When he reflects on his life, which he does often, Ned regrets not having studied history at Columbia University (though years later he took all the courses required for a history Ph.D. at UC Berkeley), and not having lived a more intellectual life.

But his friends remember a man who gloried in the challenges he faced. "Ned is the kind of person that needs new challenges all the time," Krinsky said. "When he starts a new challenge I think he's very happy."

Koskinen remembers Ned talking about his father with respect, not rancor. "In a lot of ways Ned was happy accomplishing things on his own and making his own name," Koskinen said. "He always struck me as a guy very comfortable with himself and not driven by the shadows of what might have been or should have been."

Photos: David Toerge, Ernie Braun, Gordon Peters; and courtesy Oakland + Imada, San Francisco Chronicle, American Builder magazine

Ned Eichler passed away in 2014 at the age of 83