Peter “Pete” Joseph Anderson passed away on January 1, 2025, after a brief illness. From 1974 until his retirement in 1992, Pete worked as assistant director at The Ohio State University's Institute of Polar Studies, now the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. He played a pivotal role, with center director Dr. David H. Elliot, in acquiring Admiral Richard E. Byrd's papers, significantly shaping the institute's archival program, establishing the Byrd Fellowship program, and renaming of the institute to the Byrd Polar Research Center.

Pete's work extended to the Antarctic, where he participated in Operation Deep Freeze while in the U.S. Air Force and later served as a civilian lecturer. His work during these missions was recognized with the naming of a geographical feature, Peter Nunatak, in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. His impactful career advanced polar studies and left a lasting imprint on archival and field research related to the Antarctic regions. Pete will be missed. Learn more about his life and accomplishments, and read this story from our news archives.