Robert Peterson changed shape of local organizations

Sarasota philanthropist, visionary and renaissance man J. Robert Peterson died March 15, due to complications from vascular surgery. He was 88.

Mr. Peterson and his wife, Lee, were power players throughout their 58-year marriage; Mr. Peterson loved Lee more than anything else in life. Mr. Peterson and his beloved Lee moved in the late ’80s to Sarasota. Since then, they have changed the face of more than a few Sarasota organizations with their quiet generosity.

Before Mr. Peterson began his career working for UPS, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War. Following his service, he received a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Laws from New York University.

Following a brief stint as assistant to the dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he was hired by the United Parcel Service in the early ’50s. He helped negotiate operating rights with individual states and participated in the national expansion of the company.

“At UPS they had a bell in the national headquarters,” says Jeffrey Peterson, Mr. Peterson’s son. “Whenever there was a significant business achievement, they always rang this bell. That bell rang a lot due to what my father was doing for them in getting new territory.”

Eventually, he became group head of the Legal and Regulatory Department. After 33 years of dedicated service to UPS, he retired in 1986.

“My father was retiring in the ’80s, and he was searching for an organization in which he could put his money into raising research dollars,” says Jeffrey Peterson.

Shortly before his retirement, his son, David, was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The Petersons helped start the National Alliance of Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), now known as the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. Their contribution helped the organization get on its feet.

Fifteen years ago, the Petersons founded the NARSAD Florida Chapter, here in Sarasota, which raised funds for mental-health research and helped stop the stigma on mental illness.

When it appeared that NARSAD wasn’t making as many inroads in cutting-edge brain research, Garen and Shari Staglin, with help from the Petersons, founded International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO) in 2008.

“Bob was a peerless advocate for helping people with mental illness,” says Garen Staglin, of IMHRO. “He did a great deal to promote awareness and reduce stigma.”

The Petersons then, in turn, converted the NARSAD Florida Chapter into its own 501(c)3 based here in Sarasota, called Sunshine from Darkness.

Sunshine from Darkness utilizes IMHRO’s Scientific Advisory Board to direct funds raised for mental illness research to find more effective treatments and one day soon, a cure.

“One of the reasons why I became so involved in Sunshine From Darkness, other than suffering from depression myself, was because Bob used to talk about how exciting it was to be a part of discovering the human brain and knowing that you are somehow involved in cutting-edge research for mental illness and brain disorders,” says Emily Walsh, chairwoman of Sunshine from Darkness.

It was a cause the Petersons fully believed in and supported. They were pioneers for this type of fundraising in Sarasota, according to friend Joyce Tate. And Bob and Joyce Tate weren’t the only friends to think so highly of the couple’s work in mental illness.

“They took a subject that was very serious and sad and, somehow, were able to give it social acceptance … They really believed in its mission,” says the Petersons’ longtime friend, Flori Roberts.

In addition to his advocacy in Sarasota, Mr. Peterson has been a member of the national boards of Mental Health America and the American Mental Health Foundation. He served on the boards of the American Red Cross, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation and United Way and supported many groups financially throughout Sarasota.

Mr. Peterson will be remembered for the extensive list of charities and programs to which he and his wife have lent their time and support.

“You have to search a whole wide area of the world to find people as generous, good, and kind as Bob and Lee Peterson … They are extraordinary people,” says Robert M. Johnson, chairman of New College Board of Trustees and longtime personal friend.

Mr. Peterson sat on the foundation board for 11 years and was appointed to the board of trustees of New College in 2008.

He also donated to the Sarasota Opera, along with serving on the board. It named The Peterson Great Room after Mr. and Mrs. Peterson because of their generous contribution. The Petersons likewise have been regular contributors to the Sarasota Ballet.

Mr. Peterson also served on the board for the Asolo Repertory Theatre since 2000.

“He was a beloved and highly respected board member,” says Linda DiGabriele, managing director of Asolo Repertory Theatre. “He was a visionary and understood what the theater would need to thrive and got behind that … helping lead the theater in the right direction.”

His friends consider him quiet with a brilliant mind and a great sense of humor. Mr. Peterson was a member of The Brain Trust and The Old Coots, two groups of retired business leaders.

They met frequently for lunch to discuss current issues. The Old Coots, in particular, lobbied the city of Sarasota to widen the turn lanes at Gulfstream and John Ringling Parkway and opposed a roundabout there.

“We respected him. He stopped our conversations whenever he spoke his opinions, and we profited by them,” says Gil Waters, a Brain Trust Member and Old Coot.

Mr. Peterson was regarded as a devoted friend, father and husband and was passionate about what he believed. But he never flaunted his generosity and was known for being incredibly modest.

“He could have bought a Ferrari, but he didn’t. He could have bought a jet, but he didn’t. He gave all of his money to charity,” says David Peterson, Peterson’s son.

Mr. Peterson is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lee M. Peterson; daughter, Janice P. Radder; two sons David J. and Jeffrey R; and three grandchildren. A public memorial will be announced next month. Please make donations to Sunshine From Darkness, www.sunshinefromdarkness.org.