Sarasota couple leaves behind a historic donation for New College of Florida

Even after their passing, a Sarasota couple is changing lives with a historic donation to New College of Florida.

Robert “Bob” Peterson and his wife, Pasqualina “Lee” Peterson, were staunch supporters of education and the arts in Sarasota. They passed away in 2012 and 2017, respectively, but their legacy continued with a $4 million donation to the college.

The money, a gift from the Petersons’ estate, is the largest donation in New College’s 61-year history, according to an announcement made last week.

“It was a giant lift for the college and our professors who worry about their students,” said Donal O’Shea, the college president. “It was terrific.”

O’Shea said the $4 million donation would benefit generations of students, tearing down the financial barriers to higher education.

At least half will go to student aid, he said, while other portions will go to student affairs, career programs and the creation of new campus activities.

One of the biggest obstacles for college students is tuition and housing fees, which total more than $14,000 a year at New College. While the cost is more affordable than many out-of-state options, it was still a burden for young men and women, O’Shea acknowledged.

For some, that means working full time or taking on debt. It means students are distracted from their main goal: a quality education.

“For our neediest students, this will let us meet their financial needs,” O’Shea said. “For those students, it’s everything.”

Education allowed Bob and Lee Peterson to follow their dreams and support others. After joining the Navy and working on destroyer ships, serving in both World War II and the Korean War, Bob Peterson transitioned from navigator to student.

He earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university in Philadelphia. He then earned a second degree from New York University, according to his son, Jeffrey Peterson.

His father later joined United Parcel Service and earned the title of senior vice president and general counsel.

Bob Peterson’s wife of 58 years, Lee, was a trained opera singer who performed on Broadway. She worked with the Amato Opera and After Dinner Opera companies in New York.

They first met off Second Avenue in New York City, where Lee’s family ran a small Italian restaurant. She was a hostess, a server, a cook and whatever else the restaurant needed.

“She was bartending that night and my father came in with a date,” Jeffrey Peterson said. “That was the beginning of the whole thing because he never saw that date again.”

Bob and Lee Peterson became a team and a powerhouse in the decades to follow. After moving to Sarasota in 1993, the couple served as co-presidents of the Asolo Repertory Theatre.

Lee Peterson also worked on the boards of the Sarasota Opera Association, La Musica Festival and the United Way Foundation.

Channeling their passion for mental health, they were leaders with the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, now known as the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.

They also started Sunshine From Darkness in Sarasota, increasing awareness about mental illness. Their son, Jeffrey, is now working to revive that organization and to oversee the Lee and Bob Peterson Foundation.

Everything they did had roots in education, especially at New College of Florida. Before their bequest of $4 million, Bob and Lee Peterson made several gifts to the public liberal arts college. Bob Peterson also sat on the Board of Trustees for several years.

The Lee and Bob Peterson Residence Hall serves to remind faculty and students of the couple’s enormous contributions, which continue to this day.

O’Shea, the college president, said countless students would receive an education because of the historic donation. One day those students may give back to their communities, ensuring the Petersons have a lasting impact in Sarasota and beyond.

“I feel like I knew them because there were so many stories about them and how supportive they were,” O’Shea said.

This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 6:00 AM.