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Among the people we meet in life there are a few who really stand out.
Joe Dear was one such person. His track record as CalPERS Chief Investment Officer
speaks for itself. He captained the ship of CalPERS investments
out from under the storm clouds of the Great Recession to much smoother sailing.
Asked once about his avocations, how he spent his spare time, Joe said,
" I run a little,... and, ...I know this sounds boring,...my real passion is investments,
reading about investments." Joe's passion helped him deliver a great service
to CalPERS, and to the public employees who serve California.
He was a champion of market reform with a strong interest in protecting the system from
another major downturn. His personal approachability and razor-sharp
intellect allowed Joe to pull together a pool of exceptional CalPERS investment talent.
He was their leader, but also their friend.
We witnessed a public side of Joe that never wavered under the pressure of the persistent
and insistent media attention often given to the investment manager of a giant pension
fund. Joe's wry smile, in interviews, conveyed an
unspoken, but important reassurance about the future of the pension fund.
Joe had a great and useful sense of humor. He knew the value of a quote or
anecdote to make his point, and to make us smile.
Joe Dear >>I remember one member of Congress that used to give me a real hard time, you
know, when I was running a regulatory agency and he would go "Well the juice just ain't worth the squeezing"
and I think that's one of the questions here.
The best legacy any of us can hope for is to leave family, friends, and the causes we
care about; better off for the time we were here.
Joe Dear, and his wry smile, can rest easy.