John Peterman
After serving for 23 years as head of an elementary school in Massachusetts, John
Peterman turned his attention to creating lifelong learning courses focused on history
and the entertainment industry. Throughout his life, John has been a public speaker
and an enthusiast of mid-20th-century music and film. Over the past few years, he
has offered courses at Osher at Dartmouth, AIL, Center for the Arts, New London Barn
Playhouse, and OLLI at UNH.
Joni Mitchell: Observer of Friends, Lovers, and Us (Fall Term 2025)
Participant Testimonials:
This was one of the best OSHER courses I have ever taken!
John Peterman's courses are always well-paced, organized, and full of meaty information.
A Celebration of Entertainers We Lost in 2024 (Fall Term 2025)
Participant Testimonials:
John pulled video clips from an amazing variety of sources, including old TV shows, awards shows, and movies. I can only imagine how many hours he put in to selecting the highlights that he showed us; they were wonderful!
John always presents a well put together course and this was no exception.
Exceptional!!!
The Fascinating Stories Behind the Most Popular Christmas Songs (Fall Term 2024)
Participant Testimonials:
LOVED this course!!! Informative, fun, great visuals!!!!
John is wonderful and we so enjoyed this class. He had so many interesting details that we never knew. We would take any class offered by John.
The entire experience was wonderful. John is a superb gatherer of fascinating information. He should receive a trillion gold stars!!
The Life and Early Films of Marlon Brando (Fall Term 2024)
Participant Testimonials:
Everyone was encouraged to speak about their feelings and impressions of the films, and Marlon Brando's life.
Fascinating Course
Excellent organization by John Peterman, never a boring moment.
A Festival of Summer Films (Summer Term 2024)
Participant Testimonials:
It was a treat to view each film, a good summer diversion.
A great idea for a summer course and well presented.
Entertaining films supplemented with lots of relevant info about each.
Ball of Fire: The Outrageous Early Films of Barbara Stanwyck, 1933-1944 (Winter Term 2024)
Participant Testimonials:
MORE THAN EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS! I learned so much about Barbara Stanwyck, her films, directors, Edith Head costume designer and MUCH MORE.
The class exceeded my expectations, was a ton of fun and a wonderful experience!As always John is very organized & knowledgeable about his subject.