F. Ross & Mary Kay Peterson Scholarship

The Ross and Kay Peterson Scholarship at Utah State University honors the legacy of two great Aggies and supports first generation college students or those who come from a rural background.

Frank Ross Peterson was born on September 7, 1941 in Montpelier, Idaho. After completing his education in local schools and a year at USU, Peterson served for two years as a missionary in the Great Lakes Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1960-1962). Upon his return, Peterson enrolled at Utah State University and began his study of history. On December 6, 1963, Peterson married Mary Kay Grimes from Montpelier. Together they raised three children; Bret Ross, Bart Allyn, and Matthew Aaron (all graduates of USU). In 1965 Peterson graduated from Utah State University with his B.A., thereafter he continued his education at Washington State University until his graduation in 1968 with a Ph.D. in Twentieth Century United States History. From 1968-1971 Peterson taught history at the University of Texas-Arlington. In 1971 Peterson began teaching at Utah State University, where he remained until 2004. Kay graduated from USU with a degree in American Studies. In 1978, the Peterson’s received a teaching Fulbright to Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. Over the course of Peterson's career at Utah State University he held many positions; History Department Chair, Director of the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, Chair of the Utah Humanities Council, and a member on the Utah State Board of History. The Peterson’s served as co-editors of Dialogue from 1987-1992 and a Journal of Mormon Thought (1987-1992). Some of Peterson's publications include; Idaho: A Bicentennial History, The Teton Dam Disaster: Tragedy or Triumph, The History of Cache County, and Prophet Without Honor: Glen H. Taylor and the Fight for American Liberalism. In 2004, Peterson became president of Deep Springs College, where he had previously taught several times as a visiting professor. The Peterson’s returned to USU in 2007 when Ross was appointed as Vice President for Advancement from which he retired in 2011.