Peter Piper always follows his innate sense of curiosity, and his eagerness to try anything has kept him going and pushing forward. That’s how he adopted a new high-tech avocation, and now he helps pass on his knowledge to other seniors.
After receiving his first computer at age 40, Peter immediately took up the technology. Soon, it became an “all-consuming passion.” He has spent the past several years teaching those skills to others as a computer instructor at the Tallahassee Senior Center. Peter embraces the possibilities that computers can bring to anyone. “They can be used for anything if you know the direction you want to go,” he says. “You have unparalleled access to unlimited information about anything.” This volunteer work led him to become a member of the Senior Services Advisory Council, serving for six years.
He found another outlet for his love of spreading knowledge when he became a business partner four years ago at Oak Ridge Elementary School, where he spends much of his time tutoring and mentoring children. It’s the latest stop in a path that brought Peter from his job as an energy officer in Miami to Tallahassee for work as an engineer with a federal energy program. After 35 years in this line of work, he opened a staffing service business, which he operated for 15 years.
Amid these professional pursuits, Peter and his wife of 54 years, Betty Anne, raised six daughters, and he remains close to them. When he’s not teaching seniors or children, he follows his passion for the culinary arts, cooking dishes with an exotic flair. He prides himself on never repeating a recipe, a practice that has led him to avoid cooking the same dish twice in over 1,300 days. “I like to explore and try new and unique flavors together,” he explains with delight.
Peter Piper’s unique can-do attitude blends with his passions and allows him to live life to the fullest.
