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Celebrating a Father’s Legacy

Edwin “Ed” F. Peters and his family

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.”

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Keagan’s story

I’m walking with Grandparents University tour group near the steps of Hovde Hall. It’s a Thursday morning in July, and the only students around are between the ages of 7 and 14. I catch a snippet of a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson as she details the pranks she pulled with her friends around this area.

I smile because just a few months ago I was doing the same thing.

Grandparents University (GPU) is a two-day event where grandparents and their grandchildren embrace Purdue and all it has to offer.

Participants choose a specific major to study and attend a class taught by Boilermaker experts. The majors aren’t exactly like the ones we have here at Purdue, but they do get to do cool activities like creating hot sauce, designing monsters, flying drones, and cooking in a Purdue kitchen. It’s a great opportunity to see wisdom and curiosity combined in the classroom, as grandparents and their grandchildren collaborate on these projects. They’re equally willing to learn from the instructors —and from each other—while creating lasting memories.

They might not know it yet, but this Purdue experience at such a young age will help with their college decision in a few years.

My mother started working at Purdue when she was pregnant with me, so I’ve been familiar with the university my whole life. Many of my childhood memories are associated with different parts of campus, and these memories played a big part in my decision to attend Purdue. I was going to a place that I knew—a place I already considered a home away from home. In the same way, when these children make their college decisions, they will already have built connections with Purdue through Grandparents University.

It will also help they already have a Purdue degree!

At the end of GPU, the kids graduate just like regular students by walking across the stage of Elliott Hall of Music. They even have their own caps to decorate and keep—which is great because robe rentals would be a nightmare.

I had been to nine commencement ceremonies before my own in May, so I’m well-versed in Purdue graduations. Nevertheless, it was still fun to watch this one.

These children had learned so much more than what was taught in their major. They learned more about their grandparents and strengthened their connection with them. They learned about the university and what’s in store for them when they (hopefully) become Boilermakers. And at the Block Party, they befriended students they had never met before and hung out on Memorial Mall—just like regular college students.

It was almost exactly what I experienced throughout my college career. Yes, I got my degree and now  have a job as was intended on this life path. But I also made lifelong friendships and went outside my comfort zone in ways that helped me grow as an individual.

Purdue shaped me and continues to shape me. I credit a lot of my growth as a person and a professional to my college career here, and a lot of what I know to the professors and instructors I had throughout my education.

Through Grandparents University, you have the opportunity to provide the same transformative experience for future Boilermakers. You can be the Purdue instructor that inspires a path that lasts a lifetime.

Patsy J. Mellott

BS College of Health and Human Sciences, 1969
Fishers, IN

Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.

A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.

Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.

In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.