The Dean Peterson Legal Studies Scholarship Fund is being established through the East Central University Foundation Inc. to honor Peterson's commitment to ECU's Legal Studies Program.
Dr. Dean Peterson is the retired director of ECU's program, the only such program in the state accredited by the American Bar Association.
"Dr. Peterson has been more than a professor to me - she has become a friend," said ECU legal studies graduate Tonja Snook-Millberry. "I greatly admire her for the extra hours and effort she put in to developing the Legal Studies Program at ECU."
Peterson, who had directed the program since 1993, came to ECU as an adjunct professor in 1992. She previously had been engaged in private law practice and had been the vice president of a petroleum company.
She is a graduate of the Oklahoma City University School of Law where she was ranked in the top third of her class. She is involved in several civic, professional and honorary organizations, such as the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Paralegals and the Oklahoma Bar Association's Paralegal Committee.
To contribute to the scholarship fund, contact Dr. Christine Pappas at 559-5640.
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