Mary Lois (Walker) Peters '34

Mary Lois (Walker) Peters '34, a member of one of the first graduating classes at UCLA's Westwood campus, passed away Nov. 1 at age 106 (and 1/2).

A lifelong Angeleno, Peters was born in Los Angeles on May 31, 1912 (the month after the Titanic sank, and the same month the Beverly Hills Hotel opened). Her parents arrived in Los Angeles from Spokane, WA, a few years earlier; her father worked for Nicholas Pantages as a theater manager. Peters attended Commonwealth Grammar school, Virgil Junior High School and Hollywood High School. The family lived close to the downtown area until her parents purchased a newly built house on the westside in 1942 - the house in which she would live for the last 76 years of her life.

A political science major, Peters was exceedingly proud of having attended UCLA and her student experience included interactions with some of the iconic names associated with the university, including taking classes from Dr. Moore, after whom the Hall is named. She said that she first set foot on the campus the very first day that it was open - and she continued to make regular visits to her alma mater for the rest of her life, often accompanied by her son Carl, '70.