Peters, Victor (1915-1998)
Victor Peters: teacher and historian; born on 27 July 1915 in Petersdorf, Yazykovo, Russia to Johann and Maria (Siemens) Peters. He was the first of two children. The family immigrated to Canada in 1928, landing in Quebec before moving on to Manitoba. Victor married Elisabeth Dyck (13 November 1915 - 16 May 2011) on 27 June 1942 in Winkler, Manitoba. The couple had a daughter, Rosmarin, and a son, Karl. Victor died in Lansing, Michigan on 9 September 1998 enroute from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Stratford, Ontario.
Victor Peters was born in the time just preceding the Russian Revolution. His father and grandfather both died in the anarchy that followed the overthrow of the country’s royal family, and Victor witnessed his grandfather’s murder by bandits. Many Mennonites left for North America during those years, including Victor and his family. On arriving in Canada, the Peters family moved to Winkler, Manitoba, where many other Mennonites had settled.
Despite having his education interrupted by the Revolution and immigration, Victor Peters started again in a new country. He completed his schooling and enrolled in training to become a certified teacher. He first taught in Barkfield, Manitoba before moving to a job in Landmark, where he taught for several years before spending most of his career as a professor of history at Minnesota State University in Moorhead. On 27 June 1942, he married Elizabeth Dyck, the daughter of Dietrich and Katharina (Funk) Dyck. Victor became a well-known historian and writer; among his works was a book on the Hutterites and another on the anarchist Nestor Makhno. He also co-authored two books with Jack Thiessen, one on Low German and the other on Mennonite names, and he had a strong interest in Anabaptist and Mennonite history. His wife, Elizabeth, also pursued an academic career and was a professor of German at the University of Manitoba. Both Victor and Elizabeth contributed significantly to the study and perpetuation of Low German.
Victor Peters was a dedicated teacher and historian who was committed to helping other people understand and experience the joys of learning. His contributions to the study of Mennonite and Anabaptist history were significant.
Bibliography
GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 5.03 ed. Fresno, CA: California Mennonite Historical Society, 2007: #455627.
Penner, Wilmer. "Victor Peters (1915-98)." Preservings No. 13 (December 1998): 58.
| Author(s) | Susan Huebert |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 2007 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Huebert, Susan. "Peters, Victor (1915-1998)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 2007. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Peters,_Victor_(1915-1998)&oldid=132695.
APA style
Huebert, Susan. (2007). Peters, Victor (1915-1998). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Peters,_Victor_(1915-1998)&oldid=132695.
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