By MARTIN SUGARMAN Special to the Palisadian-Post Stephen Corbit Peters, who embraced life with all his heart, died on January 20, four days short of his 59th birthday. The graphic artist was a lifelong resident of Pacific Palisades and a member of the famous Class of ’65 at Palisades High School. “Stephen’s greatest gift to his close friends and everyone else was his honesty and integrity,” said Denny Aaberg. “What mattered most to him were his friends. He enjoyed his friends and took a deep interest in their well-being.” A resident of Santa Monica Canyon, Stephen loved every inch of the Canyon and savored all the colorful characters who passed through there during his lifetime, and decades earlier. He was the type of man who enjoyed talking about life and culture over a cup of coffee in the late afternoon. If asked to describe Stephen’s character in one word, many of his friends would say: equilibrium. He was rarely dismissive or judgmental about people; he possessed an open mind and accepted human imperfections. “His dry, witty sense of humor made us smile and laugh and brought joy to our lives,” said Denita del Signore Jordan. One of Stephen’s closest friends, Tony Miller, said “Losing him, I have lost half of my heart.” As an arch individualist, Stephen didn’t need an audience to validate himself or his work as an accomplished artist. In the late 1960s, he designed what has become the gold standard of surfboard logos: the original Natural Progression logo for the surf shop in Santa Monica Canyon. The logo appeared on thousands of T-shirts and sweatshirts and is known throughout the surfing world. Stephen loved jazz and blues, and was by nature a lover of knowledge, addicted to reading interesting books. Once an outstanding youth baseball pitcher at the Palisades Recreation Center, he loved surfing, and his inimitable surfing style reflected his character: steady, understated and smooth. He is survived by his mother Virginia and his father Kenneth, a former principal of Beverly Hills High. A private memorial service will be held.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
