December 10, 2008

A legacy of goodwill

Larry Pedersen—1941-2008

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Editor

Larry Pedersen, 67, died suddenly on Nov. 14 from an apparent pulmonary embolism. He left a legacy of goodwill and community service.

“Larry was very generous with his time and one of the pillars of the community,” said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Betty Deal. “He was a strong Campbell supporter and active in so many organizations. He was a very sharp business person with a good sense of humor. And he was good for his word. He will be missed.”

Larry Pedersen

Though Pedersen was born in Wisconsin, he spent an idyllic childhood in Myers Flat, California [near Eureka]. As a boy he hunted and fished under the redwoods and learned character and ethics from his father, a timber industry truck driver, and his mother. The family moved to the San Jose area after they lost everything in a major flood. Pedersen attended Campbell High School in 1958 where he met his wife Bonnie. He served in the U.S. Army and afterwards attended San Jose City College.

Pedersen worked for his father-in-law Bob McArdell, who owned a small rental center in Cupertino that he started in 1945. When McArdell died in 1964, Pedersen took over A Tool Shed Equipment Rentals, building the company into a multi-branch, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding areas. Pedersen’s three sons, Robert, Eric and Lars all work for A Tool Shed in various capacities.

Pedersen was an avid historian and an expert on the Civil War. He was extremely fond of animals and traveled extensively. The Pedersen household included Naveen Chaudhary, a student from Nepal who Pedersen brought to the U. S. and put through college.

Pedersen’s philonthropic and civic mindness included many Masonic groups, the Kiwanis Club of Campbell, past presidents of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce, Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and the California Rental Association, serving on the Veteran’s Memorial in Campbell and the American Rental Association’s Legislataive Committees among others. He was awarded the Campbell Citizen of the Year in 1992, the Boy Scouts Character Award in 2007 and was the recipient of the Boy Scouts Silver Beaver Award. Pedersen leaves behind his wife Bonnie, sons Robert, Eric, and Lars, Naveen Chaudhary and seven grandchildren, Robert, Meghann, Erika, Sierra, Thomas, Christine and Steve.

A memorial was held on November 26 at the Scottish Rite Center. Donations in his memory may be sent to the Campbell Kiwanis, Larry Pedersen Memorial Scholarship Fund, Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad Association, Boy Scouts of America or a Masonic Charity at P.O. Box 597, Campbell, Ca. 95009.

Photo courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Campbell