Background
Peterson was born in Logan, Utah where his father, E. G. Peterson was the president of what is now Utah State University.
Peterson was born in Logan, Utah where his father, E. G. Peterson was the president of what is now Utah State University.
While dean of Admissions, Peterson chose to not go the route of quotas, instead choosing to hire an African-American to be part of the admissions staff, to use African-Americans in recruiting and in other ways try to affirm the university"s support and inclusion of African-Americans without actual quotas.
Peterson received both his bachelor"s degree and Doctor of Medicine from Harvard University. He then began a private medical practice in Salt Lake City but was later prevailed upon to return to Harvard to take up the post of Dean of Admissions. Grethe was a graduate of Brigham Young University who did graduate studies at Radcliffe College, Southern Connecticut State College and the University of Utah.
He later was a vice president at Harvard, and then in 1978 became the vice president for Health Services at the University of Utah.
In 1983 he became president of the University of Utah. Peterson died of pneumonia on September 14, 2014.