Saturday, December 31, 2022
I had the great good fortune of serving with Peter on the board of the 9 Town Transit bus district for many years. His humility and self-deprecating style were a powerful counterpoint to the quiet kind of leadership he exerted. He could focus discussion of a complicated issue after listening to what everyone had to say with one, succinct sentence or recommendation. And he deftly used his dry wit to put everyone at ease. During one discussion we were debating the need to replace a number of buses that were old, not functioning properly and were unreliable. Peter, then in his early nineties, quipped, “Now you know how I feel!” He was an intellectual powerhouse who respected others’ points of view, sought to achieve consensus and always opted for a course of action that would benefit the organization. He had, it seemed to me, boundless energy, both physical and intellectual. One day he was late for a meeting and the cause was a tennis game that went overtime- he was in his nineties at the time. We became good friends, exchanging personal and professional experiences. I learned much from him, enjoyed his company tremendously and will miss him.
Farewell, Peter, and may you get another boat and sail to your heart’s content.
Susan Tyler, Lyme
