Tribute to Ace

Awe & Amazement: A Tribute to Peter Angeloff

As news spread of the passing of our beloved physics teacher Peter “Ace“ Angeloff multiple generations of students, friends, and family came together to share stories and honor his memory. We miss you, Ace.

STACI RICHARD

Peter, in the mountains, but also in the classroom and every day at Laguna reminded us not to forget to be guided and pleasantly surprised by the Awe and Amazement all around us—in nature, in astronomy, in modern physics, in ideas, on night hikes.

This might have come in quiet conversation or in his unmistakable giant Ace personality, bellowing our last name or nickname across campus.

To my rational, intellectual, Harley riding, nature loving, whole heart caring, blue steak eating, coke drinking, Grateful Dead/opera listening (depending on the day), bolo tie wearing, friend—our self-proclaimed Senior Master—I hope John Muir won’t mind my taking creative liberties…Thank you for what you’ve instilled in each of us—a life full of Awe and Amazement. The mountains are calling and I know we must let must go…All is well. Be at peace. Goodbye my dear friend. We love you.

Even though he kicked me off his golf team freshman year, he became my ‘lunch confidant’ and favorite teacher who also somehow let me be his TA just because he surprisingly enjoyed my company.

I loved the mundane ways we’d spend time together like helping him set up his new AirPods or trying different flavors of eclairs every week.

These lunches and random deep talks with Ace made me realize there was much more than that blatantly tough and sarcastic persona.

Ace was a genuinely kindhearted, thoughtful, hilarious and intellectual person who led an incredible life with so many stories to share.

I’m so grateful to have known him and our friendship meant a lot to me. Rest in peace, Ace.

NIC RICHMOND ‘21

Every class with Ace was interesting. One of my favorite physics demos he did involved shooting a blowgun into a cart to demonstrate conservation of momentum. He said the blowgun was also used to shoot spiders off the ceiling.

GEORGE NICKS ‘22

I will never meet another Ace Angeloff. While we will always remember the stories and Ace-isms, the part of him that sticks with me the most is his love for teaching and his love for his students.

MEGHAN ROARTY

An impassioned, witty, soulful, night-walking, refreshingly genuine, and compassionate friend…Ace pulled you into the present moment with every conversation. He loved living. He loved connecting. He had that knowing smile, and he knew a lot, that continues to evoke a smile in me every time I think of it. I can still hear Ace’s voice on campus and I hope I always will.