The Campbell Reporter

Community

McQueen was 'King of the Mountain'

By Koren Temple

Loren "Mac" McQueen, a Campbell businessman for more than five decades, died Jan. 20 at the age of 81.

Born in 1925, the San Jose resident was president of Communication & Control Inc. on Bascom Avenue. The family-run business specializes in antenna site development and management throughout the Bay Area.

Before his days as an entrepreneur, McQueen worked as a grocery boy in his hometown of Los Gatos. Throughout his childhood, McQueen was involved with the Boy Scouts, had a passion for hunting and competed in soapbox derby races--even carrying the title of soapbox derby champion of Los Gatos in 1938.

McQueen was described as gruff on the outside, but with a heart of gold on the inside, according to his son Scott McQueen.

The elder McQueen attended Los Gatos High School and worked parttime as a golf caddy at the Rinconada Country Cub. During his junior year, in 1941, however, everything changed.

"He was working as a caddy the very moment he heard of the invasion at Pearl Harbor. From there, he joined the Army Air Corps and was shipped off to Italy during World War II," says Scott.

Upon returning home, McQueen finished his high school education and worked as a Ford car salesman. He decided after a couple of years to open his own business, first operating a used car lot on the corner of Union and Bascom avenues, and then he started buying mountain property throughout the Bay Area to start a communications business.

In January 1950, McQueen founded the Umunhum Development Corporation, later to become Communication & Control Inc. (CCI), which provided communication sites and services to the rural areas of Santa Clara Valley and the Monterey Bay from Mount Umunhum in the Almaden Valley. Though McQueen was called back to serve in the Korean War, his business grew steadily through the 1950s.

"He was a shrewd businessman and a family-oriented individual who found a way to combine family and business," says friend Don Bishop.

Nicknamed the "King of the Mountain," McQueen would patrol his mountain property in a jeep with a gun rack to discourage hikers, bicyclists and motorcyclists from straying from narrowly defined public roads and trails onto his antenna sites.

McQueen joined Radio Club of America in 1969 and became a fellow in 1975. He was a member of the board of directors from 1979 to 1999. He received the club's Special Services Award in 2001.

He was a longtime member of Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 292 and participated in the San Jose Rotary Club for more than 40 years. McQueen also served on San Jose Airport commission for 10 years.

He is survived by his wife Marge; son Scott; and daughters Randee and Lori McQueen.