Biography
In Ringsted, Iowa, on November 30, 1919, in the tenth year of Joseph and Marthilda (Mar- tilda) Peterson’s marriage, they became the parents of their fourth son and fifth child, Sidney Wilson Peterson. He joined older brothers James and George and his older sister, Inas. The first born was a son that died at six months old from cholera. But he wasn’t the youngest child for long - he soon became a doting older brother to his younger sister, Mildred. Sid was steeped in his Danish heritage – his mother was born there and his father was also of Danish ancestry.
As a child, Sid was known for the continual love and kindness he showed to family members. At one moment during his childhood, he gave his grandmother a “bear hug” so hard that he cracked her ribs! From then on, she would remark, "Every time I breathe and my ribs hurt, I remember how good it felt to be hugged (by him).” In another childhood episode, he had a near-death experience with what was thought to be a rattlesnake. He was sitting next to a grate in the floor, playing. His grandmother looked over and saw a rattlesnake peeking through the grate and immediately called on her husband to grab Sidney and dispose of the snake.
The rest of the narrative will be added on November 14, 2024 after it is read at the 2024 Gold Star Hall Ceremony. The Gold Star Hall Ceremony will take place in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on Wednesday, November 13th at 4:15 pm.