[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 164 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO PETER McCUEN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DOUG OSE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 1999

  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a humble heart to pay tribute 
to a distinguished leader, a personal friend, and a true pioneer for 
the city of Sacramento, Mr. Peter McCuen. The city lost one of its 
great giants on Monday, when Peter succumbed to his third battle with 
cancer.
  More than any other person in the last 20 years, Peter McCuen 
transformed the landscape of Sacramento and many of those who live in 
it. We can see the visual legacy he left when we drive through the 
Highway 50 corridor. The region's most graceful skyscraper and its most 
visible ziggurat building remind us how integral he was in bringing 
prosperity to the city.
  Peter came to Sacramento in 1980 after having successful careers as a 
professor at Stanford University and a hi-tech entrepreneur in Silicon 
Valley. He had planned on retiring in the city. But immediately after 
he arrived, he saw the many opportunities Sacramento had to offer. He 
was involved in over 100 development projects, including the Library 
Plaza, the U.S. Bank Plaza, the Teale Data Building, and the 
redevelopment of Mather Air Field. He also played a vital role in 
brining major corporations like Intel and Sprint to this region, which 
created thousands of jobs for the people of Sacramento. His impact on 
the economic development of the Sacramento area is unparalleled.
  But for many of us, it is not just the suburban business parks he 
built or the highrises he helped engineer that touched our lives. It is 
Peter's unreserved generosity, canny vision, boundless energy and 
incomparable intellect that make him a truly unique human being.
  Peter's philanthropic efforts benefited a long list of causes and 
groups in the city. His renowned love of arts, education and civic 
organizations earned him the Regional Pride Excellence Award in 1991. 
He served on the advisory boards of the Cancer Center at UC Davis 
Medical Center and both the engineering school and the graduate school 
of management at UCD. He also served on the advisory board to the 
president of the Cal State University, Sacramento and the State's Clean 
Air Partnership.
  Peter had a bright vision for our city, and he tried everything in 
his power to fulfill that vision. Sacramento is a better place because 
of Peter McCuen. My heart goes out to his wife Susan, his two children, 
Pamela and Patrick, and the entire McCuen family. Sacramento will miss 
one of its true leaders.