Bob Falkenburg, Famous Tennis Entrepreneur, Dies at 95

He founded South America’s first ice cream and fast food store in 1952 in the Copacabana neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, calling them Bob’s. His mini chain included about a dozen stores when the Falkenburgs moved back to Southern California in 1970, selling Bob’s to Nestlé’s Libby operating company in 1974. Bob’s has had some ownership since then and has expanded to more than 1,000 stores in Brazil and outside South America.

Robert Falkenburg was born on January 29, 1926 in Manhattan and raised in Los Angeles. His father, Eugene, an engineer, and his mother, Marguerite (Crooks) Falkenburg, played in amateur tennis events, and Bob started handling racquets at private clubs when he was 10 years old.

He won a junior tennis tournament for the Bel-Air Country Club in 1937 and while attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, won the United States Interscholastic singles title in 1942; he also won the doubles title with his brother that year. He later became a good amateur golfer and won the Brazilian amateur championship three times.

After serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II, Falkenburg won the intercollegiate singles and doubles championships in 1946 while studying at the University of Southern California.

In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by his son Robert, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, according to AP. Both Tex and Jinx (her birth name was Eugenia; her mother provides her nickname) passed away in 2003.

Describing Falkenburg’s dramatic comeback in the final at Wimbledon in 1948, The New York Times reported that “Wimbledon Championship fans have seen a much better tennis match than today’s, but they rarely witness a more exciting match.”

As for Falkenburg’s serve that ended the game, 7-5, The Times involved “having an obvious loud pop.”

The Times wrote: “Bromwich stood flat when the waiter was harassed by him. “When a few minutes later, the Duchess of Kent ascended in the Royal Box to present the coveted trophy to Falkenburg, he looked surprised and pleased.”