Peter Knutson 1935-2021

Dr. Peter H. Knutson, retired Associate Professor of Accounting Emeritus at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, died at home in Edmonds from complications related to advanced prostate cancer on Saturday August 21, 2021. He was 86 years old. Peter grew up in Beloit, WI, earned his BBA and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his PhD from the University of Michigan. He married Susan Silverness on December 24, 1961 and they moved to the Philadelphia area in 1965 when Peter started his position at The Wharton School. Until his retirement in 1996, Peter taught accounting to more than 6,000 graduate and undergraduate students and hundreds of executives. He won six teaching awards, including the prestigious Anvil award, and his course "Problems in Financial Reporting," was one of the most popular elective courses ever taught in the MBA program. Besides authoring textbooks and seminal publications on accounting, Peter had a thriving consultancy during and after retirement. After retiring, he became the chair of the Financial Accounting Policy Committee of the Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR), a member of the steering committee on Earnings Per Share for the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). His professional responsibilities took him to Australia, Spain, South Africa, Geneva, Great Britain, Tokyo and Saudi Arabia. In 2005, the Drs. Knutson relocated to Edmonds, WA to be closer to family and embraced their new community through their appreciation of all that Edmonds offers, particularly the Arts. Peter made several close friends through the charm of Peter's apricot poodle, Jasper, and their philanthropy and love of the Edmonds Center for the Arts, where Peter served on the Board for a year. Peter was a Norwegian, Packers fan, intellectual, book and music lover, and master of the bad pun who will be greatly missed by family and friends. He is survived by sister Sandra, wife Susan, sons Chris and Charles, daughter Carol, and grandchildren Ben, Alex, Carly, Freja, Grace and Chad. Donations in his memory can be directed to the Edmonds Center for the Arts.