The DoDDS XVI

The sixteenth DoDDS reunion was held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown St. Louis July 8 – 11, 2004. This was the third reunion organized by Bill Hobbs and his committee. The over 600 attendees enjoyed the many activities
offered by the city. The committee has purchased this in memory of Walter Peik, who hosted the DoDDS X reunion in Minneapolis. Walt began this tradition of purchasing a brick in remembrance of each of the reunions.

Walter ‘Bud’ Peik was born in 1929 in Sumter Township, Minnesota, and passed away suddenly February 8, 2004, in his home in Hutchinson, Minnesota. He was a DoDDS teacher and principal in South East Asia for 30 years, 26 of them in Japan. He was a master of Ikebana, a Japanese chef, and an excellent tour guide for visiting friends.

Writing was a big part of his life. For many years he published a newsletter with his essays, poems, and jokes. Children’s literature was his major emphasis in the education field and his collection of children’s books, many of them autographed by the authors, will be donated to the Kerlan collection at the University of Minnesota library where he had served on their board of directors after he retired in 1993.