1955 Alum Remains Lifelong Learner

Alumnus Ernest “Ernie” Peterson, Class of 1955, says he’s always been a lifelong learner. “Still am,” he quips. 

That self-appointed designation takes on new meaning when you view Ernie’s career through a wide lens. After 25 years as a public servant within the federal government, Ernie went into the private sector in such fields as custom home construction and advertising.

“I got to run some decent-sized programs that had an impact on people’s lives,” explains Ernie of his time with the Department of Health and Human Services. 

From 1963 to 1988, Ernie devoted his efforts to the general well-being, including as the director of the Office of Population Affairs in Washington, D.C. He also spent four years in Chicago as a public servant.

Following his retirement from what he refers to as a third of his career, Ernie went into home construction and built custom homes. He followed that up with a 20-year career in advertising having established his own firm.

During his days under the pines, Ernie was a big athlete playing four years of football, basketball, and baseball. He grew up in West Haven and was raised by his grandparents who were from Sweden. He recalls taking his Hamden Hall enrollment test on St. Patrick’s Day.

“It changed my life,” he says of receiving a scholarship to attend his freshman year.

After graduation, Ernie attended Cornell University and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and mathematics. He also enrolled in a master’s program at George Washington University and received his master’s in public administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

He lost his wife, Marjory, in 2015 and more recently, in November 2020, his eldest son, Kristofer Ernst Vilhelm Peterson. Ernie is currently on an extended visit with his son Erik, who resides in Southern California along with his wife Anna and their children: Emme, 7, and 3-year-old twins Ivy and Olive.