heartfelt gratitude goes to Cherry Vickers and especially Joy Rago for their loving and dedicated care in the last years of his life. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Greater Bay Area Make A Wish Foundation, 235 Pine Street, 6th floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. For more information, please email flangesqueal@gmail.com.