The United States was involved in World War II when Edwin “Ed” F. Peters (S’42) graduated from Purdue with a degree in chemistry. He had arrived on campus in the fall of 1939 and learned about the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 while listening to the university’s radio station.
Ed graduated a semester early after Purdue accelerated its class schedules following the declaration of war. A note accompanying his diploma refers to the Class of 1943 as the Purdue War Division of 1942.
An inventor and author on 44 U.S. patents, Ed watched both of his sons—Edwin (S’66) and Norman (S’74)—follow in his footsteps by earning chemistry degrees from Purdue. Ed died in 1991. Now, an estate gift from son Edwin—who died
in 2023—combined with personal contributions from son Norman will establish the Edwin F. Peters, Class of 1942, Professorship in the Department of Chemistry.
“This was predominantly my brother’s idea,” Norman says. “I didn’t know he was thinking about it until two or three years ago. He had sent me his will and was talking about establishing something to keep our father’s name alive.”
In 1943, Ed began working for Magnolia Petrochemical Corporation in Dallas, Texas, as a chemist doing olefin catalytic polymerization research and development—most likely on polyethylene, as his employment provided a draft deferment. Secretly used to insulate military wiring, polyethylene’s light weight facilitated the instillation of radar systems in airplanes.
When his deferment ended, Ed was filling out paperwork to enlist in the U.S. Navy when news broke about the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima. He eventually worked for Standard Oil Company/Amoco Chemicals Corporation from 1946 to 1981. Hired as a senior research chemist, Ed received several pro-motions, culminating in his being named a research consultant in 1979—the company’s highest technical position at the time. After retiring, Ed did some consulting work for Amoco.
An inventor and author on one U.S. patent, Norman was employed by Monsanto/Solutia in fiber intermediates research and development from 1980 to 2007. His brother, Edwin, worked for Glaxo Smith Kline in medical analyses.
Norman recalls his father as a meticulous, dedicated man. “Dad was always at work at least a half-hour early and stayed at least a half-hour late,” Norman says. “He normally spent several hours after dinner going over the previous day’s work and making notes. He also would only buy his company’s gasoline, even when our car was running on fumes.”
