Retired name partner Peter T. Hoss died on November 29, 2018. Peter was a highly respected member of the Monterey Bay region legal community, who specialized in complex construction litigation. He was an early champion of alternative dispute resolution in the construction law setting. He also represented the consortium of National Park Concessionaires in their dealings with the Park Service.
Peter was born in Yosemite in 1934, where his family had a longtime connection with the Yosemite Park and Curry Company. He attended Palo Alto Schools, Stanford and Cornell Universities (B.A., 1955), and Stanford Law School (J.D., 1958). After service in the military in Italy, he joined the firm now known as Noland, Hamerly, Etienne and Hoss.
Peter was passionate about justice and spent his legal career championing client cases with his signature spirit and intellectual fortitude. He served in leadership positions in the legal community, including Monterey County Bar Association (President, 1972), Monterey County Mediation Center, the Conference of Barristers of the California State Bar Association, and the Christian Legal Society. He retired from the firm in 1999.
In retirement, Peter became a writer. He was a founding member of Central Coast Writers. His book Born in Yosemite (published in 2010), captured the historical events and personal adventures that shaped his Yosemite experience and his deep connection to the National Park. He also continued to enjoy the Sierra Nevada, and Yosemite Park, hiking and trekking in the mountains which formed his spirit of adventure and his deep love of nature. At Peter’s memorial service at his longtime parish, the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, near his home in Steinbeck’s “Pastures of Heaven,” John Muir’s words recalled Peter’s love of all that nature has to offer:
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
These are fitting words to ponder as we bid farewell to an important part of Noland Hamerly’s history.
© 2019 Noland, Hamerly, Etienne & Hoss