Post #364156 by GatorRob on Fri, Feb 29, 2008 6:59 AM

Another obit, this one from the Miami-Herald:

Brothers Bob and Jack Thornton dreamed of bringing the South Pacific to South Florida.

In many ways they did in 1956 when they opened the Mai-Kai, an oversized tiki bar and restaurant in Oakland Park where sarong-clad maidens serve fruity drinks to the backdrop of an entertaining Polynesian show.

Jack Thornton, the cofounder of the restaurant, suffered a stroke and died Feb. 22. He was 78.

Drawn to Fort Lauderdale beach for spring break in the 1950s, the Thorntons created the Polynesian-style restaurant nearby, at 3599 N. Federal Hwy. in December 1956.

''My dad's life revolved around his passion,'' said Tammy Thornton Arena, of Fort Lauderdale. ``He loved everything in tune with the senses. The restaurant wasn't only supposed to be about the food, it was about the experience, the lighting, the trickling of the waterfall and the scent of fresh flowers when you first walk in.''

When they were kids growing up in Chicago, the brothers vowed to open a restaurant like an island-type restaurant they ate at with their parents.

The brothers, who attended Stanford University, traveled to Hawaii and fell in love with Polynesian culture and food.

Thornton spent two years, from 1953 to 1955, in Germany with the U.S. Army, where he taught English.

''On leave he would get a car, travel and explore the countryside,'' Thornton Arena said. ``The Europeans really had an appreciation for their refinement and detail. He identified with that.''

After leaving the service, he arrived in Fort Lauderdale, where his family had relocated.

BACKED BY MOM

With a lot of enthusiasm, but little cash, Jack and Bob Thornton begged their mother for money to open the Mai-Kai.

The 150-seat restaurant was an instant hit.

Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon and Joe Namath were regular patrons, rubbing shoulders with tourists and locals who poured in to see the dances and sip rum punch.

The verdant Mai-Kai once anchored the two-lane street. Today the bar-restaurant, which now seats 716, is surrounded by stores and other restaurants.

It's no coincidence the restaurant was named the Mai-Kai, which means ''the best'' in Hawaiian.

''Mr. Thornton was so selective. He wanted everything in the restaurant to be perfect,'' said Angel Vega, the maitre d' who has worked at the restaurant for 43 years. ``I could always count on him . . . If there was something going on in the kitchen or the floor or at the entrance he was there fixing the problem.''

''He was strict but fair,'' he added.

While Bob Thornton ran the daily operation, Jack Thornton was the creative genius behind the restaurant, family and friends said.

He was responsible for the menu, drinks, architecture and landscaping.

''He made sure each person who filled each department was just as passionate,'' Thornton Arena said. ``At one point they made 50 different drinks and each drink had a different glass. That attention to detail has allowed it to survive so long.''

In 1969, Jack Thornton suffered a brain aneurysm. After brain surgery, he slowly learned to read and write again, but was unable to deal with the pressures of the business.

Thornton left his brother in charge of the Mai-Kai.

EXTRAVAGANT SHOW

The Polynesian-themed establishment is still as extravagant as Thornton envisioned.

During the foot-stomping, drum-beating show dancers swing their hips to the Songs of the South Seas while men toss burning sticks through the air. Flaming tiki torches lead the way under the thatched roof and into the garden.

Although Thornton had to leave the restaurant business behind, he took the time to travel to Europe with his family and indulge his passion for food and drink in Michelin-starred restaurants as well as neighborhood pizza joints.

''Although our parents were divorced, as a family we spent summers together,'' Thornton Arena said. ``I saw him come alive in Europe and instantly had a new appreciation for my dad.''

Thornton also made time for his family.

''He was the kind of man who -- on my birthdays -- he would send my flowers and send my mom a huge bouquet of roses with a note thanking her for their wonderful kids,'' Thornton Arena said.

Bob Thornton ran the Mai-Kai until his death in 1989. His widow, Tahitian-born Mireille Thornton, and their children own and operate the restaurant.

In addition to his daughter, Thornton is survived by a son, Ty, and his ex-wife Diane Thornton.