Although six miles apart, Montebello’s Jacmar Drive and Whittier’s Jacmar Avenue honor the same two guys: real estate developers Jack J. Tilley (1911-1971) and Mark Boyar (1901-1975), “Jacmar” being a portmanteau of their first names. Tilley was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Pasadena’s John Muir High; Boyar grew up in Chicago and came to L.A. around 1935 in the footsteps of his big brother Louis (see Boyar Avenue), who would develop Lakewood. Tilley and Boyar both worked at the Krandill homebuilding company in the early 1940s and formed their own firm Jacmar in 1945. (Tilley’s obituary claims 1939, but obits aren’t always accurate.) Montebello’s Jacmar Drive was named in 1948 on the Jacmar Groves tract and Whittier’s Jacmar Avenue was named in 1949 on the Jacmar Orchards tract. (Boyar and Tilley avenues were laid out on the latter; Boyar still exists, but Tilley was merged into Strub in 1966.) Jack Tilley later owned thirteen Shakey’s Pizza restaurants while Mark Boyar partnered with his brother on yet more subdivisions. He was also a big-time Democratic fundraiser and helped bring the 1960 DNC to Los Angeles.
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