Foundation Trustee Eric Peterson leaves legacy of helping others

51�� alumnus Eric Peterson

Eric E. Peterson, who joined the 51�� Foundation Board of Trustees in 2018, passed away on Friday, Nov. 4.

Peterson graduated from the College of Business in 1974 with a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing. He retired from General Motors in 2016 as the U.S. vice president for diversity dealer relations after a career of more than 40 years with the company.

“Eric continued to give back to 51�� in a variety of ways and brought a welcome perspective to the Foundation Board,” Board Chair Perry Sook, BSC ’80, said. “He was a big presence on our Board, and our deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones.”

Peterson spent his career helping others be successful. At GM, he dedicated time and efforts to the professional development of direct reports and other employees. As head of GM’s dealer development program, he helped increase the number of minority and women-owned dealerships in the network, and earned the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

At OHIO, he and his wife established the Eric and Sandy Peterson Excellence Scholarship to assist underrepresented students attending the University. He also served as a judge for the Student Research and Creativity Expo and mentored KeyBank Scholars in the College of Business.

“Eric was very focused on helping those around him achieve their dreams, and those efforts continued on the Foundation Board here at 51��,” 51�� Foundation President and CEO Nico Karagosian said. “He left a lasting legacy here at 51��, and he will be sorely missed.”

Peterson also served on the NAACP Foundation Board of Trustees and chaired the board of trustees for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.

Peterson is survived by two children, Eric Enty (Megan) Peterson II and Kelly Marie (Kevin) Ashmore, and four grandchildren, Eric III, Caleb, Kevin III and Jackson.

Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at Wings of Hope Tabernacle, 709 Lee St., Zanesville, Ohio, with services to follow at noon. Interment will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery, 609 Pershing Road, Zanesville.

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