A Game-Changing Gift

BY ABBY WEINGARTEN ‘00

SARASOTA philanthropists J. Robert “Bob” Peterson and Pasqualina “Lee” Peterson donated $4 million to New College in December through a bequest gift from their estate. It was the largest gift in the College’s 61-year history.

“We are thrilled and humbled by the extraordinary gift from Bob and Lee Peterson, as well as the support of their children,” said New College President Donal O’Shea. “This is a game-changer for New College and will make all the difference in the way that we can support our students.”

The Petersons previously made significant gifts to New College, and the Lee & Bob Peterson Residence Hall on campus is named in their honor. Bob Peterson spent many years serving on the New College Board of Trustees, as he believed in the transformative power of education.

“We were stunned by the Petersons’ generosity. They were known in Sarasota for their incredible philanthropy. Through the Petersons’ foresight, they made a transformational gift to New College, which will serve generations of students in the future,” said MaryAnne Young, the vice president of advancement and executive director for the New College Foundation. “It couldn’t have come at a better time, as our students’ needs increase in every regard. We are so grateful to the whole Peterson family.”

Young said the funds from the gift will likely be used to support New College students, endowments, and other critical elements of the College, as per the wishes of the Peterson family.

“My father was a visionary and a philanthropist who believed in giving back, whether it was to help those with mental illness or to improve the quality of teaching and research,” said Jeffrey Peterson, president of the Lee and Bob Peterson Foundation. “His gift to New College, where he was a member of the board of trustees, exemplifies his philosophy that philanthropy was a requirement of success. He was an extremely passionate and fearless advocate for what he believed in, whether it be education, the arts or mental illness.”

For decades, the Peterson family has been a pillar of philanthropy in the community—a legacy that began when Bob and Lee Peterson first moved to Sarasota in 1993.

Bob Peterson of New Jersey was a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War, who spent 33 years with the United Parcel Service (ultimately becoming the senior vice president and general counsel). Lee Peterson was originally from Manhattan and a trained opera singer, who performed with the Amato Opera and After Dinner Opera companies in New York.

The two were married for 58 years. Bob Peterson passed away in 2012 at age 88 and Lee Peterson followed in 2017 at age 90.

Together, the Petersons were co-presidents of the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Lee Peterson served on the boards of the Sarasota Opera Association, La Musica Festival and the United Way Foundation. The Petersons founded Sunshine From Darkness, hosting symposiums to increase awareness around mental illness. They also served on the board of National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), which is now the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

"As philanthropists, Bob and Lee Peterson were not only generous but also thoughtful in supporting what they believed to be the highest benefit to the community and the world," New College Board of Trustees Chair Mary Ruiz said. “We are so very grateful, not only for their wonderful gift, but also for their faith in the New College educational philosophy to carry out part of their legacy.”