In Memoriam - Grace Peterson

Grace G. Peterson - 90 of Sun City, AZ, passed away on October 2, 2010. She was a Colonel in the US Army in WW II. Private family services have been held. Menke Funeral Home handled arrangements

Arizona Republic, October 6, 2010

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It is with sorrow that we have learned of the death of Grace Peterson, Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Department of Nursing.  Grace served at DePaul from 1957 until her retirement in 1986.  She passed away on October 2 at the age of 90, in Arizona.

In addition to her service to the university, Grace was a retired colonel in the United States Nursing Corps and served actively in World War II.  She was one of the first women to attain the rank of Colonel within the U.S. military.

Grace was active in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and established the Grace Peterson Scholarship Fund at DePaul to provide scholarships for members of the DePaul chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.  Last year, the Nursing Department renamed its annual student research colloquium in her honor, for her many contributions to the program and the profession.

Private services have been held.  Condolences may be sent to family friend Judy Getch at s_getch@msn.com.

Our heartfelt sympathy goes to the family, friends, and university colleagues and former students who mourn the loss of Grace.  May she rest in peace.

Mission and Values, November 1, 2010

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Grace Peterson, nursing pioneer

Grace G. Peterson, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Nursing, passed away on Oct. 2. She was 90.

Perterson, who resided in Sun City, Ariz., served DePaul from 1957 until her retirement in 1986.

"Grace Peterson made students feel that they could do anything they set out to do," said Karyn Holm, a Vincent de Paul Professor in DePaul's Department of Nursing.  She knew Peterson since the 1970s when Holm was a master's student at DePaul and Peterson was her teacher.  In fact, Peterson inspired Holm to pursue her Ph.D. at Loyola University Chicago soon after graduating from DePaul.

"You should also know that Grace, during her time at DePaul, educated the majority of the nurse administrators in Chicago," Holm said.  "Nursing departments in most every hospital in the city were influenced profoundly by Grace Peterson."

In addition to her contributions to DePaul and hospitals in Chicago, she was a retired colonel in the U.S. Nursing Corps and served actively in World War II.  In 1943, at age 23, she was sworn into the Army as a second lieutenant and shipped out to England, according to a published report.  She served throughout Europe and was one of the first women to attain the rank of colonel within the U. S. military.

Peterson was active in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and established the Grace Peterson Scholarship Fund at DePaul to provide scholarships for members of the DePaul chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.  The nursing department renamed its annual student research colloquium in her honor, for her many contributions to the program and the profession.

Insights: A publication for alumni of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.  Winter, 2011, Vol. 22, No. 2, page 4.