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A Legacy of Leadership and Vision: We Remember Dorothy Peterson

A collage of three photos: a black and white portrait of a young Dorothy Peterson, a family group photo around a sundial monument, and an image of a groundbreaking ceremony with individuals in hard hats shoveling dirt
Overview
A Legacy of Leadership and Vision: We Remember Dorothy Peterson

When she was just three years old, Dorothy (Donovan) Peterson came down with a severe earache. In great pain, the little girl was admitted to Monadnock Community Hospital for mastoid surgery on both ears to clear out the infection. This positive experience set the stage for Dorothy’s lifelong relationship with MCH.

Years later, as a teenager during World War II, she volunteered in the Hospital’s kitchen. At that time, with so many Americans helping with the war effort, volunteers like Dorothy were essential to ensuring MCH kept its doors open.

After her marriage to future New Hampshire Governor Walter Peterson in 1949, Dorothy kept volunteering at MCH, then as a nurse’s aide. Even after becoming New Hampshire’s First Lady, Dorothy continued to donate her time and skills to the Hospital she loved. And it wasn’t just Dorothy who was devoted to MCH; her mother, Mildred Donovan, was also a volunteer, and her father, Francis Donovan, served on the Hospital’s Board of Trustees.

In 1975, Dorothy followed her father’s footsteps and joined the Board of Trustees. Then, in 1978, she was elected to become the first woman president of MCH’s Board. During her term as president, MCH acquired its first ultrasound diagnostic system and opened the community’s first Birthing Center. Continuing in leadership roles, Dorothy served as the honorary chair of the Hospital’s largest-ever capital campaign to build the new Emergency Department which opened in 2011. Her wisdom and guidance led the campaign to its great success of over $10 million.

Even after becoming New Hampshire’s First Lady, Dorothy continued to donate her time and skills to the Hospital she loved.

Dorothy’s life was one of service and generosity. Besides volunteering at MCH, she served on the boards of the Monadnock Community Visiting Nurses Association, the Peterborough Historical Society, and countless others. She was an active supporter of many local and statewide nonprofits, including the New Hampshire Lung Association, Monadnock Family Services, and New Hampshire Public Radio.

Contributing to the well-being of her fellow citizens was fundamental to Dorothy’s life. She kept up her philanthropic and volunteer activities well into her ninth decade, continuing to support MCH as a member of the Philanthropy Committee as well as the Parmelee Society, which recognizes donors who include MCH in their estate planning. In 2011, MCH honored Dorothy’s contributions by naming the Parmelee garden in her honor.

Walter and Dorothy established a Charitable Remainder Trust in which MCH was a beneficiary. In 2022, after a lifetime of service, Dorothy passed away, leaving a legacy of leadership and altruism that continues to inspire everyone who knew her.

Gentle and generous, she was a leader and a listener with boundless energy and vision. Dorothy Peterson made a positive difference, not just for Monadnock Community Hospital, but for thousands of people across the state of New Hampshire whom her life touched.

She will be remembered with affection and gratitude for years to come.

Thank you, Dorothy, for everything.