Grethe Ballif Peterson, 1932-2024

Grethe Peterson, who served the Tanner Lectures on Human Values for more than three decades, passed away on April 15th, 2024, at the age of 92.

Grethe was the second Director of the Tanner Lectures, succeeding Professor Sterling McMurrin in 1987. In her memoir, Growing into Myself, Grethe recalls being delighted when Obert Tanner, the founder of the Tanner Lectures, asked if she would serve as Director. This position involved managing the correspondence for the program, supervising the publication of the Lectures in the yearly Tanner volume, and organizing the annual meetings of the Tanner Lectures Board. She worked in this role until 2004, after which she continued to support the Tanner Lectures in a variety of ways.

Grethe was a woman of energy and great accomplishment. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in History and then studied in the Radcliffe Management Training program, a graduate degree in Business available to women when they were not yet admitted to the Harvard Business School. Grethe went on from her formal educational experience to become an activist and community builder. She engaged with the feminist movement of the 1970s and became managing editor of a publication, “Exponent II,” which advocated for women in her faith tradition. She later co-founded the organization Women Concerned about Nuclear War, which promoted dialogue between U.S. and Soviet women; established the Children’s Justice Center in Utah to care for children involved in the child-abuse investigative process; and served on the Board of the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Grethe was married to Chase Peterson, a medical doctor who served in the upper administration at Harvard and then as President of the University of Utah. Theirs was a remarkable marriage. After Chase’s death in 2014, Grethe continued her quests for spiritual growth and social justice. She also provided wise counsel and support to subsequent Directors of the Tanner Lectures.

Grethe is survived by her three adult children, Erika, Stuart, and Edward, and many beloved family members and friends.

During the family’s time at Harvard, Grethe invited her neighbors, Paul and Julia Child, to join her and Chase for dinner in their home at 95 Irving Street, and she cooked for them. The evening is certainly indicative of Grethe’s lifelong goodness and passion for community building. It also makes clear that no task was too daunting for Grethe Peterson.