ERNEST B. HUETER

Ernest Boyd Hueter, 89, public servant, civic leader, businessman, writer, Eagle Scout and highly decorated WWII veteran, died of natural causes on February 26, in Arlington Hospital, Virginia. He and his wife, Joan, were residents of Kansas City, Mo., from 1961-1980, when they relocated to Washington, D.C. Ernie Hueter was born in California on June 15, 1920. His forbearers were pioneer Californian professionals and industrialists. His father was among the founders of the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Mr. Hueter attended Grant Grammar and Lowell and Galileo High Schools in San Francisco and New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. He was graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree in journalism and completed advanced studies in business administration at the University of California, Los Angeles. While attending the University of Missouri, he was a ROTC instructor. During WWII, he served 32 months in the Army in the South Pacific. As a commissioned officer in the Engineer Amphibian Command, Mr. Hueter commanded landing crafts and made 24 initial assault landings from Australia to the Philippines. He completed his duty with the rank of major in the intelligence section on General McArthur's staff, planning the anticipated landing in the Japanese homeland. He was awarded the Soldier's Medal for Heroism by Act of Congress, numerous Theatre of Operations awards, and five Presidential Unit Citations. After being discharged from the Army in 1945, Mr. Hueter went to Hollywood, where he became a radio script writer for Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen and Red Skelton. In 1947, his career took a completely different path when he joined Interstate Brands (Bakeries) Corporation as assistant advertising manager. He rose through the ranks to become president and chief executive officer and subsequently in 1973, he was appointed chairman of the board. During his leadership of Interstate, the company grew almost nine-fold to become one of Fortune's top 500 companies. While in Kansas City, Mr. Hueter served in an executive position on a wide range of business, civic and charitable organizations. He served as a director of the Commerce Bank of Kansas City, chairman of the Planning Committee for the National Convention of the American Red Cross held in Kansas City in May 1979, and as chairman of the Heart of America Council, Boy Scouts of America. For several years, he also served a vice president of the American Royal Horse Show and Livestock Exposition. Mr. Hueter was a commissioner on the Kansas City Sports Commission, working with Lamar Hunt to bring the Dallas Texans to Kansas City to become the Chiefs. In 1980, Mr. Hueter was asked to assume the presidency of the National Legal Center for the Public Interest, a not-for-profit legal educational foundation based in Washington, D.C. Until his retirement in 2004, he presided over the center's growth to include conferences, seminars and lectures, and he attracted national and international speakers including presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Mr. Hueter held many high volunteer posts in Washington, D.C., including serving as a director of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Washington International Horse Show, the Agricultural Hall of Fame and the National Association of Manufacturers. He was a member of the Supreme Court Historical Society and Military Order of the Caraboa in Washington, D.C. and the Bohemian Club and Rancheros Visitadores in California. He and his wife relocated to Walnut Creek, Calif., in 2006. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Joan Le Brun de Surville; two children, Ernest (Chip) Hueter of Warrenton, Va., and Kristin Hueter of San Francisco, Calif.; his daughter-in-law Carol; two grandchildren, Tyler and Katie; his brother Robert of Napa, Calif., and a valued host of friends. Services to be held at Arlington National Cemetery on July 6, 2010. There will also be a celebration of Ernie's life in San Francisco at a date to be determined. Gifts in memory of Ernest B. Hueter can be made to: The San Francisco Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, 1001 Davis St., San Leandro, CA 94577, and Palliative Care, Virginia Hospital Center Foundation, 1701 N. George Mason Drive, Arlington, VA 22205.