About the Fund
Dr. Peck, a graduate of Twin Lakes High School, was a scholar with an abiding interest in foreign languages and culture. He traveled throughout Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and South America doing research and studying languages and cultures. He was proficient in eight languages besides his native English, and was a professor of Romance Languages at U.C.L.A. Stephen’s hunger for teaching and learning guided his service in many areas, before he passed away from a brain tumor. His mother, Dr. Dorothy Adams Peck established this scholarship to assist graduates who are interested in pursuing a degree in French or Spanish.
“Stephen Peck was one of those rare human beings whose extraordinary desire for the pursuit of knowledge was tempered by his warm sense of humanity. As a scholar, Stephen was fascinated by languages. As a human being, he was fascinated by the people who spoke them; especially the people of Brazil and West Africa. His talent for language was remarkable: besides his native English, Stephen learned Portuguese, Spanish, French, Bambara and the Kriol of Guine-Bissau. His research interest led him away from home to Brazil, to France, and to Africa. In all of these, he left a stream of friends who will always remember him as the warm, brave, and excellent human being that he was.”
A. CARLOS QUICOLI
Chair, Romance Linguistics and Literature Program
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
University of California Los Angeles
