Peter Lee McCandless, 87, Believed In And Promoted The Reston Dream

RESTON, VA — Peter McCandless, an 87-year-old resident of Reston, died after being struck by an SUV as he was crossing the southbound lanes of Reston Parkway on Dec. 27.

"He was on his daily walk of a mile," Kris McCandless told Patch on Tuesday. "We both share the 'Battle of the Bulge.' He wasn't thin, nor am I. He was just out for his walk and it was a bad, crummy day to do it."

When asked what his father would've liked his legacy to be, Kris McCandless struggled for an answer.

Karen Cleveland, the former chair of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, came to his rescue. She had worked worked with his father in the 1980s. She recalled Susan McCandless, Peter's wife, saying that he most wanted to be known for being "employee number 20" for Reston.

"He believed in the Reston dream and he never gave up on that, like a lot of us who've been around for a long time," Cleveland said. "It's so brilliant that Bob had the seven principles that have stood the test of time. Peter felt so blessed to be able to do this work. He would do just about anything to promote Reston."

Cleveland recalled when Peter McCandless wrote a speech for Jim Cleveland, the former president of the Reston Land Corporation whom she would later marry. The speech was for the dedication of the Mercury Fountain at Reston Town Center.

"You looked at the script and were like, 'Peter, this is the most beautiful script and these words would never come out of my mouth. We have to change them,'" she said, eliciting laughter from her husband.

"He was a great writer and everybody loved Peter," Jim Cleveland said. "He was the friendliest guy, always had a smile. He was a quick wit, not sarcasm or anything, just funny. Just a terrific guy to be around."

Peter McCandless' expertise was in public relations, basically putting promotional materials into newspapers and magazines. In late 1964, Reston founder Robert E. Simon hired him to promote his planned community in Northern Virginia.

"That was in his blood. He loved the concept of planned communities and not just urban sprawl," Kris McCandless said of his father. "He always loved art and architecture. He was an avid photographer and he got me into photography. Reston's plan was to 'live, work and play all in the same place, but do it so you maintain as many of the trees as you can. It isn't suburbia, with its little cookie-cutter houses on streets and cul de sacs."

Chuck Veatch, a long-time friend, worked with Peter McCandless promoting Reston during its formative years.

"It was kind of this camaraderie, I would say, with being in the forefront of something that's totally different, totally unique," he said. "Also, there was this dynamic going on in the background of, 'Are we going to be here next week?' It was kind of situation."

Veatch joked that when a prospective client got out of a Volvo and was wearing Birkenstocks, everyone on the sales team would fight to get to that prospect first.

"It was people that would think outside the box, that wanted to be part of something new and different, that they thought was world changing, if you will, and because if you look back at the publicity about Reston, I mean, it was everywhere," he said.

After the McCandless family moved to San Francisco in 1967, it returned to Northern Virginia two years later, with Peter working for a number of public relations firms that had Reston as its client.

"He was pretty much in charge of promoting Reston during that timeframe, from 1969 to 1986," Kris McCandless said.

In 1984, Peter McCandless teamed up with Tom Grubisich, the co-founder of The Connection newspapers, and photographer James Kirby to write the book "Reston: The First Twenty Years."

After living in Lovettsville for several years, Peter McCandless and his family moved back to Reston. That's when he started his own public relations firm, the McCandless Company.

After the death of his first wife in 2010, Peter McCandless met and later married Susan Ehart. In retirement, the couple traveled the world together. She helped him to get a condo in the Stratford House in 2014.

The couple shared a love for the Great Harvest Bread store and even discussed opening a franchise down in Florida. While that never materialized, Peter McCandless began working at the bakery's location in Herndon.

A Celebration of Life will be held in his honor Peter McCandless' honr on Saturday, Jan. 13, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Reston Community Center Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston, VA 20190.