We have received word that Marshall Peter, a long-time much heralded special education and mediation advocate, has passed away.
H. “Marshall” Peter of Eugene, Oregon died on January 29 after a two and a half year battle with small cell lung cancer. He was 75. He will be remembered for his playful sense of humor, his tenacity in fighting for the underdog, and his passion for live music.
Marshall was born in Washington, D.C., to Humphrey Marshall Peter and Ellen White Peter. As the 1960s counterculture unfolded, he headed west to Mt. Angel College (later Colegio Cesar Chavez) in Oregon where he earned a BA in General Studies (which he called “hipness”) and an Elementary Education Teaching Certificate. In 1976, he earned an MS in Special Education from the University of Oregon.
For 39 years, Marshall’s career at Direction Service focused on helping people with disabilities live fulfilling lives. He became the organization’s Executive Director in 1983. Additionally, in 1998, he founded and directed CADRE, the US Department of Education’s National Center on Dispute Resolution in Special Education. He supported 500 local families and thousands more nationally through his work to improve special education systems. He received numerous awards, including the Oregon Disabilities Commission’s Distinguished Service Award and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education’s R. Elwood Pace Humanitarian Award.
Marshall deeply invested in his communities. He served on many boards and committees focused on human rights, community building, and health. A member of Alcoholics Anonymous since 1992, he embraced an “attitude of gratitude.” He found comfort in his faith at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and shared his love of music on his KOCF radio show, “Jumpin’ In and Out of the Blues.” He was a disc golf enthusiast and of course, a proud member of “Duck Nation.”
Marshall is survived by his wife, Susan and daughter, Hannah- together they were a wonderful team. He is also survived by his brother, Jarrett Carlisle Peter. His sister, Ellen Spottswood Peter and his stepdaughter, Alana Rodakowski, preceded him in death. Marshall was particularly grateful for the guidance of his uncle Arthur Peter, after his father’s early death.
A Celebration of Life was held February 24, 3:30 p.m. at The Shedd. Memorial gifts can be made to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, KOCF, Uplay Disc Golf, and Pete Moore Hospice House.
Marshall Peter was the founding and former Director of CADRE (1998 – 2015). Marshall Peter’s background as a special educator and parent/parent advocate contributed to CADRE’s success at becoming mutually trusted by national leaders from the special education and advocacy communities. Marshall provided training and consultation throughout the United States on topics including collaborative problem-solving, facilitative advocacy, consumer empowerment, and conflict resolution system design.
After receiving an M.S. in Special Education from the University of Oregon, Marshall worked as a substitute teacher with students who had emotional/behavioral disorders. In 1976, he began working at Direction Service, a multi-program family support agency, where he provided ongoing support and advocacy services to more than 500 families who have children with disabilities. In 1983, he became the organization’s Executive Director.
Marshall’s early work as an aggressive advocate evolved into an interest in developing methods for facilitating home/school partnerships that are respectful, considerate and yield powerful results. From 1992-1996, Marshall directed a successful, USDOE funded project that field tested a conciliation model aimed at addressing the cultural barriers that interfere with the effective utilization of special education services.
Marshall also served on the City of Eugene Human Rights Commission, the Oregon State Advisory Council for Special Education, the Oregon Disabilities Commission, and as Chair of the Eugene School District Equity Committee. He has received numerous awards, including the “R. Elwood Pace Humanitarian Award” presented by NASDSE, the “National Public Service Award” presented by the University of Oregon College of Education, and the “Distinguished Service Award” presented by the Oregon Disabilities Commission. Marshall was designated a United Nations International Human Rights Day “Hometown Hero” by the Eugene Human Rights Commission.
What here follows is a short article and video from 2015, upon Marshall’s retirement, that highlights Marshall’s many accomplishments and the many thousands of lives he touched and improved.
Marshall Peter is soon retiring as Director of Direction Service, a multi-program, family support agency founded in 1977 in Eugene, Oregon. Marshall is perhaps best known to the mediation field as the founding Director of CADRE, the National Center on Dispute Resolution in Special Education which Marshall established in 1998.
Here is a video tribute to Marshall that is well worth your watch. Through his work, Marshall has shown us just how much change for the good a person can bring to both our local and national communities.
Mediate.com takes our hat off to Marshall Peter for bringing creative and capable mediation services to the world of special education. Marshall is a true model and hero for us all in showing us how we can bring better processes and better results throughout our society.
I want to offer a special thanks and appreciation to Marshall for selecting Resourceful Internet Solutions, Inc. (RIS) and Mediate.com to develop the Direction Service and CADRE websites. We too have been motivated by Marshall to offer our very best and are deeply and enduringly appreciative for the opportunities and dedication that Marshall has offered RIS and Mediate.com over the years.
I also want to note that fans of Marshall have established a Marshall Peter Legacy Fund and I encourage you to consider making a donation in honor of Marshall and his many decades of exceptional work.
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