He worked for Pan American Airlines from 1942 until his retirement in 1974. Mr. Peterson, or Pete as he was known to his co-workers, was a mechanic specializing in landing gear. In June of 1943, he headed the mechanical crew of a repair crew that repaired a C-54 to service that had previously thought to be unrepairable. For this he appeared in a Time newsreel on the repair and received a government commendation. He could tell the make of any aircraft that flew overhead.