This is an incredibly tough loss. I was lucky to get to know Peter in two capacities: as his colleague and as his student. We worked most closely together on promoting the Loyola's study abroad programs, and I would occasionally borrow his voice-over talents for narration work. And I was fortunate enough to get to know another side of Peter as his student in his Trusts & Wills class in fall 2011. He spoke often about his family, and he used a lot of his life experience to help explain concepts in class. He always managed to keep the class laughing and engaged – even making light of how awful he felt some of those evenings – with his trademark deadpan humor. He will be sorely missed. Brian Costello '12, Assistant Director, LLS Marketing & Communications
For many years Peter and I made wine together. We would take walks along the bluff overlooking Elwood Beach, or go wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley. Every visit would include an examination of his most recently acquired document. He would introduce this moment very matter-of-factly: “Come. I have something you might be interested in.” And I would be interested in the new piece – because Peter had been interested. His collection unsurprisingly includes objects commonly found in lawyerly reception rooms: deeds and indentures, writs and titles. But it also comprises revolutionary decrees, notes for farm implements, death notices. There is the horrifying; a bill of sale for a slave, a piece of Nazi hatred. Peter would spend hours parsing the Latin or the Italian or the Law English (the toughest challenge was often decoding the archaic script) and then he would fix the document into a context: legal, historical and cultural. Peter would breathe life into ancient conquests, dismal theological controversies and the displays of power and wealth. And then our conversations would spin out. Professor Jeffery Atik, Loyola Law School