Robert Lawrence BALZER
1912 - 2011 (99 years)
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Name Robert Lawrence BALZER Born 25 Jun 1912 Des Moines, Polk Co, IA 
[1, 2] Gender Male Census 1930 Los Angeles, CA Residence 1935 Los Angeles, CA [2] Census 1940 Los Angeles, CA Occupation 1940 [2] newspaper columnist Military From 1941 to 1942 U.S. Army Air Force, pilot and flight instructor Education Stanford University (1935, B.A. in English), Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (1936-37) [3] Occupation wine critic, author, actor Residence 1967 Tustin, Orange Co, CA [1] Residence 1993 Santa Ana, Orange Co, CA [1] Died 1 Dec 2011 Orange, Orange Co, CA [3] Notes - From his obituary in the Los Angeles Times, De 9 2011:
"Robert Lawrence Balzer, a wine critic and educator who wrote an influential column in The Times for three decades during a career that stretched from the post-Prohibition era through the explosion of the California wine industry he championed, has died. He was 99.
"Balzer, who had also been a wine merchant, an actor, a Buddhist monk and a restaurateur, died of natural causes Dec. 1 in Orange, said his nephew, Rex Shannon.
"Known for his erudition and flamboyant personality, Balzer wrote a wine column for the newspaper from 1964 to 1995. He was also the author of a dozen books, including "Balzer's Book of Wines and Spirits" (1973) and "Wines of California" (1978).
"For 14 years beginning in 1970, he produced one of the first subscription-based wine guides, Robert Lawrence Balzer's Private Guide to Food & Wine. It was well established years before Robert M. Parker Jr., now the world's best-known wine critic, launched his popular newsletter and 100-point rating system."
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/09/local/la-me-adv-robert-balzer-20111209
Obituary, New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/dining/robert-lawrence-balzer-wine-writer-dies-at-99.html
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lawrence_Balzer
Internet Movie Database bio: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0051338/bio
Special Collection at Cal Poly Pomona: https://www.cpp.edu/~library/special-collections/Robert%20Lawrence%20Balzer/index.shtml
Person ID I118589 Doddridge County Roots Last Modified 31 Jan 2018
Family Emily Regina ABEL, b. 30 May 1914, Washington, DC , d. 7 Jan 2005, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co, CA (Age 90 years) Married 1936 [4] Divorced 1946 [4] Count of Children 0 [4] Notes - 1940 Census, Los Angeles Co, California (City of Los Angeles), enumerated on May 3 1940:
Robert L. Balzer, 27, b. Iowa, newspaper columnist, 4 yrs college, home value $10,000, resided 1935 in Los Angeles; wife Emily A. Balzer, 25, b. Washington DC, 2 yrs college, no occupation, resided 1935 in Los Angeles; servant Edith M. Vail, 34, b. Iowa, married, 8 yrs school, resided 1935 in Anchorage Alaska, maid in private home. [5]
Family ID F50724 Group Sheet | Family Chart
- From his obituary in the Los Angeles Times, De 9 2011:
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Photos 
118589_RobertLawrenceBalzer_1948.jpg 118589_RobertLawrenceBalzer_FlightInstructor.jpg 118589_RobertLawrenceBalzer_WineCritic.jpg
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Sources