Phillip D. Peters, NIPC's Executive Director from 1992 to 1998, died April 18 at his home in Evanston.

Phil joined the NIPC staff in 1963. He served the agency and the region from that time until his retirement, except for the period from 1967 to 1970 when he worked for the New York State Office of Planning Coordination. At NIPC, he held the positions of Director of Planning and Deputy Director prior to his selection as Executive Director. He also served as the agency's Local Service Officer in Lake County.

Phil was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in the summer of 1998. He resigned his position in December of that year.

At the time of Phil's retirement, President Herbert Schumann said: "The region is losing one of its outstanding planners and an advocate for intergovernmental cooperation. Phil has had an extraordinary career which has helped shape the region and focus it on the issues which must be addressed in the years to come." Of his nearly 33 years on the NIPC staff, Phil said: "The real joy of my work has been the people with whom I have come in contact, and particularly those who have become partners in planning the region. Invariably, these have been bright and involved people, concerned about this area, and displaying amazing talent."

Phil received his Bachelor's degree with a major in architecture from Rice University and his Master's in Regional Planning from Cornell University.

He was born in Ottawa, Illinois and grew up around the golf courses which his parents managed, where he became good enough at the game to play in state-level tournaments as a teenager. He was a regular at Northwestern University football and basketball games, which he continued to attend until several months before his death. He served on the Evanston City Planning Commission, and was active in St. Athanasius parish.

Phil was selected in 1999 as one of the inaugural Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. In December, 1998, he received the Distinguished Service Award of the Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association for his service to the planning profession. He served as President of the Illinois Chapter from1973 to 1975 and again from 1988 to 1990, and as Chair of the Metropolitan and Regional Division of APA from 1979 to 1981. The same month, the Metropolitan Planning Council honored him with the Jean Allard Regional Trailblazer Award.

Following Phil's retirement, NIPC established the Phillip D. Peters Planning Fellowship in his honor. The fellowship will be awarded annually, by competitive selection, to a graduate student in regional planning or a related field. The fellow will work for three months as a member of a NIPC staff project team.. The fellowship is being funded by a combination of foundation grants and individual donations.

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