Peter C. Speers, Jr.
Peter C. Speers, Jr. May 30, 1921 - Feb. 8, 2010. The following was written by Peter prior to his death.
Peter C. Speers, Jr.
Peter Carter Speers, Jr. was born and spent his childhood in India (where his parents were missionaries for forty years), and lived in Austin from 1981 until February 8, 2010, when the angels hauled him off to bliss everlasting.
After completing secondary school in the United States at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Peter entered Princeton University, where he obtained his BA and MA degrees in Near East Studies. He subsequently obtained his PhD degree in Arabic from the University of London.
His college career was interrupted by military service in World War II in the Army Air Forces and Signal Corps in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, where he took part in the Allied landing at Salerno and later on the Anzio beachhead.
He was married in December 1946 to Ellen Woodbury Mac Daniels, who survives him. He is also survived by his son and daughter-in law Peter and Irma Wilde Speers and their sons Christopher and Patrick of Austin, Texas; and his son and daughter-in law Ted and Sue Thompson Speers and their children, Lauren and Allen of San Jose, California. His daughter Martha died in June, 2009 and is survived by her husband Ronald Blazewski of Missouri City, Texas. Peter is also survived by his sister Constance Picco of Youngsville, Louisiana, his sister-in-law Sue Scott Speers of Kennebunk Port, Maine, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Peter joined the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) while still a graduate student at Princeton, and spent his entire working life on nearly 32 years with Aramco, almost all of it Saudi Arabia, where his children grew up and where one of them was born. Most of his career was spent in Aramco's Government Relations Organization-- partly in contacts with Saudi Government officials, but primarily as head of the Translation Division, as member of the Arabian Research Division, and as member and later head of the Policy and Planning Staff. His last two years with Aramco were devoted to planning and editing a 275 page illustrated book on Islam, Arab history, and Aramco's role in the development of Saudi Arabia.
After retiring to Austin in 1981, Peter devoted much of his time to travel, cabinet making, stamp collecting, and buying too many books. He was a member of the Austin, Texas Stamp Club, the American Philatelic Society, the Royal Philatelic Society (London) and other stamp collecting groups and successfully showed parts of his collection at exhibitions in San Francisco, San Antonio, Houston and Austin."
At Peter's request there will be no formal service. A gathering for friends and family will be held at a later date.
Donations in Peter's memory may be made to Americans United (518 C Street NE, Washington DC, 20002) or AMEU (Americans for Middle East Understanding, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 245, New York, NY 101115-0245).
Published in Austin American-Statesman on February 11, 2010.