D. Hugh Peniston ’41

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Hugh Peniston died July 18, 2012, at the age of 92.

He was born in Rutherford, N.J., and grew up in Los Gatos, Calif. He majored in English at Princeton and earned a master’s degree in divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 1944.

He was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Cottage Grove, Ore., from 1947 to 1979. Upon his retirement, he served as interim minister in several churches in Oregon and California. Twice he served as a trustee for Lewis & Clark College, for which he received an honorary doctor of letters degree in 1969. A dedicated humanitarian, Hugh became very interested in the issue of housing and was instrumental in the construction of facilities for senior citizens and low-income and handicapped individuals in Springfield and Cottage Grove, Ore.

Among Hugh’s many interests were backpacking, hiking, canoeing, woodworking, photography, and stamp collecting.

In 1946, Hugh met and married Phrynette Waldvogel. They became parents of five children: Gary ’70, Brian, David, William, and Sarah. After Phrynette’s death, Hugh married Joan Metcalf Mattoon in 1998. She survives him along with his children and four grandchildren.

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