This is my Grandpa, Ronald Skeen Peterson, in 1957 at the age of 31.
Two years later he was hired by Utah State University as a counselor. He would very shortly be made head of the department. He taught abnormal psychology while running the counseling and testing department for the remainder of his years at USU.
Prior to his hire by USU, he worked as a counselor at the University of Oregon where he completed his PhD work in psychology.
I wonder if this lovely portrait was taken for the University of Oregon or on the occasion of his graduation? I need to nail down the dates of a few things and I might be able to make a more accurate guess.
Either way – it’s a beautiful photo. It has a rather large orangish-brown stain across his forehead and off to the side. It cleaned up nicely in photoshop. Ahhhhh photoshop, a photo preservers best friend. 😉
What a handsome man! And didn’t 31 look much more mature back then than the way 31 year old men seem to look today? Or am I just jaded and old?
Thank you Amy. Ummm, I think you are exactly right, 31 today looks a lot less mature than 31 in the decade following WWII (and for a while after). I’m certainly not hoping for the extreme suffering of the Depression and World Wars, but it definitely cast a long shadow that our young people haven’t grown up in. They are very carefree. It’s bittersweet really, just what my Grandpa would have wanted for his grandchildren and great grandchildren – freedom, peace, safety, plenty, and opportunity. But all that ease does spoil us. We need more story tellers to help our children and young adults understand and remember.
We are all doing our best, aren’t we? 🙂
Yes we are.
Great minds? I was thinking much the same thing.
Definitely great minds!
I second that to both of you! 🙂
Abnormal psychology was one of my favorite courses in college. It was taught by a prof. who had over 30 years of private practice. Oh the stories he could tell. I took two different psychology courses from him. Also I have to agree with Amy. I think people matured a little faster in years gone by. So we both may be old and Jaded. Well at least old.
Not old and jaded, realistic. 😉 My Grandpa would tell me all kinds of interesting things during my teenage and young adult years. He ran a private practice out of his home so he had lots of stories. It was fascinating!
Hi there! It is a great photo and your Grandfather exudes confidence.
Thank you EmilyAnn! 🙂
You’re most welcome.
What a great photo to have. Don’t know how long he was at USU but I was a secretary in the Electro Dynamics Lab in the College of Engineering in the late 70s! Not that that means anything; it’s just a small world at times! I envy you your Photoshop. I have so many old and/or damaged photos that could sure use a fix! 🤗
He was there for a looooong time. I know he had retired a few years before he died in 1997, but I don’t know the exact year. He was definitely there in the 1970s. What a fun connection. It really is a small world in a lot of ways. I feel so blessed to have Photoshop. I benefited from a family member’s discount. 🙂