Photo by Krystal Hicks

A Minnesota native, Mary Peterson first came to the University of New Hampshire for graduate school to obtain her M.A. degree in English. Twenty-two years later, she continues to be a valuable member of the community and the University Communications and Marketing (UCM) family. She is currently a Senior Writer/Editor for Editorial and Creative Services at Schofield House, home of UCM. When she's not writing for the UNH Foundation or co-editing the Faculty Excellence publication, Mary writes and edits articles for print and the Web, and actually hosts a couple of Web pages herself. One that highlights another love of her life would have to be www.pocdogs.org

As the Webmaster, treasurer, and an instructor for the Piscataqua Obedience Club, a nonprofit Seacoast dog training organization, Mary takes pride in the hard work put forth by the group. Outside of the Club though, Mary enjoys her own two dogs at home. The Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, eight-year-old Lily Bay, and fourteen-week-old Luke, hold a special place in Mary's life, as she has always been a lover of animals. "I'm looking forward to training Luke for obedience, agility, tracking, and breed showing," states Mary, about her new puppy. "He's highly energetic, and when we go for walks, anyone who'd see me would say, 'she's not a dog trainer' because I'd have this manic puppy on the end of the leash pulling me around the whole time." She laughs. Although Mary's affection for animals was always easily recognized, her writing had been kept in the shadows until grad school.

"I would always keep a journal and write secretly throughout college." she admits, "but the first time I actually wrote a short story was in a nonfiction class I took with Don Murray here at UNH." She didn't know what to do with the piece, and Murray told her to, "just keep writing"; it soon became her first published short story. After graduating, Mary decided to stay in New Hampshire and begin a career as a lecturer, teaching writing for the UNH English Department. After teaching on and off for nine years, she was hired by the University full time in 1984 to write for what was then University Publications. Five years later, Mary was hired away by Computing as a grant writer, and eventually became a computer specialist. Though she enjoyed her ten-year stay with technology, Mary returned to University Publications and continues as a Senior Writer/Editor today.

Besides teaching writing at Bradford College, UNH, and the University of Maine at Farmington, Mary has also put out a book of short stories, Mercy Flights, and has won a NEA grant, an O. Henry Award, and a Pushcart Prize. Her fiction has been anthologized in the U.S. and in Canada, and her most recent pieces for the University can be found in many different magazines and publications around campus. Mary Peterson has really become a superb mentor to students and a wonderful inspiration and driving force to all who work with her.