wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] 05438. H. William Bill Peterson dies - Longtime church

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8863 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05438
August 24, 2005

H. William ?Bill? Peterson dies
Longtime church worker succumbs to pancreatic cancer

by Jerry L. Van Marter
   
	      
  LOUISVILLE ? The Rev. H. William ?Bill? Peterson, 69, who devoted his life
to a variety of service within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), died Aug. 23
at his home near here of pancreatic cancer.

      Born in New Jersey, Peterson graduated from Centre College in Danville,
KY, and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. After serving as a
pastor in Springfield, KY, he embarked on a career of executive service in
the church, beginning with a stint in Richmond, VA, throughout the 1960s as
director of youth and young adult ministry for the former Presbyterian Church
in the United States.	 
   
Rev. H. William ?Bill? Peterson. Photo by Dottie Hedgepeth    
	 
  
      He then moved to Western Kentucky Presbytery, where he served as
associate executive and then as executive presbyter.  Peterson was director
of the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina for 10 years before
moving to Louisville in the early 1990s. On national staff, he served as
interim director of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and then as acting
director of the church vocations office that implemented the new call system
for church professionals late in 1999.

      ?Bill Peterson served the National Ministries Division as the interim
Associate Director for Churchwide Personnel Services during a crucial period
in the development of the Church Leadership Connection,? said National
Ministries Division director the Rev. Curtis Kearns.  ?The division?s old
system for matching church professionals with church vacancies was in danger
of crashing in Year 2000 and it needed to be replaced.	Bill was responsible
for the design and implementation of the new system and he did an excellent
job building a system that has a significant rate of usage.?

      Peterson retired in 2000 but flunked retirement, accepting a position
as interim director of continuing education at Louisville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary. This spring he received a letter notifying him that
he?d been selected as the seminary?s ?distinguished alumnus? for 2006.

      Peterson is survived by his wife, Dottie Hedgepeth, retired coordinator
for the Committee on Theological Education; his four children: Karin Peterson
of Asheville, NC, Michael Peterson of Madison WI, Nils Peterson of Linville,
NC and Katherine Rich of Louisville; two step-daughters, Lora Coomes of
Louisville and Jana McKee of Santa Barbara CA; and six grandchildren. His
first wife, Elizabeth Myers Peterson, preceded him in death.

      A memorial service for Bill Peterson has been scheduled for Friday,
Aug. 26 at 2:00 p.m. at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send an email to
pcusanews-subscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org or
pcusanews-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org

To contact the owner of the list, please send an email to
pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org