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Home > What's New > Col. Ralph Rumbo: 1930-2007
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Col. Ralph Rumbo: 1930-2007
Posted: Monday, October 29, 2007
By David Savona
Ralph Rumbo
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Iconic tobacconist Ralph Curtis Rumbo, known to everyone as "The Colonel," died on October 24. He was 77.
A tall, large man with an oversized personality and a sharp wit, Rumbo owned The Humidor in San Antonio, Texas, billed as "the home of the largest humidor in the Southwest."
"He was one of a kind," said Anthony Williams, an employee at The Humidor on San Pedro Avenue. There is also a Humidor in the Menger Hotel, near San Antonio's River Walk, also owned by the Rumbo family.
Raised in Ennis Texas, Rumbo graduated from East Texas University, receiving a BA in vocational agriculture. He joined the Air Force at the age of 25 and served 20 years, from 1955 to 1975, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was a Vietnam veteran, serving two tours in Southeast Asia.
After his retirement from the Air Force, Rumbo dabbled in several careers, then bought The Humidor in 1982. Rumbo was often seen with a thin-necked pipe clenched in his jaws. He was a mainstay at cigar industry trade shows and recently served on the board of directors of the Tobacconists Association of America.
Rumbo is survived by his wife, Sylvia, sons Keith and Mark, and grandchildren Leah and Jill.
Photo Courtesy Tobacconists Association of America
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