September 1934 - June 1996. 

Dr. Rolf appointed Emmett and Peter Melchior as the first teachers of her work. As Dr. Rolf requested, in the 1970s Emmett and Peter moved from California to Boulder to focus on the work that would eventually bring into being the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.

Extract from source: http://petermelchior.com 

I'm not sure how you even start to describe a man like Peter Melchior... A spirit that is truly unlike any other I have encountered during my life's journey. True I have had the merit to be surrounded by masters, including the teachers I have been blessed with throughout my spiritual path thus far but, there is still a spark of Light that my dad embodied which remains undetected in those I have come to respect and admire. It could very well be that this is simply because he is my father; however, I do believe there are many people around the world who share in this experience. Peter was truly special, to put it mildly. He was a unique loving soul who inspired all who entered his sphere of influence. He had a simple presence with a profound impact. I can recall countless instances of people who had just met him at a gas station or even the county dump ensuring me that I was very lucky to have a man like ole Pete as a father. He treated everyone with a passion that made even the simplest of folks look to him with great admiration and respect. His humble and embracing approach to life, people, and his work allowed him to connect to the very essence of your soul and bring it to the forefront.

He was born not far from where I currently live, in an area that is now a happening neighbourhood with the familiar feel of the place he ended up calling home Boulder, Colorado where artists, yogis, and hipsters flourish. I am pretty certain this was not the case when he lived in the Prospect Park / Park Slope area of Brooklyn, but the energy there is consistent with where you would imagine he might have started his life. At a young age his mother packed him and his sister up and moved them westward to California. For those who would like insight to his earlier years, I will post some Amazing Adventures of Peter on Planet Earth that he wrote around the time he was preparing for his exit from Planet Earth.

His life before Rolfing, and after a stint in the US Coast Guard, consisted of being a free spirit who wrote poetry and short stories, smoked pot, and loved music and nature and at one point he admits. I was so damned dumb in those days, that I actually thought I was living. He didn't find his true calling until he was, I believe, in his 30's when he met Ida P. Rolf who worked her magic on him after he had injured his body by joining the West of Highway One Club in an auto accident. He loved and respected her and soaked up all that she had to offer. This passion led to him becoming a teacher and eventually guru in the field and art of Structural Integration. Again there is greater insight into Peter's history that wonderfully comes to life in his Amazing Adventures article.

Just to give you some highlights, he had a short lived marriage with a woman named Dorothy that was strained by a still born birth and a child with Down's syndrome, who has since passed. He later married Marya, a union that brought to life my beautiful, intelligent sister Seanna who shares Peter's interest in changing the political system and enhancing the planet by fighting the good fight, as he would call it. He later married my mother, Susan, who brought with her my sister Forest who was the first of his children to study his life's work with him as her guide and continues to carry on the legacy with what can only be described as a natural gift and the intuitive gentle touch that is Peter's trademark. After moving to Boulder, they then had myself, my brother Theron and the youngest of the Melchiano clan Faraday. Each of us encompasses a piece of Peter that combines to reflect the spectrum of his great spirit. Faraday also studied SI from the master himself, but the aspect of Dad that I see the most is his down to Earth, consistently caring, realness in being and a fun lighthearted way of bringing humour and joy into any situation. Theron, who I can imagine is a spitting image of Peter in his younger years, and who suitably was to be named Rock-n-Roll if Dad had his way, is a talented musician with a huge sensitive heart and similar free spirit. And then there is me, Luthien, who earlier in life was the least likely to be picked out of a line-up as Peter's child but I eventually found my spiritual path, that is to some degree similar to the path he chose, which has lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation for who he was and how he shaped my life. I also shared his love of writing and of course Stephen King novels (this will come into play when I share how this project came about).

And then there is Susan, the woman behind the man. Like most great men in history who relied upon strong women, I think it is clear that Peter wouldn't have been Peter without Susan. I recall a joke that brings this to life about Bill and Hillary Clinton at a gas station where they see that the man pumping gas is Hillary's ex-boyfriend, when Bill says "Imagine if you would have married him instead of me?" to which Hillary replies "I know, the poor guy missed out, he would have been the President". My mother held things together at home and at The Rolf Institute and currently The Guild for Structural Integration. Her dedication to him, his work, and his students has been and continues to be the cornerstone of everything he accomplished during his time here on Earth. I am sure that this was not an easy task and it took a selfless strength and loving commitment that is truly beautiful. I don't believe that anyone has fully appreciated this as much as Peter did.

As this progresses and little bits of Peter begin to find their way to this site and more of his writings begin to surface on our end, this will be modified and perfected to give a clearer indication of who he was and the Light and healing he shared with the world and God willing will continue to share through his family, friends, and students.