John Peterson was the first dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the first dean of the Graduate School at Emporia State University; as such he was instrumental in shaping the transition from Kansas State Teachers College to ESU and in establishing ESU’s place in Kansas education. He also was involved in founding ESU’s Honors College, among other contributions.
John Peterson was born in 1921 in northern Illinois, near DeKalb. During World War II he served in the Navy, both in the South Pacific and at Great Lakes Naval Training Station; later he completed his Ph.D. in biology at Michigan State University. Before coming to ESU he was at the University of Missouri, where he was chair of the Botany department when Botany and Zoology coalesced to become the Division of Biological Sciences—a significant transition at the time. His research made him a world traveler, and with his wife Merle he toured much of North America and visited Scandinavia, Australia, and South Africa, building a collection of micro-organisms which still resides at ESU. He was a dedicated teacher as well as a researcher, and taught biology at ESU for many years after stepping down as dean.
For years (decades, actually) John Peterson was a regular columnist for the Emporia Gazette, contributing the column “If I had my way.” He was active in the local arts council and in regional conservation and ecological preservation efforts, being a founding member of the Grasslands Conservancy. He regularly gave talks such as “The Fabulous Fungi” in Kansas schools and to regional civic groups, and he served on Kansas education committees at the state level. He published a newsletter, “The Life of the Mind,” uniting colleagues, friends, and former students.
He is survived by his wife, Merle, of Emporia; his son John in Bloomington, Indiana; and his daughter, Karen Henricks, in Jacksonville, Alabama. He will be missed. Memorial contributions may be made to the Peterson / Breukelman Scholarships Fund and to the Honors College Fund at the ESU Foundation. Donations may be sent in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett, 605 State St., Emporia, Kansas 66801. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Edward Peterson, please visit our flower store.
John Peterson was born in 1921 in northern Illinois, near DeKalb. During World War II he served in the Navy, both in the South Pacific and at Great Lakes Naval Training Station; later he completed his Ph.D. in biology at Michigan State University. Before coming to ESU he was at the University of Missouri, where he was chair of the Botany department when Botany and Zoology coalesced to become the Division of Biological Sciences—a significant transition at the time. His research made him a world traveler, and with his wife Merle he toured much of North America and visited Scandinavia, Australia, and South Africa, building a collection of micro-organisms which still resides at ESU. He was a dedicated teacher as well as a researcher, and taught biology at ESU for many years after stepping down as dean.
For years (decades, actually) John Peterson was a regular columnist for the Emporia Gazette, contributing the column “If I had my way.” He was active in the local arts council and in regional conservation and ecological preservation efforts, being a founding member of the Grasslands Conservancy. He regularly gave talks such as “The Fabulous Fungi” in Kansas schools and to regional civic groups, and he served on Kansas education committees at the state level. He published a newsletter, “The Life of the Mind,” uniting colleagues, friends, and former students.
He is survived by his wife, Merle, of Emporia; his son John in Bloomington, Indiana; and his daughter, Karen Henricks, in Jacksonville, Alabama. He will be missed. Memorial contributions may be made to the Peterson / Breukelman Scholarships Fund and to the Honors College Fund at the ESU Foundation. Donations may be sent in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett, 605 State St., Emporia, Kansas 66801. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Edward Peterson, please visit our flower store.
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