Lewiston Lewiston Morning Tribune,

Eva Peterson, 90, playwright, retired teacher, Friday, July 1, 1994


Eva Feryl Smith Peterson, retired Lewiston High School English and drama teacher and noted playwright, died of causes related to age Thursday at the Lewiston Rehabilitation and Care Center. She was 90.


She was born Aug. 5, 1903, in Lincoln County, Minn., to John Thomas and Nora Nicola Smith, and grew up and attended schools at Tyler, Minn.


In 1917, she and her family moved to Hinckley, Minn., where she attended high school.


She taught at schools in Wales and Maple, Minn., from 1920-'22, then went back to school herself at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in English in 1925 and taught high school the next two years at Willow River, Minn.


She was a high school teacher at Waterville, Minn., from 1927 to 1930, and later studied play writing and speech at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She also studied one summer at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.


In 1934, she graduated from the University of Michigan and she taught high school at Cloquet, Minn., until moving to Moose Lake, Minn., in 1943.


She and Louis Peterson were married at St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 16, 1943. They owned and operated a motel for several years, and she returned to teaching in 1954 at Moose Lake.


In 1956 they moved to Lewiston, where she taught English and creative writing and was the drama coach at Lewiston High School until retiring in 1968.


She and her husband were divorced in 1967.


Throughout her life she devoted much of her time to writing projects, including plays and musicals. She directed more than 100 plays and also acted in several performances.


She wrote three books, including one based on her play ''Ducks Fly South,'' about the stealing of the capital from Lewiston to Boise. None of the books was published.


In 1971 she substitute taught at LHS for 60 days, taking over E.V. (Ed) Williamson's contemporary problems and government classes while he attended the Idaho Legislature.


She was a member of the Alpha Delta Kappa fraternity and served as president of the Lewiston branch of the American Association of University Women and the Lewiston Civic Theatre board of directors.


Survivors include several nieces and nephews, and a funeral will be scheduled at a later date.


The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Eva Feryl Peterson Fellowship at Washington State University in Pullman or the WSU Foundation.


Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston is handling the arrangements.

Dedication "The Bengal 1962"


Mrs. Eva F Peterson, admired and respected by students and faculty alike, has added much to the curriculum and atmosphere of Lewiston High in the six years she has been here. It is to her that we, the Staff of 1962, dedicate this edition of the Bengal.


Mrs. Peterson ranks high in the English Department and teaches classes in English Grammar 12, World Literature, English Literature, remedial reading and accelerated reading. In addition to her role as instructor in these subjects, she also acts as advisor to Debate and Radio-Forensic Clubs.


Mrs. Peterson hails from the State of Minnesota. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in English from the University of Minnesota and her Master's degree in speech from the University of Michigan. She has held teaching positions in North Carolina, Florida, California and other states. A love of reading and dramatic rounds out the versatile personality of this charming and talented lady.