Charles Henry Lundquist

Charles Henry Lundquist
(August 1920 – November 2006)

Charles H. Lundquist dies at 86;
Fostered an entrepreneurial zeal and impetus for mutually beneficial business growth in the
San Francisco & Los Angeles County South Bay regions

TRADITIONAL VALUES WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Founder & Chairman of the Board – Continental Development Corporation
Naming Benefactor – Charles H. Lundquist College of Business,
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

Charles Henry Lundquist, a World War II veteran, and unswerving entrepreneur who became President and Chairman of the Board for Continental Development Corporation, one of the finest and most respected mixed-use real estate development companies in the Los Angeles South Bay region, imbued with traditional virtues and a creative and conscientious attention to community, social and environmental affairs, died peacefully on Monday, November 6th at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, California. He was 86.

Armed with a University of Oregon (U of O) business degree in 1942, a Harvard University MBA in 1946, and a wide breadth of successful business ventures, he had a deep appreciation for the power of a good idea, the strength of a winning strategy, and the importance of dedication and commitment to one’s work and one’s life.

Although Charles “Chuck” and his loving spouse, Jeanne Anne were long–time residents of Manhattan Beach and Playa del Rey, California, they preferred to travel as much as possible until the last few years when they enjoyed residing with their three beautiful grandchildren, Ashley, Alexandra and Aubrianna and their parents, Paula and Jeff Loftus in Long Beach, California.

Chuck was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital at 5:35 a.m. on Monday, August 30th, 1920 in Portland, Oregon, the eldest of two sons of a Swedish-born schoolteacher and shipyard draughtsman, Henry Arnold Lundquist and mother, Almeda Rosamond Bryant. Excelling at nearly every endeavor he undertook, Chuck was an intellectual, vigorous young man who prided himself on inspiring others and always set an example for others to emulate. He excelled in the Portland, Oregon public school system, the U.S Army, Harvard University and in the competitive business world, but Chuck was far more than that…He was a proud man filled with the joy of living life to its fullest and conquering the next seemingly impossible challenge, or pushing beyond his own perceived boundaries. He was a loving and tender husband, a proud father, a gentle and enduring grandfather – and a compassionate and caring friend to many.

Chuck exuded professionalism and proper decorum in all of his endeavors. He was always concerned about others and spent a lifetime of philanthropic giving and thoughtful mentoring to encourage others to pursue their dreams and stretch themselves beyond their own perceived limits. It will be Charles Lundquist’s quietly dogmatic and uncompromising ethics along with his enduring love of personal improvement and life-long learning that will keep his memory alive, especially at his beloved alma maters, University of Oregon and Harvard University. He would be the first to fondly boast of his analytical, meticulous and methodical Virgo traits that helped keep his busy and demanding life unfurling on schedule and as reasonably close to his Grand Plan as possible.

HIS EARLY YEARS…

After attending the Portland Oregon Public Schools’ Fernwood Grade School from 1927 – 1935 and Ulysses S. Grant High School from 1935 – 1937, he moved temporarily to Virginia and attended two terms at the Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond before returning to Portland to graduate with honors alongside his old senior class in June 1938. Participation in the Grant High School’s Athletic Association, House of Representatives, Honor Study Chairman, Mathematics Club, Senior Organization, ‘Jeffersonian’ Staff Reporter and the Junto Debating Society always kept Chuck busy and socially active in high school. Chuck had many fond memories of growing up in suburban Portland with his younger brother Jim, especially playing softball and touch-football after school in the neighborhood streets; and driving his father’s 1927 Oldsmobile around the block in reverse to readjust the odometer to keep it within the limits that his dad had set for taking a lady friend out on a date. When reminiscing of those fond high school days, Chuck occasionally joked that, he often thought he was almost getting as good at driving in reverse as he was in forward drive! Local outings for Chuck and his friends often included a stop at the world famous Jantzen Beach Park’s Golden-Canopied Ballroom or on the Big Dipper Roller Coaster…and almost always included a stop on Northeast 40th, just off Sandy at their favorite P-town teen hangout, ‘Yaws,’ home of the Top-Notch Burger.

As an avid motoring enthusiast of fine cars, Chuck’s first auto purchase was a used 122 horsepower 1931 Studebaker Sedan with free-wheeling manual transmission, and he continued a lifetime of enjoying luxuriously appointed, well-made American automobiles. Having a strong natural affinity to music and a “good ear” for it, Chuck eagerly pursued private flute lessons when he was young and enjoyed playing at church services and high school concerts for several years.

Chuck’s entrepreneurial endeavors began with him selling lemonade on street corners and mowing lawns to earn money for movie tickets. Other early working pursuits included Bell Boy at Hotel Washington in Portland; Duplicating Department Assistant for the U.S. Department of Interior, Bonneville Power Administration; and warehouse worker for Libby, McNeill & Libby’s can manufacturing operations (for one of the world's leading producers of canned foods) in Portland, Oregon.

While attending the University of Oregon, he was President of the Oregon Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the national honorary society for Financial Information students and professionals; Vice President of the Oregon Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international scholastic honor society for academic business programs; and a member of the U of O Gamma Hall living organization. Chuck also participated in the two-year Cadet ROTC – Basic Training Program during his undergraduate studies at U of O. Despite his busy schedule, he was also named the “Outstanding Graduate of the year in Accounting” by the Oregon Chapter of the American Institute of Accountants, and passed the National Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination in May 1942 with the second highest score in the United States. Majoring in accounting at the U of O, he graduated in June 1942 with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Accounting and a minor in Social Science.

HIS WORLD WAR II AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY YEARS…

Chuck was awarded a National Service Scholarship and entered Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business Administration in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the summer of 1942 to pursue his Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree in Accounting. However, Chuck’s graduate work was interrupted by three years (1943 – 1946) of active military service in the United States Army, as both an enlisted man and a commissioned officer. He graduated from the Quartermaster Corps’ (QMC) Class #31 from Officer Candidate School at the Army Services Forces Depot School at Camp Lee, Virginia and the U.S. Army Finance School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He quickly rose to the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the QMC and faithfully served as a Corporate Cost Analyst and Contract Termination Auditor at the Quartermaster Depot in Chicago, Illinois. During WW II, the Quartermaster Depot became the largest food purchasing and distributing organization in the world and Lieutenant Lundquist was responsible for their entire Cost and Price Analysis Branch.

Prior to his honorable discharge in June 1946, Chuck was awarded the American Theatre of Operations Ribbon and World War II Victory Medal. Throughout his military service he performed vital accounting and auditing costs of war contracts under the War Department’s forward pricing policy and post V-J Day, served as the Officer in Charge of the Contract Termination Accounting Section. Upon his discharge from the U.S. Army, Chuck immediately returned to Harvard to complete his studies.

HIS ENTREPRENEURIAL YEARS…

Following his MBA graduation with distinction (Honors) from Harvard Business School in November 1946, Chuck joined the Los Angeles office of the CPA firm of “Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery” (now PricewaterhouseCoopers – PwC, now the world’s largest professional services firm). Quickly ascending to Senior Staff Accountant provided Chuck with invaluable skills and experience that further convinced him he was eager and ready to nurture his own entrepreneurial spirit and desire to pursue his own business ventures.

After leaving the accounting firm in 1949, Chuck’s first significant entrepreneurial venture was the immediate acquisition and turn around of a small company named Ridgewood China that was engaged in the manufacture of fine china. In 1950, when he sold this company at a sizable profit, he joined the Consolidated Western Steel Division of U. S. Steel Corporation, Maywood, California as a financial officer and later as the Assistant Treasurer.

Working in a large corporation did not have the allure of entrepreneurial enterprises that Chuck sought; so, within five years, the entrepreneurial bug bit again, and Chuck organized a small investment group of friends and relatives called UNIMERC Corporation, Inc., friends and relatives, which acquired or founded several small companies in 1955 that were eventually merged together. These companies were involved in such diverse industries as aerospace, commercial development, shopping centers and hotels. Some of these included; the Western Sealant Company, and the Western Sealant Development Corporation, along with the United States Chemical Milling Corporation that performed the chemical milling of aircraft skins for the Convair’s supersonic B-58 Hustler jet bomber.

Under his leadership as Chairman and President, by 1960, the U.S. Chemical Milling Corporation (CMC) had grown to be the world’s largest production of chemically-milled parts for the missile and aircraft industry. He was helping extensively in our nation’s missile and space programs. Always keeping a keen eye open for ancillary opportunities related to their existing capabilities, led Chuck to get CMC involved in the booming automatic merchandising (vending) industry. CMC was responsible for unveiling the new Dariomatic Refrigerated Vending Machines at the Chicago Merchandising Show in November 1959 that safely and effectively vended cold milk and cold fruit juice, along with an early version that also vended phonograph records.

When he first founded UNIMERC, Inc. in 1955, he was an energetic and unstoppable 35-year-old businessman who set out to prove that traditional hard work, moral leadership, calculated risk-taking, and a fervent entrepreneurial spirit could lead to a fulfilling and adventurous life that could have a positive and long-lasting impact on the lives of many others.

Chuck was a licensed engineering and general contractor in the state of California. His real estate ownership has included land investments in California, Arizona, Texas and Australia; hotel and resort ownership; ranch ownership and operation, and development of commercial, industrial and office complexes. In recognition of his accomplishments in the creation of a 706-acre Port of Sacramento Industrial Park on the deep-water ship channel, Chuck received the “Industrialist of the Year” award from the West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce.

HIS CONTINENTAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION YEARS…

In 1969, UNIMERC, Inc. merged with the Continental Development Corporation (CDC) - a major developer of high-quality office buildings and commercial office parks in California. At that time, Chuck officially assumed Presidency and Directorship for all of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including their initial crowning jewel, a 40-acre, $65 million ‘Continental Park’ mixed-use office and industrial park development project. Other CDC projects over the years included the 22-acre Skypark Office and Medical Center in Torrance, California; a seven-story, Class A Office building in downtown San Francisco, and they are currently building a 32-story, 550 room InterContinental Hotel near San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center (CDC has owned the San Francisco property on which the hotel is being developed since 1971).

Throughout Chuck’s tenure, CDC consistently demonstrated leadership in their community, social and environmental affairs, along with winning numerous civic, environmental and industry awards. Chuck’s number one mandate for CDC’s projects was to ensure that they would always be models for how business and surrounding communities can mutually benefit from superior real estate development. Throughout his tenure as President and Chairman of the board, CDC professionally developed and managed 3.5 million square feet of premium office, research and development, commercial, retail, restaurant and entertainment properties.

Chuck continued in the capacity as CDC’s President for nearly twenty years until 1988 when his son, Richard succeeded him as President, but Chuck continued to remain actively involved as Chairman of the Board until his passing.

With one successful business venture after another, Chuck purchased the 1943 wooden hulled 110-foot, 18-foot beam, converted U.S. Navy Sub Chaser in November of 1966 and completed refitting her into a luxurious blue-water yacht. He affectionately named it “Scandia,” based upon his Swedish heritage and his favorite Scandinavian restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. This twin-screw, GM diesel powered yacht was Chuck’s pride and joy for several adventurous years. Scandia hailed from Dolphin Marina, Marina del Rey, California as he and his experienced crew explored and fished the bountiful waters of the Pacific from Alaska to South America and all throughout the South Seas. They sadly parted their ways in the summer of 1972 because of his ever-demanding business agenda.

Over the years, Chuck’s professional memberships included the Chambers of Commerce for the cities of Los Angeles, El Segundo, and San Francisco; American Institute of Accountants; National Association of Review Appraisers & Mortgage Underwriters; Building Industries Association; National Association of Real Estate Appraisers; International Institute of Valuers; Building Owners and Managers Association International; the Urban Land Institute; the World Trade Club of San Francisco; and The City Club of San Francisco, as well as the Editorial Board of the Southern California Real Estate Journal and also the founder and Chairman of the Board of the LAX International Business Center – an association of leading developers, hotel operators, airlines, financial institutions, and other businesses in the Los Angeles International Airport area whose purpose is to further business growth through cooperative marketing efforts.

Chuck was awarded the First Annual “Visionary of the Year Award” from the LAX International Business Center “for his many years of support of the Greater Los Angeles business community.”

Never one to sit idle for very long, Chuck soon ventured into horse breeding and ranch management for two different ranches he purchased in the early ‘70s, as his ocean-cruising days aboard “Scandia” waned. He first bought the Mariposa (Spanish for ‘butterfly’) Ranch, located about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles to accommodate his growing business travel needs, in August of 1970, and to enjoy some open-range horse back riding and casual motor-biking. He also raised Siberian Huskies at this ranch. He later purchased another Ranch in Ventura County and built a first-class horse barn and stable and then traveled to Peru to hand-select six pure-breed Peruvian Paso horses to import to the United States. He greatly admired their very distinguished and uniquely efficient natural gait called the ‘Paso llano.’ Chuck described it as somewhere between a walk and a canter with a lovely four-footfall beat. He thoroughly enjoyed riding these strong, majestic beauties and joined the Peruvian Paso Horse Registry of North America (PPHRNA) for owner/breeding purposes and he later participated in several championship shows.

HIS PHILANTHROPIC YEARS…

After Chuck’s own father passed away in September of 1980 at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California after falling and fracturing his right hip, Chuck became even more determined to ensure his remaining days on earth, no matter how many there were, would be as fruitful, giving and inspirational to others. Chuck’s thoughtful and charitable giving grew to reach hundreds of worthy and needy organizations across our nation, including: the American Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Arthritis Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, Easter Seals, the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, the University of Oregon Foundation and Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, Harvard Business School Fund, the National Republican Congressional Campaign, and the California Republican Party, just to name a few.

In 1989, Chuck humbly funded the launch of the “Lundquist Center for Business Development,” later renamed the “Charles H. Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship” with a $1 million endowment to the College of Business. In recognition of Chuck’s visionary efforts, he was awarded the U of O ‘Pioneer Award’ that is bestowed upon a few select individuals that embody the vision to recognize a new path ahead and the pioneering spirit, courage, and perseverance to follow that path. Pleased with the result of his initial entrepreneurial venture with the College of Business, and their stewardship of the funds and commitment to entrepreneurship, Chuck graciously donated an additional $10 million to the U of O College of Business in 1993 as an endowment to support several Lundquist Professorships, Lundquist Distinguished Visiting Professorships, post-graduate internships, as well as provide additional innovative teaching and research support and professorships with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. As the donor of the largest private gift in the University of Oregon’s 118-year history, the U of O College of Business Administration was appropriately renamed in his honor to the “Charles H. Lundquist College of Business” (CHLCB). Through his vision and generosity, Chuck left a lasting legacy that will benefit business students and the Oregon business community for many years to come. He always believed that “education was the foundation on which all future growth was based.”

Chuck hoped that his gift to the College of Business would provide students the opportunity to learn more about the operation of new ventures – lessons he learned through trial and error. It was Chuck’s hope that his gifts would elevate the business school – now the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business to the highest levels of business education in the United States and provide future entrepreneurs with the resources and training that weren’t accessible when he was a student. Chuck’s selfless generosity and foresight have enabled the renamed Charles H. Lundquist College of Business to promote and develop this entrepreneurial spirit.

In May 1994, the University of Oregon awarded its highest honor, the ‘Presidential Medal,’ to Chuck for his “leadership, vision and service to the University.” Chucks words of advice to the M.B.A. students were remarkably down to earth; “No matter what you do in business, make sure you do what you like and you will be successful. Don’t ever lose sight of what’s important.”

In 1998 the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon bestowed their prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ on Chuck for providing such an inspiration to the U of O’s efforts and for bravely and confidently investing in a new greater vision for not only the College of Business but also for the entire University as a whole. Chuck clearly understood before many others, that in the years ahead, generous private philanthropy would be the primary source of investment capital needed to move the U of O to higher levels of distinction and merit.

HIS MANY PASSIONS…

Beside their fond love and aloha for the Hawaiian Islands, world class cruising had to be one of Chuck and Jeanne’s favorite pastimes over the past twenty years. They traveled to Australia, New Zealand, the French, Italian and Mexican Rivera’s, Ireland, the Capitals of Scandinavia and Europe, all throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas, Sandwich Islands, Society Islands, Switzerland, Japan, Philippines, England, Greece and passed through the Panama Canal several times just to name a few. However, one of their favorite trips was escorting two of their lovely granddaughters Ashley and Alexandra (without their parents, Jeff and Paula Loftus) on a two-week roundtrip cruise between San Francisco and Alaska on the majestic Crystal Symphony.

Beside Chuck’s numerous business and philanthropic ventures, he truly loved life to its fullest. One of his guiding principles in life, was the simple philosophy of “Do what you love, and love what you do.” He knew that most people had heard a similar statement before, but he was always amazed, and dismayed, how few could honestly state that they absolutely loved the career or profession they were doing for a living. He always knew he would achieve his life passions, dreams, and secret wishes and desires by “doing what he loved, and loving what he did.”

He was also very passionate about fine dining opportunities, sing-along piano lounges, international and educational traveling, ballroom dancing, luxury cruising, deep sea fishing, classical, jazz and big-band/swing music, and a huge fan of classical and spaghetti western genre film, radio and television shows.

In addition to his loving wife, Jeanne; and son Richard (mother, Leah, and wife, Melanie of Palos Verdes Estates, California); brother, Jim (Vancouver, Washington); and stepdaughter Paula Loftus (husband Jeff of Long Beach, California), Chuck is survived by three granddaughters, Ashley Leilani, Alexandra Leialoha, and Aubrianna Leinaniloa Loftus and many other loving relatives and friends. Chuck will be deeply missed by his family and the community.

Visitation hours will be held in the main Funeral Home at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Saturday, December 2nd, with private family graveside services held later that afternoon in the Lincoln Terrace. The family requests that memorials be made to the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business or to the University of Oregon Foundation.