Darrell Satzman
BURBANK -- Dr. Jarvey Gilbert, a former Burbank mayor, school board
member and author who treated thousands of Burbank residents during a
50-year career as a physician, died Tuesday. He was 82.
Gilbert was born in Minneapolis. He moved to Burbank in 1945, two
years after graduating from medical school as a general practitioner. He
soon married Sally Seligman and within a few years his medical offices
were among the largest in Burbank. At the time of his retirement in 1995,
Gilbert's Orange Grove Avenue practice had treated more than 400,000
patients, family members said.
"Medicine was his passion," said Jean Seager, the oldest of Gilbert's
three daughters. "He entered politics because he thought he could do
something good for the people of Burbank. Public service was always his
motive."
Gilbert was elected to the Burbank City Council in 1967 and served
until 1975. After a stint as vice mayor from 1969-1970, he served as
mayor from 1970-1971. In 1981, Gilbert was elected to the Burbank Board
of Education, a post he held for four years.
At a bash marking his retirement from the City Council, Gilbert said
his proudest accomplishments were the establishment of the Joslyn Adult
Center, a moratorium on hillside development and the elimination of
billboards in Burbank commercial zones.
Demonstrating his reputation for tight spending at his farewell,
Gilbert quipped about the incoming council, "I hope they keep their hands
out of my pockets."
In addition to his positions in Burbank city government, Gilbert was
the president of the Southern California Association of Governments for
1974-1975. He was also an author, publishing a book titled "Prescriptions
for Good Living," and he contributed columns to the Burbank Leader for
several years.
It was Gilbert's work as a doctor that endeared him to generations of
Burbank residents. When he closed his practice in 1995, longtime patient
Gloria Applebaum called Gilbert "the last of the Dr. (Marcus) Welbys."
"Dr. Gilbert made house calls," Applebaum said. "And when I woke up
from surgery, there was Dr. Gilbert holding my hand. I thought I was
special, but I found out he did this for all his patients." Gilbert is
survived by his wife, Sally, of Burbank; daughters, Jean Seager, Deborah
Ross and Laura Gilbert; and five grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. today at Burbank Temple Emanu
El, 1302 N. Glenoaks Blvd. Burial will be at Mt. Sinai Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Friends of
the Burbank Public Library, P.O. Box 702, Burbank, CA 91503.
