Manville J. Peterson was raised in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, and graduated from New Lisbon High School in 1919. He enrolled at Valley City State Teachers College during the summer of 1921 and received a standard degree in 1923. With correspondence work and summer sessions, he received a bachelor of arts degree in education from Valley City Normal in 1927. In 1937 he received his master's degree in school administration and history from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Peterson began his teaching and administrative career in 1919 at Svea Consolidated in North Dakota. After nearly ten years of teaching in the Barnes County area, he was named superintendent at Hannah, North Dakota, in 1931, a position he held until 1946. From 1946 to 1955, Mr. Peterson was superintendent at Cando, ND followed by similar positions in South Dakota and Minnesota. From 1969 until his retirement in 1977, Mr. Peterson served as coordinator of migrant programs for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Upon his retirement, the Department of Public Instruction honored him for his efforts in establishing an outstanding program for migrant children in North Dakota. As a coach, Mr. Peterson's record is outstanding. His teams won several county championships as well as advancing to state tournaments on several occasions. He career is admired for the high quality of dignity and professionalism he maintained over his 56 years of dedication to education.