Obituary of Peter John Golas

Peter John Golas, 82 of Denver, Colorado, passed away peacefully on December 21^st in La Jolla, California, his beloved winter retreat, with his wife of 52 years Jutta, by his side.

He is also survived by his sister, Carol (Sister Suzanne) Golas, his children Philip and Katherine (Maynard) and his three grandchildren Mackenzie, Nicholas and Julia.

Born in 1937, he attended Fordham University, received his master’s degree at Stanford University and his PhD from Harvard University. Peter had a long and distinguished career as a professor and scholar of Chinese History, teaching for 35 years at the University of Denver and authoring numerous books and articles on topics related to the history of mining technology in China.

Ever the champion of education, he had recently established the Peter J. and Jutta S. Golas Endowed Scholarship Fund designed to provide need-based support for first generation college undergraduates majoring in History. He was an avid cyclist who took bike trips around the world, a lover of opera and classical music, a passionate pianist who started taking lessons at age 50 and an enthusiastic chess player, a past time that he loved sharing with his grandson. A memorial service will be planned later this Spring in Denver, Colorado.