Alicia J. Petersen, Ph.D., died Thursday, September 23, 2021. She was 80 years old. Before retiring, Dr. Petersen taught community development at Howard University. As a military spouse, she served as an advisor to the Navy Relief Society at Quantico Marine Base. She was also an advisor to the Marine Officers Wives Club and was actively involved in supporting military families.
On Oct. 6, 2018, Alicia J. Petersen, left, and D’Arcy Neller christened the future guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121). The ship is named for Petersen’s late husband, Frank E. Petersen Jr., the first African-American aviator and general in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Also pictured are retired Gen. Alfred Gray, left, former commandant of the Marine Corps and keynote speaker at the christening, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias, and Gen. Robert Neller, the 37th commandant of the Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of HII by Derek Fountain).
A memorial service celebrating Dr. Petersen's life was held at Foundry United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C. on Sunday, October 17, 2021. Burial took place at the Arlington National Cemetery.
Born in 1940 in Philadelphia, PA, Dr. Petersen began her public service career at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the public housing unit. During the Clinton Administration, she was appointed executive assistant to the deputy undersecretary for rural development, where she worked on housing issues in the Lower Mississippi Delta and the Colonia regions.
She served as special assistant to U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi focusing on equity in agriculture and later as executive director for the Congressional Black Caucus Institute.
