Dale Reed, a strong advocate for business and longtime Planning Commissioner for the City of San Leandro, died March 23 at his home. He was 81.

“Dale was a tireless promoter for San Leandro where he had an emphasis towards the industrial area and the Chamber of Commerce, but it didn’t stop there,” said long-time friend and associate Michael Gregory, Vice Mayor of San Leandro.

In his lifetime, Reed built up a healthy résumé of memberships in civic organizations and government commissions.

A member for nearly 50 years, Reed accepted the Hayward Chamber of Commerce Award earlier this year on Jan. 20, when recipients were honored for their exceptional work in the community.

“Not everyone is in a position to do this,” said Gregory. “Relative to what they are in the community, everyone can contribute.”

Reed grew up in a small town with his parents and younger brother on a farm where they raised farm animals and considered canned food gourmet. He later climbed the farming ladder and earned his undergraduate degree in agriculture and biological engineering at Purdue University.

Reed was called into the army to fulfill his ROTC obligations soon after graduation and served at Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, where he tested construction equipment for the best engineering the U.S. Air Force could afford.

The U.S. Air Force and his B.S. in Agriculture laid the pavement for his new career working for Le Tourneau-Westinghouse Company based out of Illinois, which manufactures large construction and earthmoving equipment.

Reed was assigned to San Leandro in 1963 where he and his wife of 57 years, Donna, decided to make their new home and eventually have three children, all of whom he is survived by.

During his initial years in California, Reed entered a partnership with Louis Buran, Sr. and opened a truck dealership called Acme Scale.

“Dale’s contributions always focused on two things: good business and strong planning for the city,” said Hayward Councilmember Joyce Starosciak. “He illustrated this by being a business owner and extremely active in the Chamber of Commerce where he developed good leadership and was a huge supporter of it.”

He later became an active member in his community as the president of the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustments and later as the planning commissioner of San Leandro.

“One of his successes, which was beneficial for his company’s broadband access and the community, was taking two million dollars of his own money and investing it in fiber optics, [which are] laid throughout San Leandro,” said Gregory.

The vice mayor will be replacing Reed in his planning commissioner chair.

Gregory declared that Reed was an example to everyone past the boundaries of San Leandro and that involvement in your community in any aspect will prove beneficial to the whole.

“I can assure you in a disaster people do come forward to assist,” said Gregory. “It’s good for people to know that help is needed in between those disasters.”

Fellow council members would note that Reed contributed toward the general plan of the Chamber of Commerce and was very willing to serve on any committee that discussed future plans for the city.

“Dale was the ultimate ambassador for San Leandro. He worked for nearly five decades to improve San Leandro,” explained San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy. “Dale had a sharp mind, was an excellent judge of character, and was a person of integrity and honesty.”

Reed’s background in engineering, business and city planning contributed to helping the city grow in the right ways, according to Starosciak.

“We can all use Dale as an example for understanding the needs of a community and learning what you can do as a volunteer,” said Gregory.

Courtesy San Leandro Chamber of Commerce*