Inspire, Winter 2003

Inspire 23 The life of Rev. George Stephens ’82 was changed because of the dream of one man. Following is George’s tribute to Don Peterson, a gentleman who had a dream for the Christian education of future Christian leaders. In the spring of 1978, I was excited to have been accepted at Cedarville College, but I faced the dilemma of paying for my education. Since my father had gone home to be with Christ when I was 10 and my mother’s work just met our needs, I knew that I was going to need a job beyond the norm. It was shortly afterward that God introduced me to Don Peterson. Don paid for me to attend Cedarville. Don was a quiet man with a strong, lean build; the salty hair of his Scandinavian heritage; and a continuous twinkle in his eye that accented a quirky, one-corner smile. He had not known Christ long, but had taken the matter of living for Him as a personal responsibility. He never drew attention to himself, but often entered church services from a side aisle and worshipped in solitude, drawing in all that he had missed in years of not knowing Christ. Little did I know how God was going to use him in my life. One Sunday during an evening church fellowship, I approached the tall man with the twinkle in his eye. Within minutes he guaranteed me a job in his Newark, New Jersey factory to begin the week I graduated from high school. Don’s factory made electric motors and was a family business with a loyal work force. I rarely saw him during my time there since he was a busy man running a large corporation. Most shocking to me at the end of my first pay period was the size of my check. I was paid union wage as a non-union employee. Each summer when I returned from classes at Cedarville, Don hired me back. When I took the summer of 1980 to go to Australia with an MIS team, Don carried a major portion of my support. Perhaps the most interesting experience with this man of God was the “annual retreat.” By 1981 Don had four young men going to Christian colleges on his payroll, and he would pass the word for us to come to work in corporate casual and bring our swimsuits. We would arrive at the factory, punch the clock, then travel with Don to America’s KESWICK (a Christian conference and retreat center in southern New Jersey) for a day of Bible speakers, good food, and fellowship with our benefactor. Don would listen to us and ask us deep questions camouflaged as simple comments. He paid us a day’s wage for our fellowship. I graduated from Cedarville in 1982, got married, and went to seminary. Don continued to serve. Selling his company and retiring, he moved to the Jersey shore and directed his attention to the needs of others. He put much of his heart into the substance recovery program of America’s KESWICK and often taught Bible studies to the residents of the program. Don could not help it. He needed to invest himself in others, just as he had invested himself in me. On September 11, 2001, Don and his wife were flying to California for a family reunion. Arriving early at the airport, they decided to board an earlier flight, and so they switched their tickets to Flight 93. Several hours later, Don and his wife received that promised accolade, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I am convinced that on that morning on Flight 93, Don Peterson invested himself fully in the lives of others, just as he had in me and just as he, through me, had invested in Cedarville College. In Tribute to a Dreamer B y G e o r g e S t e p h e n s ’ 8 2 By 1981 Don had four young men going to Christian colleges on his payroll ... On September 11, 2001 ... Don and his wife received that promised accolade, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”