Harold Peterson was chair of the economics department when I was a Ph.D. student in the 1970’s. As a teaching fellow I often sought his counsel concerning experiences in the classroom, whether it be about teaching or economic theory. He had an open-door policy and he seemed to relish being a teacher to the teacher. I always enjoyed our conversations.
I taught economics for 34 and years and I have been retired for 7 years, so I was surprised to learn that Prof. Petersen was still teaching at BC. As I watched your video I realized that he may be older, but Harold Petersen is still the same thoughtful and engaging individual that I remembered from 40 years ago. Thanks for a great piece on Harold Petersen.
I was a student-worker at the Business Library in Fulton when I attended BC. Dr. Petersen was always very pleasant when he came into the library. I will always remember that about him.
Wow, quite remarkable that Prof. Peterson is now just retiring. My roommates and I will always remember his 9am Statistics class and the microphone he used in the lecture hall to address the 100+ students.
It was an honor and a pleasure to work with Harold Petersen. Harold would invite me, as a representative of the BC Career Center, to speak with his Cornerstone classes. Year after year, he would bring his class to the Career Center and listen to the points he had heard me make time after time. He never used it as an excuse to take the hour off even though I offered him the option. Instead he would stay, listen and occasionally comment to connect what I was saying to something they had covered in class. He wasn’t just there; he was completely engaged. Always. I don’t think it ever got old to him. I am so glad that Minnesotan transplanted himself at Boston College. Thank you for featuring him with this piece.