Necrology

Peter Edward Asten '73

Nov. 22, 1950-Apr. 25, 2022

Peter Edward Asten ’73 died on April 25, 2022, in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., on Nov. 22, 1950, he grew up there and in nearby Phoenixville. That his parents were immigrants from Germany who had labored to master English encouraged Peter’s study of languages, and he ended up knowledgeable in four and majored in foreign languages at Hamilton. Basketball being one of his high school passions, he played on Hamilton’s freshman team during his first year on campus.

He interrupted his studies on the Hill in his junior year to pursue his interest in foreign languages, spending his spring semester in France under the auspices of Wells College’s Junior Year in France program. He subsequently spent another three years in Europe, principally in Germany and Switzerland, before returning to Hamilton to complete his senior year. By then, he had decided to pursue a career in business. 

Graduating with the Class of 1977, though he retained his allegiance to the Class of 1973, he moved on to what was then the American Graduate School of International Management (now the Thunderbird School of Global Management) at Arizona State University. He earned a master’s degree in international management in December 1978 and went to work in Los Angeles as a credit analyst in the commercial lending department of Crocker National Bank. 

While living in Los Angeles, Peter met Janet Janczak, or rather “re-met” her, since their first encounter happened in 1958 when they were both attending Camp Glenbrook in Marlborough, N.H., when Peter was 7. They were married in 1980 after which he adopted her three children. Subsequently, after they had adopted a fourth child, Janet gave birth to a son.

By 1985, while remaining in Los Angeles, Peter left Crocker to accept the position of assistant vice president for Privatbanken A/S, with headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. He worked as a trust officer and estate planner. 

A year later, he gave up banking for investment management, becoming first an associate and then an assistant vice president for investments at Dean Witter Reynolds. After living in Los Angeles for 11 years, he and his family moved to Rancho Mirage, Calif., in 1989, and Peter transferred his base of operations to the company’s Palm Desert office. Beginning in 1997, he worked in the Rancho Mirage office of Morgan Stanley. In 2002, he moved on to A.G. Edwards as an investment manager and financial planner until 2008 when he joined the Indian Wells, Calif., office of Wells Fargo Advisors. In 2011, he moved again, this time to the Palm Desert offices of Stifel, Nicolaus Investment Services where he served as vice president and financial advisor until he retired in 2018.

In 2001, Peter became a coach for the Special Olympics basketball team for Rancho Mirage and vicinity. His youngest son, Patrick, has Down Syndrome and played both basketball and softball, which Peter also coached, as well as golf. On the occasions that Patrick played against one or more of his father’s clients, Peter could be counted on to win at least half the time. 

For Peter, Hamilton provided some important lessons. As he noted in his 50th reunion survey: “I learned that I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was, and, in order to grow, the struggle would force me out of my comfort zone.” He served the College at different times as an officer of the Alumni Association, a class committee member, a volunteer for the 175th Anniversary Campaign, as part of the alumni recruitment team, and as a volunteer for the Career Center.

Peter E. Asten is survived by his wife, five children, and nine grandchildren.

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