Robert Gray Peck III

Dr. Robert Gray Peck III, long-time English teacher at The Haverford School, died peacefully on August 22 at Dunwoody Village in Newtown Square. Dr. Peck (Bob) and his twin brother Bill were born July 12, 1934 in New York City, and raised in Hinsdale IL, a suburb of Chicago. His father, Robert G. Peck Jr., was a great lover and collector of books and jazz records and passed that legacy on to his sons. In tenth grade, Bob and Bill went off to boarding school in Connecticut; first at Reading Ridge School, then at The Wooster School. Bob entered Yale University in 1952, where he majored in French. After graduating from Yale in 1956 he married Barbara Baker (also a twin!) and they moved to California where Bob taught French at the Cate School for a year. He was drafted into the Army and stationed at Fort Dix NJ, where his first two children were born. In 1959 the family moved to Cambridge MA, where Bob had received a scholarship to study Shakespeare at Harvard University. In 1970 Bob married his second wife, Anne Roberts, with whom he had two sons. He married Leila Cleaves (Peck) in 1993. Beginning his teaching career at Princeton University, Bob moved on to Union College in Schenectady, New York and finally The Haverford School, where he became known as The Doc and gained a reputation as a tough but fair teacher. A great believer in education for all, he also taught night school and summer courses at Villanova and St. Joseph’s University. An avid reader of literature, poetry and history, Bob served as Secretary of the Shakespeare Society of Philadelphia and frequently attended theatre, dance and music performances. He was also a lover of sports, especially tennis and squash, both of which he coached at Haverford. A long-time member of The Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, Bob led a popular bible study class and held other lay roles. Bob is survived by his loving wife Leila, daughter Elizabeth (Joe), sons Richard (Margaret), Andrew (Jen) and Matthew (Blythe), brother William (Janet), grandson Alden (Heather) and step-daughters Leila (Tom) and Amy (Blaise).

Published by Main Line Media News from Sep. 3 to Sep. 13, 2020.