Peter Accardi, who served as editor-in-chief of the Northeastern News in 1967-’68, began his journalism career on co-op at the Boston Globe in April 1965, “and never left,” he says. Eventually, he was hired by the sports department and became the slot man/head of the copy desk. Peter transferred to the Living/Arts copy desk, which he headed for 12 years. “I filled in as an assistant Living/Arts editor for a year and helmed the short-lived Music and Movie sections for a couple of years, as well as handling radio-TV coverage,” he says.
His last job was in in the Globe’s editorial pages section, first as letters editor and then as assistant to the op-ed editor. Peter also edited editorials. He accepted a buyout offer in 2006.
For five years, Peter wrote an astrology column “Dr. Destiny,” for Bay Windows, the region’s gay weekly, where he answered readers’ questions about love, romance and other relationship issues. Peter recalls that, “It was an astrological Ann Landers-type read spiced with humor.” In addition, he has written periodically for Boston Spirit, a bi-monthly magazine for New England’s gay community.
“I wasn’t ‘out’ when I edited the News, except to a few people. Since then, I have been active in gay politics and worked as a volunteer for the AIDS Action Committee, editing two newsletters — ‘Update’ and ‘The 1000 Team Monthly.’”
Now retired, he divides his time between Boston and Fort Lauderdale, where he edited and put together a brochure for the World AIDS Museum in that Florida city.
Peter says, “I’m content these days to follow politics and culture, hang out with my friends Kristen Kingsbury Henshaw, the ‘All Hail’ columnist for the News when I was editor, and Ed Siegel, who edited the BU News during my tenure. I enjoy my cat Oscar Wilde Kitty, theater, concerts, opera and Boston’s sports teams. It’s a good life.”
Peter Accardi graduated from Northeastern University in 1969 with a degree in Liberal Arts