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Egon Pedersen is a retired mechanical engineer and longtime supporter of Save Mount Diablo (SMD), serving as vice president from 1972 to 1974 and president from 1974 to 1977. Pedersen was born in Henne, Denmark, in 1928. He attended college in Denmark before he and his wife, Inger, emigrated to California in the 1950s. Pedersen joined SMD in 1972 and was an important part of the organization's early leadership. In this interview, Pedersen discusses growing up in Denmark, including his interactions with nature and German occupation during World War II; meeting and marrying his wife, Inger; emigrating to the Bay Area and exploring California's natural landscapes; living and working in the Bay Area, eventually purchasing a home in Diablo, California; his family's early interactions with Mount Diablo, including hiking and horseback riding; the early years of SMD, including founders and participants, mission, meeting locations, allies like California State Senator John Nejedly, partners like East Bay Regional Park District, interactions with developers, fundraising efforts, land acquisition, and public outreach like April on the Mountain hikes starting in 1974; his personal leadership in SMD, including corresponding with Governor Ronald Reagan, working with other politicians, giving public talks about the history of Mount Diablo and the work of SMD, and advocating for a California Historical Landmark plaque on Mount Diablo; the current work of SMD; the fortieth anniversary of the placement of the California Historical Landmark plaque; changes in the Bay Area; and meeting his current partner, Cheri Easterly.

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