Classes & Obits

Peter Howell Henderson

Issue

November-December 2025

Peter Howell Henderson died on July 2, joining Shirley, his wife of 63 years who predeceased him in 2020. He was born on November 25, 1930, in Wakefield, Massachusetts. At Dartmouth he received his A.B. in architecture. Outside his studies, he hiked the White Mountains with the Outing Club, did community outreach with the Christian Union, and managed the rowing team. He went on to earn a master’s in city and regional planning from Harvard in 1957. During his time in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he met Shirley Schneider on a blind date. They wed in 1957 and moved to her hometown of Lakewood, Ohio, where they resided for 56 years. Pete worked at several city, regional, and state planning organizations in the Cleveland and Columbus areas during the 1960s and 1970s. He capped his career with a 26-year tenure as executive director of the nonprofit Cuyahoga Valley Communities Council, working with representatives of the newly formed Cuyahoga Valley National Park and its surrounding communities. He also served on the Lakewood board of education from 1970 to 1979, twice assuming the role of president. Pete was a member of the Rowfant Club, a well-regarded bibliophilic society, acting as its president in 2008. A clarinetist as a youth, he continued to make music by playing alto and tenor recorder in local ensembles. He is survived by children Carl ’81 (and wife Carolyn), Jane, and Robert (and wife Joanne); four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

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