Services Held for Samuel Peterson, Retired Orange Coast College Dean
Memorial services were held Thursday at St. Joachim Church in Costa Mesa for retired Orange Coast College dean Samuel R. Peterson.
Peterson, 69, of Costa Mesa, died Saturday of a heart attack.
Peterson was a professor and administrator at Orange Coast College from 1961 until his retirement in 1980. He served the community college as a professor of engineering and mathematics, dean of the technology division, director of special projects and associate dean of institutional research.
Before coming to the college in Costa Mesa, Peterson was a career Army officer. A West Point graduate, he retired as a lieutenant colonel after 20 years of active duty.
He is survived by two sons, Richard of Anchorage, Alaska, and Carl of Costa Mesa, and two grandchildren.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
