Lynda Peterson was a Cobb County chemistry teacher with impressive credentials:• Fifteen years as a chemist in labs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and South Fulton Hospital.• A bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics, a master's in science education and International Baccalaureate certification in chemistry.• Winner in 1992 of the Presidential Award as Georgia Teacher of the Year.Beyond these achievements, she also brought energy and enthusiasm to her classrooms and labs at Osborne and Campbell high schools.Tony Arasi of Marietta, former principal at Osborne High, said Peterson had an excellent rapport with her students. "Lynda didn't have to scare them into learning. She motivated them," he said."Lynda was a dynamic, engaging teacher who was committed to excellence," said Terry Davis of Atlanta, a biology teacher formerly at Campbell.Lynda Hollums Peterson, 70, died Tuesday at Tranquility Hospice in Austell after a 17-year struggle with cancer.Read the news obituary.