Paul Oliver Peterson, 78

Services for Paul Oliver Peterson, 78 of Lincoln City, Oregon who died of a heart ailment May 21, 1995 were Wednesday, May 24 at Resurrection Lutheran Church. Rev. John Cross officiated.

Paul Oliver Peterson was born September 4, 1916 in Falmouth, Maine to Hans and Ella Peterson.

He was raised in Maine, moving to Nebraska to attend Dana College in the mid-1930s. He graduated in 1941. He received his master’s degree at the University of Nebraska.

He was a multi-sport star athlete while a student at Dana and played fullback, linebacker and punter for the Viking football teams. His 99-yard punt against South Dakota Norma in 1936 is still a Dana school record. He was also a standout in basketball as a student-athlete at Dana.

While in college, he also played one season of minor league baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates Class D affiliate in Jamestown, New York.

After graduating from Dana, he was coach and administrator at Craig High School for one year. He then came back to Dana as coach, administrator and educator.

From 1943 to 1945, he coached the Dana men’s basketball team and all of the athletic teams at Blair High School. He established a women’s basketball team at Dana in the 1950’s, which was among the first collegiate women’s teams in the nation. He was men’s basketball coach at Dana for 28 years from 1942-1960 and again from 1973-1981. He skippered the Viking baseball team from 1946-63, was head football coach for nine seasons in the 1940s and again in the late 50s and early 60s. As co-head coach with Keith Skogman, he led Dana to the 1962 Tri-State Conference football championship.

He was named to the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in the fall of 1994. He was the Omaha World-Herald State College Coach-of-the-Year in 1980, was named distinguished Dana Alumni and is a member of the Dana Athletic Hall-of-Fame. The baseball diamond at Dana is named Paul Peterson Field in honor of the man known as “Coach Pete” to those who knew him during more than four decades of service to Dana.

He was also active with the Blair Rescue Squad during his years in Blair.

After retiring in 1984, he moved to Portland, Oregon in 1985. There he became active as a leader of many church programs, head usher and church council member at Resurrection Lutheran Church.

He was preceded in death by a son, Brian.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth of Portland; a son and daughter-in-law, Brent and Paige Peterson of Valentine, Nebraska; a daughter and son-in-law, Beth and Garry Papasadero of Portland, Oregon; a brother, H. Milton of Eugene, Oregon; a sister, Pauline Kloth of Falmouth, Maine and six grandchildren.

Memorials are suggested to the Paul and Ruth Peterson Scholarship Fund, c/o Dana College in Blair.

Pacific View Memorial Chapel (460 S. W. Fleet Ave.) in Lincoln City was in charge of arrangements.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~