James Phillip Streng ’52
James Phillip Streng ’52 passed away at home on June 1. Jim was born May 16, 1930, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was educated at Scranton Central High School and Dartmouth and was a sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving in South Korea during the Korean War. After completing his military service Jim and his brother, Bill ’50, started Streng Bros. Homes in 1958. During the next two and a half decades they built more than 3,800 homes in Sacramento and Yolo counties. Jim was a longtime Sacramento resident and Sacramento County supervisor and while still building, served as the Sacramento County zoning administrator and as a planning commissioner. Jim took a leave of absence when he was elected to the county board of supervisors. Jim’s leadership and negotiating skills allowed him to run unopposed for his second term as chairman of the board. He was on the board of directors of the American River Parkway Foundation, named “Superior California Builder of the Year” in 1980, and inducted to the Builders Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also Sacramento’s Citizen of the Year of 1996. The Fair Oaks Park District recently honored Jim for his many years of community service with the opening of Jim Streng Park in Fair Oaks. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary Jo; sons Steve, Phillip, and Blake and their spouses; five grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Jim’s father, George Streng, was class of 1922.
