Professional baseball player Gerald "Peanuts" Peterson was 22 years old when he died in the 1948 Duluth Dukes bus crash. He was voted the Dukes' "most popular player" in fan balloting in 1947, and was the idol of Proctor's youth. He was called "The Pride of Proctor," and was known for his speed and hard work on the baseball field.

 

Born Dec. 12, 1925, Peterson excelled in three sports at Proctor High School starting as a freshman: football, basketball, and track and field. He left school a year early to join the merchant marine during World War II. He developed severe arthritis and a heart ailment was discovered during a physical examination that prevented his entrance into the armed services. He was warned to never take part in strenuous exercise again.

 

Having moved back home to recuperate, Peterson later found work with the Coolerator Corp. in Duluth and began playing softball for the company team. When his health had recovered, he turned to amateur baseball. It was then that his speed and hard hitting caught the attention of Dukes' owner Frank Wade. Wade signed Peterson to a professional contract in 1946. Under the tutelage of player/manager Paul Bowa (the father of 1970s Phillies' All-Star shortstop Larry Bowa) he played 110 games as the Dukes' centerfielder in 1947. He hit .292 with 118 hits, 12 doubles, seven triples, one home run, 47 RBI, and 27 stolen bases.  He drew 82 bases on balls compared to 46 strikeouts.

He was the Dukes' second-best hitter on the 1948 squad when tragedy struck on July 24.

 

The Dukes were en route to St. Cloud, Minn., from Eau Claire, Wis., when a chemical truck crossed the center line and collided with the team's bus on Highway 36 between Western and Dale Streets in Roseville, Minn. Manager George "Red" Treadwell and players Don Schuckman, Gilbert Trible and Peterson died at the scene. Another player, Steve Lazar, died in a St. Paul hospital two days later. The truck driver, James Grealish, was also killed. Only four of the 13 surviving players played professional baseball again.

The Dukes were a Class C affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals at the time of the accident. St. Louis sent players from across their farm system to keep the team going for the rest of the season, as did Duluth's Northern League rivals.

Peterson had nearly made the Omaha Cardinals' (Class A) roster in 1948. He'd had a productive spring training, but he was one of too many left-handed hitters. He was set to report to the Class C affiliate in Albany, Ga., when Duluth became interested in reacquiring him, so he returned home to the Dukes.

Peterson had this to say regarding home runs: "If I get 'em, okay. But I'm more interested in good hits, singles and doubles. They're the ones that count."

    
He is buried in Oneota Cemetery in West Duluth.

(Photo courtesy of the Duluth News Tribune)

 

Reidar Lund, "It Was Tough Grind, But Bowa...", Duluth News-Tribune and Herald, Sept. 9, 1947.

Reidar Lund, "Peterson Stays With Dukes", Duluth News-Tribune and Herald, April 20, 1948.

Dick Spadafore, "Area Youth Mourn 'Pride of Proctor'", Duluth News-Tribune and Herald, July 25, 1948.

 

Thank you to Andrew Krueger at the Duluth News Tribune and to the staff of the Duluth Public Library.