PR executive Peter McCandless, 87, struck, killed while crossing Reston Parkway

A Mercedes SUV struck and killed 87-year-old Peter McCandless as he crossed Reston Parkway the morning of Dec. 26 during his daily walk, according to Reston police.

McCandless was crossing Reston Parkway at Market Street around 7 a.m. when he was hit, police said. He was in the crosswalk but did not have the walk signal.

McCandless was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Mercedes driver and passengers remained at the scene, police said. Police are investigating whether speed played a role.

A well-known figure in the Reston community, McCandless had a decades-long career in marketing and public relations. He founded The McCandless Company, a Reston-based PR agency, in 1984 after holding executive positions at major agencies and corporations including Gulf Oil Corporation, the principal investor in Robert E. Simon, Jr.’s planned community.

He played a major role in shaping the new town, beginning in 1964 when he worked for three years as public relations manager for Simon’s Palindrome Corporation, the original developer of the new town named after Simon’s initials, RES.

McCandless also served as senior counselor with Griffin & Company Inc. in Washington, D.C. from 2002 to 2015 and executive director of public relations with The Washington Agency, a Reston-based business-to-business advertising and public relations agency, from 1998 to 2001.

His earlier PR agency experience included opening the Tysons Corner office for Richmond-based Siddall Inc. in 1980 after serving as executive vice president with William Rolle Inc. in Washington, D.C., from 1978 to 1980.

According to a report by NBC4, family members said McCandless was committed to staying active until the day he died.

“He was trying to keep in shape, and he would walk a mile a day,” his son, Kris McCandless, told the news station.

By Jeffrey Davis of Baltimore PR firm JD/PR and Capitol Communicator regional editor