Life, says Dan Peterson ’72, sometimes goes by more quickly than you think. It seems like only a few reunions ago he was telling someone he couldn’t imagine reaching his 50th reunion—and now, here it is.
“The good part is you don’t worry anymore about weight gained or gray hair—it’s just nice to see old friends,” he said.
As Dan and his wife, Mary Lindahl Peterson ’72, looked forward to reconnecting with their peers and alma mater, the milestone also prompted them to stop and think: What kind of legacy did they want to leave?
“We’d been working on our family trust,” said Mary, “and wanted to use that to recognize Carleton for the solid foundation it provided to both of us.”
As a biology major, Dan became a doctor known for bringing national attention to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Mary, an English major, led Nevada’s Department of Education as superintendent of public instruction for two terms, focusing on academic standards and accountability. Yet their recollections of their days on campus ring most loudly and clearly with music.
“In my career, I had to do a lot of public presentations in front of legislative committees, and I credit my music experience for my ability to do that,” says Mary. “When you perform in front of a crowd, sometimes you’re good, and sometimes you’re terrible, but you learn you can do it. I had to be prepared and articulate—all the foundational things I learned at Carleton.”
Anywhere other than Carleton, Mary said, likely wouldn’t have encouraged—or even allowed—her to take private music classes as a non-major. But in Carleton’s liberal arts setting, music gave her confidence (and introduced her to her lifelong partner).
In honor of their positive experiences with music at Carleton, Mary and Dan will use their estate to create two endowed professorships, one in music and one in earth sciences, also acknowledging fond memories of Cowling Arboretum.
“We hope this gift helps provide a positive college experience to other young people in the future, like ours was,” Mary said. “It’s the quality of teaching that professors deliver and their willingness to engage with individual students that distinguishes high-quality education.”
And while the professors they knew and loved—like Enid Woodward, Bill Nelson, and William Muir—have left campus, others have stepped in to fill their shoes. Change may be quick, as Dan said, but still, some things stay the same.
“The basics at Carleton haven’t changed in 50 years,” Dan said. “There are a lot of new buildings, and it has been kind of a shock to learn that some buildings are gone. But the spirit is still the same.”