[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17438-17439]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO GENE YEAGER

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
life of Ernest Eugene ``Gene'' Yeager, a successful businessman, 
philanthropist, outstanding community member and close personal friend 
of mine. On Sunday, September 5, 2010, Gene passed away at the age of 
85. Although Gene has passed on from this life, he leaves a lasting 
legacy of generosity and accomplishment that will never be forgotten.
  More than 700 people gathered to pay tribute to Gene at the 
California Baptist University quad, just behind the center that bears 
his name. The two-hour service brought together people throughout the 
community that Gene touched during his life, including industry 
leaders, former employees, friends and family members. Gene's life 
tells the tale of a man who turned his business empire into a conduit 
for blessing the lives of people around him.
  Gene Yeager was born in Riverside in 1924. He graduated from Poly 
High School in 1942 and studied engineering at the University of 
California at Berkeley. In 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was 
appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. After World War II ended, he 
returned to Berkeley, where he received his bachelor's degree in civil 
engineering. Together with his two brothers, Richard and Jacques, they 
went to work for their father, Ernest Louis Yeager, who founded E.L. 
Yeager Construction Company in Riverside in 1919. Gene ran the public 
works side of the operations business which worked on projects to 
improve major freeways, dams and bridges. The brothers turned the 
business into one of the largest public works and private construction 
companies in the United States, and one that changed the landscape of 
Southern California.
  With Gene at the head, the Yeager Company rebuilt two bridges that 
collapsed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, built the Highway 91/
Interstate 15 interchange in Corona, built the dam at Lake Perris and 
helped erect the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.
  After Richard was killed in a traffic accident in 1979, Gene and 
Jacques continued to run the company until 1995, when they sold it to a 
group of senior managers. In 2002, the business was sold to Skanska, 
the Swedish construction giant.
  Through the years, Gene had become a leader and an industry icon. He 
is remembered just as fondly by his construction workers as he is with 
the people at Skanska, because of his intense work ethic and generous 
heart.
  After retiring in 1995, Gene set about traveling the world with his 
wife, spending time with his family and generously making donations to 
worthy causes in the Riverside area, including a $1 million endowment 
to fund environmental research and scholarships at the University of 
California at Riverside.

[[Page 17439]]

  In fact, his charitable work earned him ``guardian angel'' status in 
Riverside. Everyone that knew Gene, knew that he gave from the heart, 
and did so without any desire for recognition.
  In addition to his wife, Billie, Mr. Yeager is survived by sons Ken, 
of San Jose, and Tom, of Riverside; daughters Beth, of Norco, and 
Louise, of Newport Beach; stepchildren Terri, of Riverside, and Doug 
Moore, of Rancho Cucamonga; brother Jacques, of Riverside; nephew 
Jacques Jr., of Riverside; and 13 grandchildren and two great-
grandchildren.
  On behalf of all those who knew him, it is an honor to offer these 
remarks as a tribute to the life and legacy of my friend Gene Yeager. 
His life and presence will be sorely missed and I extend my condolences 
to his dear family and friends.

                          ____________________