Historian and Dayton gem Margaret Peters dies at 86

Margaret Peters, Dayton native, local historian and teacher who produced books, programs and educational opportunities on African American history for young people, has died at the age of 86. (Photo Credit: Lisa Powell)

Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

Margaret Peters, Dayton native, local historian and teacher who produced books, programs and educational opportunities on African American history for young people, has died at the age of 86. (Photo Credit: Lisa Powell)

Margaret Peters, Dayton native and nationally recognized historian, died peacefully in her sleep on Friday, April 1, 2022, at the age of 86.

Born on March 12, 1936, to parents Mary Margaret Smith Peters and Joseph Andrew Peters, Margaret Peters lived and worked in the Dayton area her entire life.

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A 1954 graduate of Roosevelt High School, Peters went on to study history, English, and Spanish at the University of Dayton. According to the Dayton Peace Museum, over the course of 20 years, Peters earned two bachelor’s degrees, one master’s degree, and a supervisor’s certificate.

Peters was well-known throughout the Dayton community, and was a respected educator, historian, and writer, who devoted her life to her community, students, and to the fight for Civil Rights. In 2012, the Dayton Peace Museum named her a Peace Hero.

Peters was a Dayton Public Schools teacher for decades, retiring in 1993. She has authored multiple works, including “The Ebony Book of Black Achievement” and “Dayton’s African-American Heritage.” Peters served as president of the Dayton branch of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History beginning in 1984 and served on the National ASALH Executive Council from 1993 to 1995, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Peters has received multiple awards including the National Council of Negro Women’s Excellence in Teaching Award for the Midwest Region in 1991, and she was featured within The HistoryMakers, the national oral history project, in 2006.

Funeral and/or memorial arrangements for Peters have yet to be announced.

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