Kenneth Leroy Peters (June 27, 1915 – November 25, 2013) was a baseball player, actor and longtime superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District. Peters was born in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

city of

Orange, California Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before ...

. He attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and played for the USC Trojans baseball team, where he was captain, until 1936. A second baseman, he formed a middle infield with shortstop

Rod Dedeaux Raoul Martial "Rod" Dedeaux (February 17, 1914 – January 5, 2006) was an American college baseball coach who compiled what is widely recognized as among the greatest records of any coach in the sport's Amateur baseball in the United States, amat ...

. He acted in the films '' Mutiny on the Bounty'' and ''

Death on the Diamond ''Death on the Diamond'' is a 1934 comedy-mystery film starring Robert Young. It was based on the novel ''Death on the Diamond: A Baseball Mystery Story'' by Cortland Fitzsimmons, directed by Edward Sedgwick and produced and released by Metro-Go ...

'' while at USC.Former Beverly Hills Superintendent Kenneth Peters Dead At 98
He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and played in their minor league system in 1936 and 1937. He played for the Sacramento Solons of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

in 1936, hitting .206 with 70 hits in 97 games, and for the Mobile Shippers of the Southeastern League in 1937, hitting .167 in two games. Following his playing career, he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

from 1942 to 1945. He served as superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District from 1959 to 1981. In 2010, he was awarded the USC Rossier Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award.Rossier.USC.edu
/ref> He died in

Tarzana, California Tarzana is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' fictional jungle hero, Tarzan. History ...

at the age of 98 on November 25, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Ken 1915 births 2013 deaths USC Trojans baseball players Minor league baseball players Baseball players from Orange, California School superintendents in California Educators from California