Otis Arnold Pease

Otis A. Pease passed away on September 6, 2010 in Seattle, Washington at age 85. He was born July 31, 1925, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Frederic and Ruth Pease. He graduated summa cum laude from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1943. After his first semester at Yale University, he enlisted in the Army. From 1943-1946, he served first in the infantry and then in the Air Corps, and was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in the Hürtgen Forest during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. Returning to Yale in 1946, he majored in American history and American studies, earning his B.A. with high honors in 1949 and his Ph.D. in 1954. He received the John Addison Porter Prize for his doctoral dissertation, The Responsibilities of American Advertising, 1920-1940.

Throughout his long and productive academic career as a scholar and professor of American history, Otis was a talented, dedicated and beloved teacher. He taught for two years at the University of Texas (1953-55) and ten years at Stanford University (1956-1966), where he was appointed to the William Robertson Coe professorship in History and American Studies. He joined the Department of History at the University of Washington in 1966, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1995. He ably served as department chair from 1967 to 1972. While at the University of Washington, he was invited to join the Stanford Board of Trustees, of which he was a member for sixteen years. His widely varied professional activities included lifetime membership in the American Historical Association; many public lectures and conference presentations; extensive participation on university committees and in national academic organizations; supervision of numerous doctoral and masters theses; and tour lectureships for the Stanford Alumni Association.

Always fascinated by intellectual inquiry, Otis had wide-ranging research interests, covering, among other subjects, the Progressive Era, the history of American advertising, civil rights, urban politics and reform, Pacific Coast history, the American character, American music and art, and the experience of American soldiers in World War II. He published many articles and several books, including Parkman's History: The Historian as Literary Artist (1953); The Responsibilities of American Advertising: Private Control and Public Influence, 1920-1940 (1958); The Progressive Years: The Spirit and Achievement of American Reform (as editor, 1962); and Blueberry Pie: The Meaning of WWII for the Americans Who Fought in It (2007), in which he incorporated material from his own and others' diaries along with historical analysis.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Otis found numerous ways to support causes close to his heart. In 1964, he worked as a volunteer and consultant for the Mississippi Summer Project through the Council of Federated Organizations, particularly the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, assisting with African American voter registration and related civil rights projects in Mississippi. Throughout his life he continued his support of various organizations committed to promoting justice, equality and environmental awareness.

Interwoven with all aspects of Otis's life was his devotion to the arts. He frequently attended theatre, opera, symphony, chamber ensemble and choral performances; he loved film and literature; and visited museums all over the world. He was an accomplished pianist and had a fine voice. Starting in junior high at Eaglebrook School, he performed in several Gilbert & Sullivan productions. At Yale he joined the Glee Club, traveling overseas in recent years on two Glee Club alumni tours. He sang with the Northwest Chamber Chorus in Seattle for over thirty years as a founding member.

Otis's devotion to broadening his understanding of the world took him all across the U.S. as well as to England, France, Greece, Germany, Russia, Italy, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China. Whenever he traveled he endeavored to learn everything he could about the history, culture, language and cuisine of each place he visited. He also loved being outdoors, hiking, skiing, and camping. He had a special feeling for the Cascade Range, where he especially enjoyed hiking among the summer wildflowers and listening for marmots.

Above all, Otis found relationships with family, friends, colleagues and students to be profoundly enriching. He often engaged in quiet introspection, but was at the same time a genuinely selfless person, always there for those close to him. He is survived by his wife of twenty-two years, Donna McCampbell, and four children from his former marriage to Mary Pease: Jonathan Pease (Shu-nwan), of Portland, Oregon; Catherine Barnhart (Richard), of San Juan Island, Washington; Martha Khosa (Yingwana), of Portland, Oregon; and Emily Pease (Joshua Daniel), of Seattle, Washington. He also leaves eight grandchildren: Naomi Pease; Peter and Derek Campbell; Malaika, Hallie and Reya Tobias; and Lily and Ruby Daniel, along with his brother and sister-in-law, Frederic and Lillian Pease of Dresden, Maine, and many other family members and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his sister, Elizabeth Day.

We welcome you to share memories of Otis on this website.

We will deeply miss Otis's wisdom, kindness, incisive wit and generosity, and will always be inspired by his great passion for music.