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After I earned my accounting degree and after working for a while in various business fields, I was inspired to go back to college and obtain teaching certifications (accounting, general business, and typewriting). My first teaching job was a typing class. From there it expanded into teaching classes, such as computers, computer applications, Internet research, business communication, business English, accounting, business math, and professional development. Because of the diversity of our school, I even taught several ESL classes.
Anyway, I’ve always felt at home teaching the typing classes. With all of today’s computers, imagine having to type on a manual typewriter! Focusing on the mechanics of typing, there are few people today that can match the talent of the old school typing champions. One such champion that I admire is Cortez W. Peters, Sr.Cortez W. Peters, Sr. was the world speed typing champion. Originally from Maryland, Peters lived most of his life in Washington, D.C. From an early age, Peters was known for his unusual ability to concentrate for long periods of time. It was reportedly very difficult to distract him while he was typing.
Peters won his first international typing championship in 1925 with a 141 word per minute perfect timing on a manual typewriter. His continual improvement as a typist coupled with the advent of more advanced typewriters allowed him set a typing world record of 180 words per minute, without a single mistake (an average of 15 keystrokes per second), on a manual typewriter, later on in life. He holds numerous unbroken records, including 148 words per minute, for 60 straight minutes, without a single error, without subtracting out time required to change typing paper.
He appeared on a variety of television shows, including "What's my line", various educational programs, and news programs. He even appeared on "Ripley's Believe it or Not" in the mid 1950s when he typed 100 flawless words per minute on a manual typewriter while outdoors in subfreezing temperatures while wearing fingerless mittens.Cortez Peters Sr. is often believed to the greatest speed typing champion of all time. While other speed typing champions have come close to matching his numerous world records, they have only done so on modern computer keyboards in which much higher typing speeds can be attained.
Cortez Peters Sr. opened the Cortez Peters business schools in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Chicago. The schools were the first black-owned schools in the field, and during their tenure trained approximately 45,000 students. Both Peters Sr. and Peters Jr. made careers out of teaching their craft to others. Peters, along with his son, developed special competition keyboarding methods and techniques that became the foundation of modern typing instruction worldwide.
His son, Cortez Peters, Jr. became the world champion after him. His son's records only bettered his own records due to the advent of more advanced, electric and electronic keyboards that permitted higher typing speeds. Following the schools' closure in the mid-1970s, the younger Peters began writing textbooks and became a consultant for commercial education programs. He evidently served as a school administrator.
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