Peter was born on October 29, 1951, in Berkeley, California to Peter Quon, Sr., and Lora (Low) Quon. His father, a primary care physician in Oakland China Town, and mother, an elementary school teacher, raised Peter along with his younger siblings Susan, David, and Janine. Every other year, the family would pack up their station wagon and drive to Yosemite National Park. They would spend their days at a secret water hole off Merced River, swimming, fishing, and eating canned ravioli and watermelon.
After graduating Berkeley High School in 1969, Peter went on to U.C. Davis and graduated with a degree in Asian History. While there, he helped establish the Asian American Student Association. He later earned a law degree at Western State University College of Law in 1977 (later admitted to the Alumnae Hall of Fame).
At the beginning of his legal career, Peter partnered on a San Diego County Criminal Defense Contract with fellow Attorneys Jesse Quinsaat, Joe Littlejohn, and Rich Castillo. He was also part of the leadership for the then newly formed Mediation Center. He joined the California State Attorney General’s office in the criminal law section where he served for more than 30 years and became a supervising attorney, followed by service as an attorney with the San Diego County District Attorney. He argued before the California Supreme Court 7 times and his advocacy resulted in 36 published opinions: 34 in the California Courts of Appeal, and 2 in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His work and commitment to justice did not go unnoticed and he was selected by the Attorney General as “State Prosecutor of the Year” in 1994 and later by the California District Attorneys Association as “Deputy Attorney General of the Year”. In 2017, he was recognized by the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association (NAPIPA) with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and later by the San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA) as the Outstanding Attorney of 2019.
Peter was one of the staunchest supporters of the specialty bar associations in San Diego. “No person has done more for advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession than Peter Quon and he did it by mentoring and encouraging one person at a time,” said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. He was a co-founder of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of California, and a founding member and two-time president of the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego (PALSD). Peter also served for many years on the board of the Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC) and is a longtime volunteer with the San Diego Chinese Center and the House of China. In 2009, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) recognized Peter with its Trailblazer Award for his work paving the way for the advancement of other Asian Pacific American attorneys.
Of all his professional accomplishments, Peter was most proud of his work in promoting, mentoring, and connecting young lawyers. “He was particularly invested in the advancement of law students and newly admitted lawyers with their careers,” said Federal District Court Judge Dana Sabraw, “He was always in the moment, present, and genuinely interested in others.” Peter was known for organizing lunches where law students could meet judges, hosting law students at annual bar dinners, conducting mock job interviews with lawyer mentees, and serving as a liaison between county bar leadership and diversity bar associations. Peter’s wish was that others within the legal community continue his mission of mentoring new lawyers and law students and that the county bar leadership and diversity bar associations continue their collaboration.
Peter was a devoted father to his two sons, Peter and Jeffrey. Although his work and commitments to the Asian-American community were demanding, he always made time to be present for his sons. He helped with their homework, built their soapbox car racer for the local derby, helped them work towards their next Boy Scout badge, and volunteered as a judge for their high school speech and debate tournaments. His eldest remembers fondly how Peter would routinely organize a full day of back-to-back fun activities on the weekends. These activities included Padres games, trips to the San Diego Zoo, miniature golf at the Family Fun Center, dinners at Corvette Diner, and ice cream at Swensen’s.
Denise Leon was the love of his life. They first met in 1989 at a Chinese New Year fund-raiser hosted by the San Diego Chinese Center. They later got to know each other better while volunteering at the San Diego Chinese Center’s Chinese New Year Fair and continued to volunteer together every year since. Regarding their courtship, Denise often says, “You never know all the benefits you get from volunteering.” They married in 1998 at Our Lady of the Rosary Church. Peter and Denise had many family traditions including going to Summer Pops concerts, Old Globe plays, and gorging on junk food at the Del Mar Fair.
Peter was an avid photographer who enjoyed taking pictures of family, friends, and colleagues. His recent trips to Yosemite, Zion National Park, and Alaska afforded him the opportunity to truly express his passion for photography. Later in life, Peter enjoyed traveling with Denise around Europe, making stops in Ireland, Italy, England, Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, France, and Austria. Peter and Denise never believed in tourism by itinerary, intentionally getting lost and keeping themselves open to unexpected opportunities and little known food scenes.
Peter passed away at home with dignity and grace surrounded by his wife, Denise, his sons, Peter and Jeffrey, and other family. The family plans on having a celebration of life once people are able to travel and gather safely again. The family also requests that in lieu of gifts or flowers, people donate to the House of China (houseofchinasd.com).
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