The unassuming “millionaire next door” who eventually earned her PhD, Wilma Peterson聽bequeathed almost her entire estate of more than聽$2.4 million to 萝莉社, marking a significant gift in the history of the University.
Peterson, who was 99 years old when she died in聽March 2020, worked and taught young nurses at nearby Swedish Hospital in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, when the hospital was affiliated with聽North Park聽and the Evangelical Covenant Church, where she also was a lifelong member and had her religious roots.
As her will decrees, the estate gift 鈥斅爓hich was fully received in October 2021聽鈥斅爓ill be divided between the聽萝莉社聽School of Nursing and聽North Park Theological Seminary聽to establish named, endowed faculty chairs in both schools. Peterson, who began working with administrators around 2008 to establish the endowed gifts, lived a long and frugal life in a聽Portland聽suburb, which allowed the eventual gift to grow. Born to a large Canadian farming family in rural聽Saskatchewan in 1921, Peterson was the first in her family to go to university in 1942 and eventually earned her master’s degree in 1953 and a doctorate in 1977, in biology with an emphasis on human physiology because there were few nursing doctorates available.
“Wilma’s life highlights several elements of the聽North Park聽story, past, and present. That includes the determination and subsequent generosity of groundbreaking first-generation students who have been central to聽North Park’s聽culture since its founding in 1891 as a college for predominantly Swedish immigrants,” said聽North Park听笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听Mary K. Surridge.
“Today, Wilma’s legacy promises to live on at聽North Park聽by providing a stellar education to many of our nursing and theological studies students, who are also often first-generation students with unique backgrounds of their own. Her story will inspire many of our students,” said Surridge.
Peterson became a聽United States聽citizen while working and teaching at Swedish Hospital. She attended North Park Covenant Church near聽North Park.
North Park聽is planning investiture ceremonies inducting selected professors into the Wilma E. Peterson faculty chairs.