By Bob DeMay
If you’re a photo journalist or car enthusiast you lost a good friend today. Skip Peterson passed in his sleep last night leaving behind a host of friends and colleagues who mourn his passing. He was 73.
Skip was chief photographer at the Dayton Daily News for 25 year and retired after a 34-year career in 2006.
Skip Peterson
As a photojournalist his list of accomplishments is lengthy. He was the lead photographer and photo editor of the Dayton Daily News’ seven-part series Military Medicine; Unnecessary Danger, which won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1998.
If you could think of a major sporting event, he covered it, from Super Bowls, World Series and the Olympics and was published in a host of national news and sports periodicals. As an avid MG owner it would come as no surprise his favorite event was the Indianapolis 500. He posted historical photos and his favorite memories from the race regularly on social media.
Skip was also all about giving back to his profession. He played a major role in the growth of ONPA serving in roles of president and chairman of the board spanning an 18 year period. He also served as Region 4 director of NPPA and also served two term as national secretary.
When Skip turned over the reins as chairman of the board to me in 1997 I said that it was like taking over for Johnny Carson. He did the job for so long and so well, he made it look easy and it wasn’t. He and close friend Mark Duncan had to balance listening to the old guard and satisfying the wants of a new generation of journalists. They did it well.
Skip was still serving ONPA and was instrumental working with the Dayton Foundation and the family and friends of Larry Fullerton to establish the Larry Fullerton Photojournalism scholarship which ONPA oversees. Fullerton was a long-time member of ONPA and both a photojournalist and assistant managing editor of the Hamilton Journal-News.
In 1987 Skip was the recipient of ONPA’s Carson Award, which is given for outstanding contribution to photojournalism and is considered the organization’s highest honor.
He might have been retired, but he still followed the news and often questioned and commented on the coverage of his local television news market. He pulled no punches.
I spent quite a few evenings in the famous ONPA hospitality suite of days gone by with Skip. I think that Skip Peterson would not want us to mourn today, but to celebrate a life and cherish wonderful memories of a great friend and photojournalist. He wouldn’t mind, and probably encourage you to throw back a little bourbon to mark the occasion.
Skip Peterson is survived by his wife, Jennifer, four children and four grandchildren.