Stanley Dean & Frances Peterson "Bad Milk's Purple Passion" Endowment

Eligibility: All
Area of Interest: General

Criteria:

Recipient shall demonstrate good citizenship, high moral standards and motivation. The recipient shall demonstrate financial need. The recipient shall be enrolled in the education-coaching, pre-nursing or business fields of study. This scholarship will revolve between the three departments. **The recipient shall write a report at the end of each year on their progress toward the attainment of their career and life goals, what they will do with their career choice to improve humankind, their activities in and outside of school that are positive and contributing to society and a description of their dreams for the future.

Dean and Frances (Craven) Peterson came from pioneering families in Western South Dakota. Dean was born in Chadron. After attending CSC, Dean entered into the Marine Corps at the age of 17. While serving during World War II, the Marines sent him to study at Arkansas A&M and Colorado College at Colorado Springs. He served in the South Pacific after training at Scouts and Snipers School and as a Troop Transport Quartermaster. While serving abroad a troopship, Dean vowed to return to his home pasture of South Dakota. Upon returning, he attended CSC from 1946 through 1949. Dean became a member of the Championship Football Team with other WWII veterans. They are now known as the Purple Passion Party. Frances grew up on one of the oldest ranches in South Dakota, the historic Open Buckle Ranch near Interior, SD. She went west to the West Coast during World War II, to attend college. As an educator, she returned to South Dakota. She and Dean met and were married; proclaiming each other the love of their lives. They taught in South Dakota and California for many years. Frances took time to raise their two children, Casey Peterson, CPA and Robin Peterson-Lund, CNP, PhD. She was a great motivator to children and loved teaching; Frances was able to bring out the best in her children and students because of her sincere interest, authentic listening and enthusiasm for life. Dean taught and coached thousands of students motivating them to be creative and committed to contributing for the good of society and family. He had success coaching many sports including championship baseball, basketball teams and football teams that were unscored, untied and undefeated. Frances and Dean lived a life based on the standard that the succeeding generation should be developed to become better than the preceding generation. They were especially proud of their ancestors that traced back to the Mayflower, the Revolutionary War and the earliest pioneers and mountain men of Dakota and Colorado Territories.