Mr. Axel H. Peterson was born in Kewanee, Illinois to Lawrence and Emma, (Matson) Peterson on April 29, 1908. He was the oldest of three children. After high school Mr. Peterson started a pattern shop in his home, a trade he learned from his father. His business grew to become Interstate Pattern and Machine Co. where he employed up to 20 employees. Mr. Peterson belonged to the Zion Lutheran Church in Kewanee and was a member of the American Foundrymen Society - QC Chapter. He was an avid boater and was a member, director and commodore of the Lindsay Park Boat club for many years. He was instrumental in having a harbor made at Lindsay Park. He was also interested in the stock market, flying and in later years he was a computer addict, but he spent his happiest hours in his workshop. Friends and neighbors said he could fix anything and called on him often to prove it. Mr. Peterson was an inventor and had seventeen patents on various items, such as a pitcher lid for pouring syrup (1941, 1942, 1943), a honey section folder and foundation fastener, core plowing machine (1962) and side clamp for core boxes and core molding machines (1951), as well as a Vibrator Hammer which hangs on a train box car and shakes the box so that all of the cargo such as grain is removed from the car. Mary was born in Belgium. Her hometown was Ardoye, Belgium. Her father was Louis Goderis and her mother was Celina, (Uyttenhove). In 1912, when she was two her parents migrated to America while she and her sister and 2 brothers stayed with relatives. In 1920, Mary and her siblings were given passage on a ship for America. It was a difficult voyage and her sister did not make it to America. After arrival in America she and her brothers, with instructions pinned on them, were put on a train to Rock Island, IL. They were met at the Rock Island Depot by their parents and a sister they had never met. The children did not know any English so they had tutors to prepare them for their classes. Mary studied hard and passed the test for school placement in the 4th Grade which was appropriate for her age. She went to Rock Island Grade School and graduated from Rock Island High School. She had a desire to become a nurse. With a John Deere Scholarship she attended St. Francis School of Nursing in Kewanee and earned her Registered Nurse Diploma and her nursing license. After nurses training she spent two years working on private duty cases and at the Kewanee Hospital then she returned to the Quad City area and continued her nursing career. Nursing has had a great influence on Mary’s life because she can make a difference in the life of so many people that she has cared for during her nursing career. She still attends the class reunions of her nursing class in which there were 8-10 graduates. In 1934 Mary met Mr. George Herman and married him on October 25, 1935. He worked at Farmall and then worked at Interstate Pattern and Machine Co. for Mr. Axel Peterson. They were married for fifty years until George passed away. After her first husband passed away Mary married Mr. Axel Petersen. Axel was a bachelor until he married Mary. They were married for 10 years and lived in Riverdale, Iowa on property that had previously been the location of the French Mansion. Axel died in 1997 from a heart disease. Since Axel’s death Mary keep busy with projects around the house.