I have known Steve Bechtel for 58 years. We have been competitors. We have been partners. And most importantly, we have been friends. How do you measure a man? Perhaps the first measure is what he did and the impact that it had on the lives of others. Secondly by the manner in which he did it and lastly by how he used or shared the rewards of his labor. Steve Bechtel was a man whose accomplishments made life better for everyone who is here today and indeed literally for millions of people throughout the world. Steve Bechtel was truly a man who made a difference - a huge difference. The fruits of his labor are everywhere to be found. Cities that flourish where once there was only barren sand. Crops in abundance on land where none grew before. He altered the skylines of our cities, harnessed energy to light our lamps, fuel our cars, cook our meals, increase the efficiency of our farms and factories. Goods and people move on rails and highways and rapid transit systems, across bridges, through pipelines and airports that he and his forces designed and built. Steve took a relatively small family-owned regional heavy construction company and developed it into an international engineering and construction organization with an arsenal of skills without peer anywhere in the world. It remains privately owned and Steve would contend "family owned" because he considered the larger Bechtel family to include those who played pivotal roles in the company's success and with whom he generously shared the fruits of that success. But Steve's contributions go far beyond the confines of engineering and construction. He was a natural and gifted leader who possessed in high degree all those qualities that true leadership demands. He was a man of vision, who foresaw where we should be going and how best to get there. He pointed the way. He had the ability to attract and to retain talented people, to mobilize them, to communicate with them, and to inspire them to do what needed to be done. His powers of persuasion were legendary. When he started to convince you to go his way, he spoke softly and gently but "no" was a word you just couldn't recall. In the circumstances it was comforting to know that Steve was just about always right.