Jim Peterson, a life-long traveler who enjoyed countless fascinating trips to the far corners of the globe, departed on his final journey Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. 

Born July 7, 1935, James August Peterson grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. A shared sense of humor and interest in the sciences and technology forged a bond with his elementary school friends that lasted his entire life. 

Jim received degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering from Iowa State University. He met and married his wife of 56 years, Marlene Buettell, while she, too, was a student at Iowa State. Upon graduation, they left for the University of Washington in Seattle,and then the Azores Islands, where he served in the U.S. Air Force as a meteorologist.