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The full and rich life of Don H. Peterson ended on August 11, 2025 in Alexandria, Virginia, at the age of 97. He was born in Jamestown, New York to descendants of Swedish immigrants, Harold and Doris Peterson. Don was raised by his father's parents, in addition to his mother. Living during schooling years with his grandparents, including working with his grandfather, a butcher, at the Jamestown market Don graduated from Celoron High School Magna Cum Laude, and served as class president for three years. He enlisted and was selected to attend the Army's Specialized Training Program at Rutgers University before deployment to Hokkaido, Japan in 1946 with the occupation forces, supervising land based flight training for pilots and attained the rank of Sergeant. Upon return to the U.S. he used the G.I. Bill to attend Syracuse University, graduating with a major in Political Science and commenced study for a Masters degree at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. During an ad hoc trip to Washington, DC with a classmate, Don was offered a place in the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) first management training program in 1951, and after initial training and assignments in Washington, DC, was assigned to the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) with an initial assignment as chief of the Saigon bureau, from 1952-1954, during which time the country was controlled by the French government.