MAX S. PETERS PAPERS

Max S. Peters was born in Delaware, Ohio August 23, 1920, the son of Charles C. and Dixie S. Peters. His father was a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University's College of Education.

Peters attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 1942. As a member of the Penn State Ski Team, he lettered in each of his four years at the institution and served as team captain in 1940 and again in 1942. Upon graduating, Peters worked for the Hercules Powder Company supervising the Nitric acid production unit.

Peters enlisted in the Army January 8, 1944 at Altoona, Pennsylvania and joined the 10th Mountain Division while it was engaged in winter warfare training at Camp Hale, Colorado. He was assigned to Company A of the 85th Infantry Regiment. Later, Peters was stationed at Camp Swift (Texas), Camp Carson (Colorado), and he saw combat in Italy. Peters rose rapidly in rank to become the company First Sergeant, a position which placed him in charge of 200 enlisted men. He received the Silver Star Medal for gallantry at Pullano, Italy on April 15, 1945 and was wounded in action the next day near Castel d’Aiano.

Following the war, Peters returned to Pennsylvania State University to earn his Masters Degree in chemical engineering, which he received in 1947. After two years with the G.I. Treyz Chemical Company of New York, Peters completed his PhD in chemical engineering. He joined the faculty of the University of Illinois where he rose to head the Division of Chemical Engineering. In 1962, Peters became the Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Professor of Chemical Engineering. He held this position until 1978 when he returned to full-time teaching and research as Professor of Chemical Engineering. He was Chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering from 1981 to 1985. He retired from the University of Colorado in 1987.

Throughout his career, Peters participated in many professional organizations. He served as President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Commission on Engineering Education. He was Chairman of the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science and served as Chairman of the Colorado Environmental Commission. Among his numerous service awards, Peters received the University of Colorado's Robert L. Stearns award as well as the institutions first Faculty Service Award. He was named Distinguished Alumnus of Pennsylvania State University and received the American Society for Engineering Education's Centennial Award for Outstanding Service in Engineering Education. He also received the Centennial Medal from the University of Colorado's College of Engineering as one of the top 100 persons in the college's 100-year history.

Max Peters married Laurnell Stevens in 1948. He said that he had first proposed to her when he was 6 years old, and the couple had celebrated 63 years of marriage when Max Peters died June 20, 2011.