Peter / Sarah

Karl B. Bostic (Associate Director of The Family Line) and Peter, 1975.

Sarah’s 1975 review of The Family Line.

Peter in Br'er Cotton.

Papa Pete with newborn grandson, Jordan Peter Jones.

Sarah as a clearly worldly sophomore.

Sarah cutting the cake with Len.

In 1975, Crimson reporter Sarah Crichton gave a critical review to a play written by classmate Peter Lawson Jones. Nearly fifty years later, Peter gets his revenge—and see who’s laughing now.

Lawyer, politician, playwright, actor, teacher, philanthropist, Peter Lawson Jones has worn many hats in what he calls a “ridiculously blessed life.” And he continues to find new hats to put on as a poster child for second, third and even fourth acts in one’s life. “Don’t tell me I’m retired!” he admonishes his children.

Peter chalks up the contours of his personal narrative to serendipity and a willingness to take chances, from how he first got involved in theater at Harvard to law school and beyond.  After 25 years in Ohio politics, when he found his devotion to public service dimming, he returned to acting at the age of 55 and found work, including the 2022 Tom Hanks film A Man Called Otto. And he saw his play, the one Sarah reviewed, staged recently to an enthusiastic reception. And he’s writing a new one.

The son of a Tuskegee airman who played in the Negro Baseball League, Peter considers his father and mother as lifelong heroes and the inspiration for his own eventful career path. “Don’t ever give up on your passions,” he says.

In this delightful, laughter-infused episode of PasstheMic75, Peter and former nemesis Sarah Crichton come full circle, finding much to celebrate and enjoy.