Peter Hazen Gibbon, a lifelong educator and scholar, passed away peacefully on July 12 at his home in Wilton, CT, surrounded by his family. He was 83.

Born in Cambridge, MA and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Peter was the eldest of six brothers and the son of Ralph and Harriet Gibbon. He attended Harvard College, graduating in 1964. In Cambridge Peter met Carol Powers of Sea Cliff, New York, who was attending summer school at Harvard, and they married in 1966. Peter earned his Master’s Degree from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, and pursued a Ph.D. in Education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which he later completed at Teachers College, Columbia University.

In 1970 Peter and Carol moved to Tarrytown, New York to become teachers at the Hackley School and to live on the Hackley campus. Peter became Director of Hackley’s Upper School in 1980, and then served as Headmaster from 1985 to 1995. Peter and Carol raised their two sons, Sean and Brendan, on the Hackley campus, first in Allen’s Alley and then in the Headmaster’s House on the main quad. In the early 1980s Peter and Carol purchased a house on Nantucket, MA, where Carol had spent summers as a teenager in the 1950s, and the family spent many wonderful summers together on the island throughout the boys’ childhood and college years.

In 1995 Peter and Carol left Hackley and moved back to Cambridge, where Peter became a Research Associate at the Harvard School of Education, starting work on a book about America’s lost vision of heroism. The idea started with one of Peter’s Hackley commencement speeches, which was adapted into a 1993 Newsweek piece titled “In Search of Heroes.” In 2002 Peter published A Call to Heroism: Renewing America’s Vision of Greatness, which argued that, in an age dominated by celebrity culture and cynicism, America must reclaim a meaningful vision of heroism rooted in moral courage, civic virtue, and character. The book drew upon Peter’s extensive research into educational history and the lives of historical figures, as well as dozens of interviews with other academics and Peter’s experience speaking at over 150 public and private schools in his post-Hackley years.

In 2003 Peter became a Senior Research Scholar at the Boston University School of Education, where he continued his work on teaching heroism in schools. In the ensuing years he continued publishing numerous articles on the history of education and the lives of great thinkers and leaders. (Attached below is a compendium of articles Peter published over the years, dating back to his early years as a teacher at Hackley.) Peter also led several summer seminars and institutes funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, aimed at enhancing historical knowledge among K-12 teachers.

After generally dividing their time between Cambridge and Nantucket after they left Hackley, Peter and Carol moved to Duxbury, MA in 2005, where they lived for the next thirteen years, often traveling to visit Sean and Brendan who were living in New York City and, later, in Connecticut. In 2018 they moved to Connecticut to be close to their children and five grandchildren living there, living first in New Haven and then in Wilton.

Peter’s personal and professional interests – in history, biographies, and memoirs – were always linked. He most at home in his reading chair, immersed in a history book or a biography while listening to a symphony by Bach or Mozart. From an early age he was interested in religion and religious studies, and one of his favorite activities was to sit in Memorial Church at Harvard, listening to organ music and the sermons of Peter Gomes. His parents inspired in him a love of travel and a deep curiosity about other countries and cultures. As an educator, he traveled to Russa, Germany, Japan, China and England to study their school systems. He took his family on trips around the country and in Europe and the Middle East, with constant detours to study plaques, statues, and historical sites.

When he wasn’t immersed in books, Peter was constantly active. He took daily jogs and walks, listening to classical music or National Public Radio through his headphones. An avid tennis player since high school, as an adult he played with Carol and his sons on the courts of Hackley and Nantucket, and with his parents, five brothers and all of their families during annual Gibbon family reunions together on Grand Cayman – constantly frustrating all of them on the court with his consistent, patient play. In winters, he played squash with Sean and Brendan, and went skiing with the family in Vermont, Canada, Colorado, and Utah.

Peter will be remembered by many for his long stewardship of Hackley and his many scholarly pursuits and achievements. But those who were closest to him will remember his gentle soul, dry wit, and devotion to his family. He stayed in close touch with his brothers and their own children, frequently paying them visits during his travels to give speeches around the country. He was a loving grandparent to his five grandchildren. One of his favorite activities was reading to his grandkids, or listening to them speak about what was happening in their lives. An eternal student, he remained deeply curious and inquisitive throughout his life, and loved to engage in conversation and learn about the lives of other people.

Peter will be deeply missed by all who knew him. His family welcomes memories, stories, and reflections from those whose lives he touched.

Peter is survived by his wife, Carol; brothers, John, Fritz, Tom, Chris and Dan; sons, Sean and Brendan; and grandchildren, Dusty, Gwen, Beau, Owen and Isabel.

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