George Vukasin

In addition to his many civic duties, Mr. Vukasin may be best known for his role at Peerless Coffee and Tea, where he served as CEO of the Oakland coffee roasting institution older than many of the area’s most popular coffee chains. Mr. Vukasin was an Oakland-born, UC Berkeley graduate who played football for legendary coach Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf. He later went on to serve over 35 years in the Army and Army Reserve, eventually retiring as a major general. Despite a desire to serve in the FBI, Mr. Vakusin was called home to start a career in the family coffee business. Mr. Vukasin’s father, John Vukasin, founded Peerless Coffee in 1924, with a small shop on Washington and Ninth streets in Oakland that supplied premium coffee to local restaurants and hotels. Eventually, Mr. Vukasin took over as CEO and established himself as a well-known businessman in the Bay Area. He won several awards for his work with coffee, including the country of Colombia’s Manuel Mejia Medal of Honor for his lifelong promotion of quality coffee in North America. His son and daughter now run the company. He also started reaching out in the community during that time. Over the years, Mr. Vukasin served as chairman of the Alameda County March of Dimes, president of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and board member for St. Mary’s College and the Oakland Boys’ Club. He was elected to Oakland City Council in 1969, served as the city’s vice mayor from 1975 to 1977 and became president of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Board in 1983, serving for 10 years. In his work on the board, Mr. Vukasin was a key player in negotiating the Raiders' return to Oakland in 1995.In his free time, Mr. Vukasin enjoyed traveling the world with his wife of 50 years Sonja Halvorsen, spending time with his three children and attending his grandchildren’s sporting events. Mr. Vukasin is survived by his wife; three children, George Vukasin Jr., Kristina Brouhard and Michelle Thomas, and eight grandchildren