Al Melkonian, a beloved member of the Santa Barbara community for more than 60 years, passed away on May 19 peacefully at his home on the Mesa at the age of 98.
Albert was born to Armenian immigrants Stepan and Mary Melkonian (Hovanessian) in Brooklyn, New York on November 3, 1926. He was the youngest brother to Harold and William Melkonian, who both fought for the United States during WWII. It was Albert’s great ambition to join his brothers in the war, and he attempted to enlist multiple times, but it was not to be. He studied at Brooklyn Technical High School, where he met his lifelong best friend, Bill Sandstrom, and went on to graduate from Ohio State University, supporting the U.S. military after graduation by teaching electronics at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey.
In 1957, Albert married the love of his life, Jane Freeman, who had grown up just blocks from his family home. They had their first son, Steve, in Brooklyn before moving to California, where they had two more sons, James and Thomas.
An opportunity to work as a technical writer for the think tank GE Tempo brought Albert and his young family to Santa Barbara in 1961. Albert’s work with Tempo through the ’60s involved him in projects with the U.S. defense department and connected him with many of Santa Barbara’s early tech industry figures.
Albert also became involved in Santa Barbara politics, running a campaign for school board and setting a powerful example for all Americans who love democracy by gracefully accepting the results of the election even when he lost. He was also part of an activist group that promoted establishing cable television as a municipally owned public utility in Santa Barbara that ultimately won concessions guaranteeing public television programs such as Sesame Street would be available to residents on free TV.
Al and Jane would become fixtures in Santa Barbara, active in the Unitarian church, the Unitarian Society’s First Family, and local schools; making countless friends along the way; and hosting holiday get-togethers that became beloved traditions for extended family and friends.
After a decade at Tempo, Albert became disenchanted working for a defense contractor while morally opposed to the Vietnam War and left to work for the local computer start-up Culler Scientific. He eventually rejoined Burroughs, now Unisys, as a manager in their technical writing department. He would go on to teach technical writing at UCSB and SBCC in his later career.
In 1997, Al would face his greatest tragedy when Jane passed away after a short illness. He truly missed her every day for the rest of his life.
Albert spent his later years supporting many of Santa Barbara’s cultural offerings, including the S.B. International Film Festival, S.B. Symphony, and Ensemble and S.B. City College theater groups, as well as taking sculpture classes at SBCC. He continued to be active in the community, serving on the County Grand Jury as well as mentoring young people and teaching driver safety to older folks. A highlight of these years were his adventures abroad, including trips to Europe and to his ancestral home of Armenia with his cousin Sam Melkonian’s son, Leon.
While the family is saddened by Albert’s passing, we are forever grateful for all he gave us and that he was able to live to such an advanced age of 98 still able to enjoy his memories of such a long and fruitful life. From the family’s early years in the Brooklyn of the 1950s through the ’60s, ’70s and beyond in Santa Barbara, Albert’s artistic eye captured the life of the family and friends he loved in countless photographs that still possess the power to transport us back to those lovely days.
Albert is survived by his three sons along with Tom’s partner Melissa Rigoli, who became the daughter he never had; his niece Debbie Melkonian; great-niece Wendy Melkonian, great-nephews Geoff Melkonian and O’Brien McCarty and their families; Leon and Sofie Melkonian, who followed Al to Santa Barbara to start their family; in-laws Johnny O’Brien and Marsha MacDonald, also of Santa Barbara; Peter Jaret and Susan (Jaret) McKinstry; along with the Sandstroms, Engles, Hughes, Croteaus, Aparicios, Moriaritys, Saffolds, Kopeikins, and many others who may not have been technically relatives but were certainly members of Albert’s family.
The family wishes to thank Noemi Villegas, Amada Ferrell, Sansum Clinic, Cottage Hospital, and VNA for their compassionate care.
Al was laid to rest next to Jane at Santa Barbara Cemetery. His passing is truly the end of an era.
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