Remembering Father Valentine Peter

​​​​​It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Boys Town's Fourth National ​Executive Director, Father Valentine Peter, passed away on June 30, 2020. 

Father Peter served as National Executive Director of Boys Town from 1985 – 2005. Throughout Peter's 20 years of service, Boys Town became an award-winning organization that underwent many renovations and new construction. By his retirement in 2005, Boys Town was recognized as one of the most successful childcare organizations in the United States, in part to Father Peter's never-ending drive and vision for the future.

Father Peter played an integral role in shaping the future of this great organization and he will be dearly missed by those youth and employees who knew him well. 

Father Valentine J. Peter - Biography

Valentine Peter was no stranger to the Omaha community or the troubles it faced. As an Omaha native born in 1934, he attended Holy Cross Grade School and Creighton Preparatory High School before discovering his calling to the priesthood in his teenage years. After graduating from high school, Peter attended Immaculate Conception Seminary in Conception, Missouri and Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. In 1966, the young priest returned to Nebraska with two doctoral degrees in Theology and Canon Law.

His life's next calling was to teach. At St. John Seminary in Elkhorn, College of Saint Mary in Omaha, and finally, Creighton University, Peter was able to spread his love of the faith to the Omaha community. In 1985, he received a new calling that he never imagined—To serve as the fourth Executive Director of Boys Town®. Building on the foundation of his predecessors, Peter knew the new direction of the organization was to move toward exciting changes and great expansion.

With the new residential programs in place, Peter looked toward the care of children in the future. This led to the creation of the Boys Town Continuum of Care; therefore, as new child care technologies were developed, updated programs would be implemented to care for each child's unique situation. At the core of this new continuum of care would be four new Family-Based Programs, which were developed in 1988. Throughout the 1990's, the youth care model was set to be duplicated in 17 new locations in metropolitan areas all across the United States.

Another vision of Father Peter was to bring more balance to the Boys Town population. Although it was understood that girls in the community were facing similar problems as boys, until 1985, only 26 girls resided at Boys Town. This number grew to 210 girls by 1990, which meant remodeling four dormitories and adding ten new Family-Homes to accommodate the growing number.

Throughout Peter's twenty years of service, Boys Town became an award-winning organization that underwent many renovations and new construction. Some of these exciting changes included:

• The former grade school Dining Hall was turned into the Hall of History to showcase the obstacles the organization faced and overcame since its development.
• The Herbert B. Chambers Jr. Protestant Chapel was completed.
• The Vocational Career Center was renovated to accommodate the changing trades and skills.
• In 1986, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated Boys Town as a National Historic Landmark.
• In 1989, President George H. Bush named Boys Town High School one of “America's Best", an honor received by only 218 schools in the nation.
• In 1986, Boys Town was designated a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation for its work in planting thousands of trees across campus and for the completion of the Garden of the Bible.
• In 1989, the Boys Town National Research Institute SM gained a reputation for being a national leader in research and treatment for children with communication disorders.
• In 1989, the National Group Home Program was expanded and renamed the Boys Town National Training Center. Through the Center, Boys Town technology could be spread to educators and child care providers all over the world.
• To expand the reach of Boys Town beyond its campus locations, the Boys Town National Hotline® was created to connect professional counselors to those requiring immediate assistance.

In taking over as Executive Director, Father Peter made it his mission to develop “child and family care for the 21st century". With the physical updates to the Home Campus, expansion to new sites all over the U.S., advancements in research and child care technologies, and development in new and effective programs, Father Peter was successful in his mission. By his retirement in 2005, Boys Town was recognized as one of the most successful child care organizations in the United States, in part to Father Peter's never-ending drive and vision for the future.

Quotes from Father Val Peter

 “I'm a passionate person and I think these kids need someone who is a passionate advocate for them and their potential." 
- Father Val Peter.

“I want to be someone who cares for children, who loves them, who will be their advocate. Somebody who will stand strong on dark days. When they're troubled, they can say, 'I can go to him and something good can happen.'" 
- Father Val Peter.

“When I took this job, I made a promise to God, the Archbishop, priests of the Archdiocese, and to the world that I will not abandon these kids. Many of them have been unloved, unwanted, abandoned and forgotten. And even after my retirement, I will be on the job for them 24/7 for as long as I am able."
- Father Val Peter.​

Books by Father Val Peter