Obituary: James Bovis, Greek war refugee who became restaurateur, dies
As a young man, James Bovis came to the United States in 1951 as a refugee from civil war in Greece with $5 in his pocket and built two successful downtown establishments in San Francisco.
After a long career, Mr. Bovis, believing he had lived the American dream, died quietly April 5 of natural causes. He was 84.
Mr. Bovis was well known in San Francisco. For years, he ran the Gold Dust Lounge on Powell Street on Union Square and Lefty O’Doul’s restaurant around the corner on Geary Street.
In its prime, the Gold Dust Lounge was a San Francisco fixture, a bar that had live music, often a full band. It drew big crowds and was a favorite spot of Herb Caen, the late Chronicle columnist, who called it the best place for a nightcap at the end of a long evening.
The Gold Dust flourished downtown for many years, but was moved to a Fisherman’s Wharf spot in 2012 after a dispute with its Powell Street landlord. At the opening of the new Gold Dust, Mayor Ed Lee praised Mr. Bovis and the establishment’s contribution to “the heart and soul of nightlife culture in San Francisco.”
After Mr. Bovis retired from active management not too many years later, Lefty O’Doul’s had a similar situation. It closed in February, though the Bovis family plans to reopen it in a new downtown location.
James Bovis was born in 1932 at a small village in the mountains near Delphi, Greece. In 1941, German armies invaded and quickly overran the country. The Nazi occupation was brutal, and Mr. Bovis recalled that the Germans shot a number of civilians in retaliation for resistance by Greek guerrillas. Even boys like young James Bovis were in danger, and his mother had to hide James and his brother under piles of straw to keep them from German patrols.
Soon after World War II, civil war broke out in Greece between communists and the pro-Western government, and the country was devastated. In 1948, President Harry Truman issued an executive order to admit 10,000 Greek refugees to the United States in the hope that “they would make a substantial contribution to our national well being.”
James Bovis was one them. He lived first in New York, then in Iowa, and was drafted into the U.S. Army. He came to San Francisco after military service in 1956 and found work as a bartender at a place called Yankee Doodle on Powell Street.
Mr. Bovis saved his money, and in 1965 bought the Gold Dust Lounge. In 1969, he agreed with Francis “Lefty” O’Doul to buy O’Doul’s restaurant. O’Doul died before the deal was complete, but Mr. Bovis finally got the place in 1998 and made it a success.
“He always felt this was the greatest country in the world, where he could live the American dream to work hard, raise a family, own a home and run his own business in freedom,” said his son, Nick.
Mr. Bovis had been in declining health for some time, and a few months ago told his son that his life was coming to an end.
“He said he had done all we wanted to do in life ... and it was time for him to go home to the Lord,” Nick Bovis said.
Mr. Bovis is survived by his wife, Gracia, of Burlingame; his daughter, Marina Casey of Burlingame; Nick, who lives in San Mateo; and four grandchildren.
Funeral services have been held. The family is considering a memorial service, possibly before summer.