[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 152 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO GEORGE MARCUS

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I rise today to honor the work of my 
friend George M. Marcus, an accomplished businessman and 
philanthropist.
  Born in Euboea, Greece, George Marcus and his family immigrated to 
the San Francisco Bay area in 1945. George was raised in California and 
attended college at San Francisco State University. After graduating 
with an economics degree in 1965, George began working in real estate. 
Always with an emphasis on client satisfaction, analysis, and 
evaluation, he founded Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment 
Services in 1971. His business acumen and willingness to innovate have 
spawned a variety of subsidiaries that have expanded his company to 
include 35 states.
  George's successes are not limited to the real estate industry. A 
noted entrepreneur, Mr. Marcus has been called ``a modern day Midas 
with an uncanny ability to create successful companies'' by one news 
outlet. Indeed, his ventures range from SummerHill Homes, a bay area 
homebuilder, to a partnership in two enormously popular Greek 
restaurants: Evvia Estiatorio in Palo Alto and Kokkari Estiatorio in 
downtown San Francisco.
  Mr. Marcus' legacy extends far beyond shareholders and profits into 
the heart of his own community. He has served on the California State 
Universities Foundation Board of Governors and the Board of Regents of 
the University of California. On the board he worked to preserve the 
financial viability of higher education for residents. He has also 
supported San Francisco's de Young Museum since its foundation and 
established San Francisco State University's International Center for 
the Arts.
  Remembering his heritage, George has contributed generously to the 
Greek-American community and its institutions. In 2008, he was 
instrumental in organizing the National Hellenic Society to provide 
resources to promote Hellenic ideals. For his numerous services, he has 
been awarded the AXION Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the 
Elios Cultural Achievement Award, the Patriarch Athenagoras I 
Humanities Award, and the Aristeio Award of the American Hellenic 
Council of California.
  This past month George was honored by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis 
of San Francisco with the Theofanis Economidis Award for his work on 
behalf of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States. I 
congratulate George on this much-deserved recognition.
  But for all of the awards and accolades from the private and public 
sectors, George Marcus' greatest accomplishment is his family. George 
and his wife Judy are the proud parents of four children--Mary Jane, 
John, Demetra, and Alexandria.
  In 2011, George gave the commencement address at San Francisco State 
University. In his remarks he quoted Aristotle, urging the graduates to 
remember that ``excellence is a habit. . . . For your success in 
whatever you pursue, you must take to heart and be the best you can . . 
. and don't forget to give back.'' George Marcus has made excellence 
his habit at home, in his community and in the corporate world. He has 
achieved unparalleled success in nearly every walk of life. Yet he has 
never forgotten to give back. He has never stopped being the best he 
can.
  Today, I, along with the Senate, congratulate him on his well-
deserved award from the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, but 
more importantly, we thank George Marcus for all he has done for the 
people of this nation.
  On a personal note, George Marcus has been my friend for three 
decades. It is a friendship I will always cherish.

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