Phil Peters Obituary, Phil Peters Has Passed Away

Phil Peters Obituuary, Death – Phil Peters has suddenly passed away. Phil enrolled at VMI in 1953 after being born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 17, 1933, and raised in Towson, Maryland. He was involved in a variety of activities as a cadet. He spent all four years on the staffs of The Cadet and The Bomb, and was the sports editor for both publications during his first year. He was a dedicated athlete and Monogram Club member who participated in basketball, cross-country running, and soccer for two and three years, respectively, during his rat year. He was also a three-year distinguished student and a two-year distinguished military student in his second and first class years.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in physics with honors from VMI. Phil worked as a physics instructor after graduation before serving two years on active duty as an officer in the United States Army. Following his military service, he worked as an electronics engineer for Bendix Aviation Corporation. He returned to VMI in 1960 as a physics instructor and pursued graduate studies, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in physics in 1968 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For two five-year terms, Phil, a dedicated and respected professor, led the department. He also served on the committees for the Academic Board, Academic Policy, Institute Awards, and Individual Privilege. He received the VMI Distinguished Teaching Award in 1991. Phil also coached the VMI golf team and performed in the VMI Theatre with his wife, Sharon.

Phil was involved in the local community in addition to his work on the post. The Lexington Boys Club, United Way, Rockbridge Jaycees, New Vision Prison Outreach, Gladys House homeless shelter, the Rockbridge Christmas Basket Program, Habitat for Humanity, Meals for Shut-ins, and Angel Tree Prison Ministries were among the organizations to which he volunteered his time and talents. He was involved in the Cursillo ministry and a member of R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church and Grace Presbyterian Church. His wife of 53 years, Sharon Kidwell Phil, and their three children, David Peters ’91, Michael Peters ’93, and Erika Brooke – who is married to physics and astronomy professor George M. “Merce” Brooke IV ’94 – survive him. His two oldest children, Elizabeth Alford and Troy Tarbox, survive him, as do 17 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, one of whom is Cadet Spencer Peters ’21, a rising 2nd Class cadet.

Phil Peters Obituuary, Death – Phil Peters has suddenly passed away. Phil enrolled at VMI in 1953 after being born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 17, 1933, and raised in Towson, Maryland. He was involved in a variety of activities as a cadet. He spent all four years on the staffs of The Cadet and…