From Peter's son, Kevin Kertes:

Some of you may have known about my father in your class days but especially for those who have not: His passing, while some time ago, has left me forever with the memory of a man and a time when people carried themselves with different levels of intellectual intrigue and respect for the world and its differences. He was an unbelievable force in the world and the center of the room and conversation. For he was polylingual in seven languages & could recite history to you and paint images of a scene better than most books or movies could in seconds.

It was always delightful to be in the room with him and his friends, when I joined him as a child, as those were the times I really got to hear him speak—and, believe me, everyone listened. And in an era where money seems to be the most important thing in people's lives, he instilled in me the importance of having culture and enjoying and being open to the world, something I personally know I will never surmount to my father’s level. He was incredibly funny which too has passed to me.

He loved the classical arts and Jazz above all else. His knowledge of jazz legends, their lives, their struggles, was unbelievable. In his home, shelves upon shelves of CDs with names both known and unknown, all listened to and easily recited. It's difficult to say just how much I miss the casual conversation with him because it always spilled into something else. Admittedly, I never asked enough about my father in his middle years. He had spoken much about teens & in college & just how much he loved everyone. But afterwards I know he spent a great deal of time in his 20’s/30’s traveling Europe and Africa doing a lot of international business. It was later in his 30’s that my father moved to Russia for a short time, I believe. where he met my mother before finally coming back to the states. Nonetheless, I think no obituary is enough to speak of such a wonderful and great person. Yes, he had his flaws, as do we all, but in the end he was a loving father and a good person.