David Holmen Peterson, ’67, a renowned scientist whose work helped bolster the passage of the Clean Water Act, died May 7, 2011 after a long battle with cancer. He was 73.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Peterson ventured out west to study Oceanography at the UW, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1967.

Peterson, Fred Nichols, ’68, ’72, and John Conomos, ’68, used groundbreaking research to transform the perception of circulation of water in San Francisco Bay, highlighting its influence on fragile underwater ecosystems. Their work ultimately helped pass the Clean Water Act of the 1970s. —Sandra Schumann