Deceased July 23, 2011
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In Memory
Peyton Pratt died in Omaha, Neb., on July 23, 2011.
A native of the Omaha area for most of his life, Peyt attended Dundee School and Central High School before coming to Amherst in ’38 and joining Beta Theta Pi. After two years at Amherst, he transferred to the University of Nebraska, where he obtained a B.A. in 1942 and an M.D. in 1944, the latter in the U.S. Navy V-12 program.
In 1944, Peyt married Mary Lou Kelly (Nebraska ’41). Their happy marriage of more than 60 years resulted in a son and two daughters, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
After a number of internships and residencies at different locations, Peyt returned to Omaha in 1950 to practice internal medicine, specializing in hematology. At the same time, he taught part time and did research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He was a member of two medical honorary societies, Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha. He also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Legends Award from UNMC.
Peyt retired in 1977 at the age of 57, influenced by the fact that his parents had both died at 58. He was an avid golfer, playing in senior events in Nebraska, Texas, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Unfortunately, severe degenerative arthritis in his right shoulder forced him to give up golf and concentrate on duplicate bridge as his chief hobby.
In our phone conversation in 2009, Peyt expressed deep regret that he had lost his wife in 2006. On a more cheerful note, he described a remarkable highlight of his life; he and four friends attended kindergarten, elementary school and high school together. Since then, they had contacted each other every year on their respective birthday.
Peyt is survived by the aforementioned children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ted Heisler ’42