Donald “Pete” Peters was born in 1929 to Ray and Ruth Peters, growing up steeped in Midwestern values in Marcus. An avid athlete, he excelled in four high school varsity sports. Upon leaving high school, a serious motorcycle accident denied Don from serving in the U.S. Air Force and delayed his college graduation in 1952. Undeterred, Don worked his way through the University of Northern Iowa with graduate studies at the University of Iowa.