Peter Forbes Campbell Armstrong ’50

Pete died in Hawaii March 29, 2007. He was aptly described by a young granddaughter who told him, “Grandad, you’re four important things — you’re a father, a grandfather, a colonel, and a teacher.”

Born in New York City, Pete graduated from Landon School. At Princeton, where his father was Class of 1904, he majored in history, and was active in Cottage Club, Triangle Club, The Daily Princetonian, Orange Key, rugby, and freshman football. He earned a master’s in history in 1968 from American University.

He retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel in 1979. His 30 years in the military included front-line action in Korea as a platoon commander, service as a combat intelligence officer in Vietnam, and assignments in Washington, Latin America, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

After his retirement, Pete spent 23 years teaching advanced history courses at the Iolani School in Hawaii. Greatly respected by his students and colleagues, Pete was recognized as a Presidential Distinguished Teacher in 1992 and was awarded a national prize for excellence in secondary school teaching in 2000.

We fondly remember Pete as host of our 2004 Hawaiian mini-reunion, and join his wife, Margaret; his children, Elizabeth and Peter Jr.; five grandchildren; his sisters, Rhoda Hackler, Jean Kanstein, and Alexandra; and his two stepchildren in celebrating his life.