1960 – 1969

Pete is born in September 1961. His childhood is happy and very eventful. The Padilla family surely offers many adventures and stimulation. When Pete reaches the age where he begins attending preschool, he attends Perry elementary school for kindergarten (located on 1st Avenue and Perry Street in Denver). After that he is enrolled at Presentation of Our Lady Catholic school.

1970 – 1979

At the dawn of the 1970s, Pete continues at Presentation of Our Lady Catholic school. From there, he attends Lake JHS in 1975. In 1976, Pete attends Denver West High School and graduates in 1979. During the fall of 1979, he enrolls at Colorado State University. However, Pete isn’t prepared for university study and he quickly ends up on academic probation. He is required to take a year off from CSU. Because of his academic probationary status, Pete moves back to Denver.

1980 – 1989

Pete returns to Denver to attend Metro State College of Denver. After struggling again with college, in 1981 he flunks out of “Metro” and pursues his desire to enlist in the US Army. After scoring a 127 on the ASVAB, the Army offers him any job specialty (MOS) he wants (military occupational specialty=MOS) . But Pete has his heart set on serving in the Airborne infantry like many of his relatives. The Army recruiters tell him that the infantry is closed. They twist his arm to enlist as a computer specialist, but Pete has different plans. Because he believes their lie that the infantry is no longer a viable option, Pete enlists in the military as a Special Forces engineer. After sustaining a spinal cord injury in a parachuting accident, he is honorably-discharged from the military in 1984. Soon after leaving active duty, Pete meets Denise Roman. She convinces him to go to college with her, and in the Fall of 1984, they both enroll at the University of Northern Colorado. Pete eventually graduates from UNC with a B.A. in 1987 and an MA from UNC in 1989. That Fall, Pete begins teaching at Metro State College.

1990 – 1999

The new decade finds Pete still teaching at Metro State College while also working odd jobs. As a sociologist, he continues to learn about people by further observing them as he acts as a participant observer in a variety of different jobs. In 1991, Pete leaves Denver to attend Arizona State University to pursue a PhD in social psychology. He becomes “Dr. Pete” in 1997. Pete begins teaching at Arizona State as an assistant professor.

2000 – 2009

Pete continues teaching at ASU. Half way trough the decade, ASU’s Sociology Department is disbanded and in 2006, Dr Pete begins teaching at Mesa Community College (and a few classes at Northern Arizona University). In 2008, Pete moves back to Colorado and begins teaching at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD).

2010 – 2020,

In 2011, Pete moves to Arvada, a suburb of Denver. That year, McGraw-Hill publishes Pete’s book Why We Like Each Other: Understanding Attraction, Love, and Relationships. Amidst the turmoil of yet another dysfunctional sociology department, Pete leaves UCD in 2014 and soon thereafter he starts a small business he names Padilla Enterprises LLC. Pete becomes caretaker for his mom full-time in 2015. That year he continues to run his small business. In 2017, his sister Lisa suffers a devastating stroke. She moves to Denver and Pete cares for her and his mom Elsie. Meanwhile Pete continues to pursue his business goals through Padilla Enterprises LLC.

2021-present

In 2021, Pete’s mom’s health takes a turn for the worst and she is entered into home hospice at his residence. She passes away in March. Pete continues taking care of his sister Lisa and begins to work on the 3rd Edition of his book. Today Dr Pete’s forthcoming book is picked up by Atmosphere Press. It will soon be an eBook and available on Amazon.com. Click here to read a sample of his forthcoming book Why We Fall in and Out of Love.

Best Friends