A longtime Tri-Citian who devoted 52 years of his career to Tri-Cities issues died Friday in Idaho. He was 82.

Gary Petersen was modest about his accomplishments when the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business interviewed him when he retired from TRIDEC six years ago. “I honestly do not like a lot of ‘stuff’ on me. I’ve always considered myself as more of the ‘back-room’ supporter type guy,” he told the Journal in 2017.

When pressed to share career highlights, Petersen cited lobbying congressional offices to increase federal budgets to support Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Hanford cleanup; establishing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park; suing the federal government to force it to consider Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste storage; transferring more than 1,600 acres of Hanford land to TRIDEC for development; and fighting for public access to Rattlesnake Mountain.

Petersen spent 14 years at TRIDEC, succeeding the late Sam Volpentest, a community leader and a founder of TRIDEC.

“The Tri-Cities simply would not be what it is today had it not been for Gary’s leadership and dedication,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse.

U.S. Rep

The congressman said Petersen’s advocacy for the Hanford cleanup mission “has been a cornerstone of the success we’ve seen in the region. His historical knowledge, wisdom and understanding of our region’s priorities was matched by few, and I have no doubt his name will go down in history with the likes of Sam Volpentest and Bob Ferguson. He will be deeply missed.”

Before joining TRIDEC, Petersen worked for PNNL’s International Nuclear Safety Program, visiting Chernobyl and Soviet-designed nuclear reactors in several countries, before retiring in April 2003. Prior to this, he served as PNNL’s director of communications for nine years.

David Reeploeg

“Gary Petersen will go down in history as one of the greatest champions the Tri-Cities has ever known,” said David Reeploeg, Petersen’s successor as vice president for federal programs at TRIDEC. “As a former congressional staffer, I got to see firsthand just how effective an advocate Gary was for Hanford cleanup, PNNL, nuclear energy and the entire community. Gary was a giant, and the Tri-Cities will forever be a better place because of him.”

Reeploeg said he last visited Petersen in the spring, but they exchanged emails on a fairly regular basis.

“In addition to everything he did for the Tri-City community, Gary was also an incredible mentor to me as I worked to fill his very big shoes. I will always treasure my friendship with Gary, and I will miss him dearly,” he said.

Karl Dye

Karl Dye, president and chief executive officer of TRIDEC, called Petersen a Tri-City legend.

“From the top of Rattlesnake to the Hanford Reach and down to the mouth of the Snake River, Gary Petersen loved the Tri-Cities and had a story for every corner of our community. He is and always will be a legend who, along with Sam Volpentest, Bob Ferguson and others, laid the foundation upon which the future of the Tri-Cities continues to be built,” Dye said in a statement.

Petersen was born in Everett, graduated from Omak High School, and served in the Army as a foreign correspondent in Korea. He was a proud graduate of Washington State University, where he served as editor of The Daily Evergreen.

After college, he worked at Ford Motor Co. in Detroit but wasn’t excited about it and moved to the Tri-Cities in 1965 to work for Battelle, he said in an interview with the Atomic Heritage Foundation.

Within the last year or so, Petersen and his wife moved to the Boise, Idaho, area to be closer to his daughters and grandchildren, Reeploeg said. He recently received treatment for cancer and pneumonia.

A memorial Mass is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 18 at Christ the King Catholic Church, 1111 Stevens Drive, Richland, followed by an interment at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Richland. An open house and celebration of life is from 3-5 p.m. at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center on University Drive in Richland. Wearing Coug gear is encouraged.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gary R. & Margaret E. Petersen Fund at Washington State University at https://bit.ly/PetersenFundMurrowCollegeCommunication. This endowment will provide ongoing student scholarships. Donations are tax-deductible.