Member Profile: Mr. Ed Peterson

Member Profile: Mr. Ed Peterson

A Life Rooted in Service

By Sheryl Rose

For Ed Peterson, life reads like a long, continuous line of service, each chapter building on the last. Raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he describes his childhood in Marquette and Munising as “idyllic,” the kind of small-town upbringing where kids rode their bikes freely, and neighbors knew one another. His family’s roots stretched back to Cornwall, England, and his mother’s constant involvement in local fundraisers and community events set an early example. “I knew to be involved because that’s what my mother did,” he recalls.

After graduating from Munising High School in 1963, he began his education at Bay College in Escanaba before transferring to Michigan State University. The late 1960s were a turbulent time on campus, and he found himself marching, demonstrating, and learning to navigate a world in the midst of social change. A program through the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation drew him into inner-city education in Flint, where he completed his student teaching and began to understand the realities of poverty, race, and inequity in a way his rural childhood had never exposed him to.

His childhood in the Upper Peninsula offered almost no racial diversity, so stepping into Flint’s inner city schools was a profound shift, reshaping his understanding of community, opportunity, and the challenges many families face. After two years of teaching in Flint, he decided to broaden his worldview even further: he joined the Peace Corps.

From 1969 to 1971, he served in the Philippines, training teachers and learning what it meant to be an outsider. “It was meaningful to be the minority,” he reflects. “You appreciate what it’s like when people like or dislike you simply because of how you look.” The experience deepened his understanding of culture, humility, and the universal desire for opportunity.

When his Peace Corps service ended, he returned to Flint and resumed teaching, bringing with him a broadened sense of empathy and a sharpened commitment to educational equity. He continued his career there until 1981, when he left on sabbatical to pursue graduate studies at the University of Michigan. It was during this period of academic work and professional growth that he met his wife, Christine, and began shaping the next phase of his career.

He earned a master’s degree from Oakland University and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Michigan. Before he could finish his dissertation, he received a call that would redirect his path once again: an invitation to serve as a principal in Jackson Public Schools. The role placed him in an inner city building where his experience with poverty, community engagement, and cross cultural understanding made him exactly the leader the school needed. He wrote grants, built programs, and worked closely with families to strengthen the school community, always centering the belief that every child deserved opportunity.

After retiring in 2010, he knew he wasn’t done contributing. That’s when the League of Women Voters came into focus. “The League always had a presence,” he says. “They were always doing something, always visible.” What drew him in was simple: “I wanted to work with people who get things done — gitter done gals,” he adds with a smile.

Since joining, he has been active in candidate forums, voter information events, and especially the My Vote, My Democracy program at Parkside. For six weeks each year, he and other volunteers meet with eighth grade social studies classes to talk about informed voting. “As an educator, it felt natural,” he says. “And it’s needed more than ever.”

His motivation today is rooted in concern for the direction of the country and the health of democracy. “We need to educate voters, get them registered, and help young people understand the power of their vote. Nobody else is doing what the League is doing.”

Outside the League, he is a certified Master Gardener through Michigan State University and active at First Congregational Church in Jackson, MI, a congregation long known for its commitment to social justice. He stays grounded through running at the Chelsea Health Club and through the steady rhythm of community life.

When asked what advice he’d give to someone considering joining the League, his answer is immediate: “Do it. Just do it. If you want to participate, if you want to help people become informed, this is the best way. It’s nonpartisan, it’s effective, and it matters.”

He also hopes more men will recognize that the League’s mission belongs to everyone. “It’s not about women anymore, it’s about all of us. Men may not realize what the League is really doing. If they did, more would join.”

From the U.P. to Flint, to the Philippines, to Jackson schools, and now to the League of Women Voters, Mr. Peterson’s life reflects a steady commitment to service, justice, and community. His story is a reminder that democracy is strengthened not by grand gestures, but by people who show up year after year to do the work.