Remembering Rep. Pete McCloskey, a staunch Stanislaus River supporter

Must-read obituary about Pete McCloskey, who passed away May 8, 2024 at the age of 96. He was a remarkable person, a patriot in the best sense, and a very good friend of the Stanislaus River.  A left-leaning Republican, he was co-chair of the first Earth Day in 1970 and co-authored the Endangered Species Act in 1973.  Mark Dubois recalls:  “I visited him on Friday (a few days before he passed). I got a sweet smile… and he was fading fast.  As a Representative, he supported our congressional Stanislaus campaign, and even put me up in his guestroom on a speaking-for-the-river (‘lobby’) trip. He celebrated one of his birthdays at one of our Stanislaus reunions at Camp Lotus. His unrelenting powerful voice for the environment and peace will be missed. And… to live such a full life!  May we all be so rooted.”

See this video about more on Pete McCloskey and the Stanislaus River – and this biography on YouTube of his amazing life, “Leading from the Front“, where Pete is interviewed by a fellow veteran, Paul Newman; the film was produced by Rob Caughlan, one of FOR’s founders.

Mark’s father, Noel, tells this story about Pete:  “This incident happened in Sunnyvale, at a town meeting in City Hall, when Pete McCloskey gave up his seat in the House and was introducing the man running to be his successor, Ed Zschau (McCloskey believed in limited terms and was now running for the U.S. Senate). Mark Dubois had scheduled to talk to Pete about endorsing a congressional bill for the Stanislaus.  He was to ride with Pete in Pete’s old VW (his campaign car) to his next meeting, the only time McCloskey would have time to talk. The meeting ended and Mark and I stood around the lobby waiting for the crowd to clear. Pete (who knew Mark) walked up to Mark, put his hand on his arm and said in a fairly loud voice:  “This man is my nomination for Jesus Christ”. A bit later, we were walking to our cars across the street.  I was tailing behind the two.  Mark said, “By the way, Pete, this is my father.”  McCloskey spun around with a big smile and a handshake: “You must be Joseph.”