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Richard (Dick) Peters (1950) - Wrestling

Name
Richard (Dick) Peters
Class
1950
Category
HoF Individual
Induction Year
2012

Dick was born in Portland, Oregon moved to Longview, and attended schools in Longview, grade school thru his graduation from R.A. Long. While at R.A. Long he distinguished himself as a talented wrestler.  Dick earned letters in his Sophomore, Junior and Senior years, he was ineligible to letter in his freshman year. He wrestled one year for the Tacoma YMCA while attending Lower Columbia College. Dick transferred to the University of Washington and was the intramural champion three times at the 123 lb and 130 lb. bracket. Dick went on to wrestle for the Husky Club in 1954 and placed 2nd at the Pacific Northwest AAU Championships.  In 1955 Dick co-organized and received collegiate sanctioning of the first varsity wrestling team at the U of W since 1941. He wrestled 2 years of varsity at the U of W and was elected team captain in 1955 & 1956. Dick was runner-up in the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate wrestling championships. He graduated from the University of Washington with a BS from the College of Forestry in 1956. He wrestled in the 1956 Pacific Northwest Olympic Trials. While serving the US Army for 2 years, he coached and wrestled for the U.S. Army's 558"' Missile Battalion in Europe, then won All Armed Forces Europe championship in 1957.  In 1959 Dick organized the SouthwestWashington Wrestling Official Association (merged into the Lower Columbia Officials Assn. in 1961). He served 20 years as a high school and intercollegiate wrestling referee and officiated at three state high school championship tournaments in Washington and Oregon. Dick also served as a Klamath County Youth Wrestling Board member. Dick worked 19 years for Weyerhaeuser Co, as General Manager of Wood Products at 5 locations. After 33 years in the forest products industry and 13 of those years at the Weyerhaeuser Longview wood products facility Dick retired in 1991. He won the Weyerhaeuser Co's "President Award" in 1978 while at Bly, Oregon. Since retirement in 1991 he has owned and operated a family tree farm and continues to do this today. Dick and his wife, Judy, have been married 47 years and have raised a daughter Roxanne and a son John, who have supported his professional, athletic and community activities throughout the years. Over the years Dick has served on numerous city and county boards within Washington and Oregon.