Mildred Peterson, 98, a writer, lecturer and traveler who had been to at least 255 countries, died of heart failure Wednesday, Jan. 31, in her Hyde Park home. She mixed educational, community and charitable work, helping famine relief agencies in India and earning a citizenship award from the Cuban government in 1953. To track the hundreds of friendships she developed throughout her life, she kept a guest book in her home, said Rev. Susan Johnson, senior minister at Hyde Park Union Church. “Every person who crossed her threshold was to sign this book,” she said. She made a grand and bold impression with her dark black hair rolled up in a bun and the handmade jewelry and clothes she collected from abroad, Johnson said. “She was larger than life. She was a real spirited woman and everyone knew her as quite a traveler,” Johnson said. Mrs. Peterson was quoted in a 1981 article saying, “I’m an extrovert, you see. There were always opportunities to do things and I just availed myself of them. I’m thankful every day for all the things I’ve been able to see and do.” Mrs. Peterson began traveling after she met her husband, Howard, who was an executive with Amoco Chemicals. The couple shared an interest in seeing the world, said her longtime friend, Terry Glenn. Her last major trip was to Albania in 1994. Mrs. Peterson was born in Omaha and received degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska. She also attended Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the American University in Switzerland. She worked as a librarian and wrote travel articles for newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune and the Hyde Park Herald. Among the dozens of honors she received, Mrs. Peterson earned the Friendship Award from the Philippine Girl Scouts in 1971, a merit award from the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations in 1955, a distinguished service award from the Pan American Board of Education in 1966, and a service award from the YWCA in 1964. There were no immediate survivors. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. March 3 in Hyde Park Union Church, 5600 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago.
