Charles Edward “Ted” Peck, a retired head of Ryland Homes, recalled for his support of the Columbia Festival of the Arts and numerous educational and medical philanthropies, died of pneumonia Monday at his Easton home. He was 91.

“He was a towering figure in Columbia,” said Padraic “Pat” Kennedy, former Columbia Association president. “Not only in the business community, but also in our nonprofits. He was really the founder of the Columbia Festival of the Arts.”

Born in Newark, N.J., he was the son of Hubert Raymond “Dutch” Peck, an Armstrong flooring executive, and Helen White. Raised in Lancaster, Pa., he was a 1943 graduate of Phillips Academy.

His studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were interrupted by his military service. He became an Army Air Forces navigator during World War II.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1949 and was president of the Phi Delta Gamma fraternity.

Shortly after his graduation from Penn, he married classmate Delphine “Dee” Murphy. They had met in a literature class.

Mr. Peck joined Owens Corning Fiberglass and worked at its Toledo, Ohio, headquarters. In 1966, he was named a vice president and rose to be group vice president, board member and executive vice president.

According to a family biography, Mr. Peck served on the Harvard Graduate School of Design Board of Visitors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board, MIT-Harvard Joint Center for Urban Studies Visiting Committee and was chair of the Visiting Committee of the National Bureau of Standards.

In 1977, Mr. Peck, who was then residing in Ohio, joined the board of the Ryland Group, headquartered in Columbia. Jim Ryan, who led the company, asked Mr. Peck to run it as its chief executive officer several years later.

According to an article in The Baltimore Sun, Mr. Peck studied the proposal for three months, then accepted Mr. Ryan's offer.

The article described Mr. Peck as having “an old-school, gentlemanly air.”

Mr. Kennedy, the president of the Columbia Association for nearly 27 years, recalled that in 1987, Mr. Peck got Ryland to underwrite the “Hail, Columbia” concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion, an event that celebrated the community's 20th anniversary.

“He was a true hero in Columbia's history,” said Mr. Kennedy. “He went on to found our arts festival and, as a board member in those years, he had the festival bring in Alvin Ailey, Itzhak Perlman, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, James Galway and many others.

“He was, first of all, a lovely man,” recalled Mr. Kennedy. “He was a very good businessman and was an excellent questioner. He had probing questions, and he really listened to your answers. He made Ryland, next to the Rouse Company, the most important civic-minded business in Columbia. It was true for many years that Ryland built more homes in Columbia than any other builder.”

Mr. Peck headed Ryland until 1990, when he retired.

“Mr. Peck is retiring, leaving as triumphantly as any CEO,” said a Baltimore Sun article. “Ryland's sales have more than quintupled during his tenure to $1.4 billion. Ryland's net worth has grown at an annual rate of 21.8 percent.”

The Sun article said Mr. Peck and his wife established a trust fund to provide annual income to the Columbia Foundation.

“The way you make money is by doing the work better than other people,” Mr. Peck told The Sun. “An important part of that is fitting into your community. Making contributions to the community will help you do your work better.”

The Sun noted that Mr. Peck worked closely with the Columbia Association and Columbia Foundation, and took an active role in the Columbia Festival of the Arts, the National Family Resiliency Center, Howard County Community College and Howard County General Hospital.

Mr. Peck became a University of Maryland benefactor and volunteer. He was chair of the Chancellor's Advisory Committee, University Maryland Systems, 1988-1999; chair of the University Maryland Foundation's Board of Directors; and in 2001 joined the Board of Visitors of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

In 1995, he was awarded an honorary doctor of philosophy in public service degree from the University of Maryland University College.

“Ted was an inspiration because of his generosity of spirit and his desire to make the world a better place,” said William “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor emeritus of the University System of Maryland and former College Park president. “As a major corporate leader, he was humble. He was incredibly supportive of the university. He was an environmentalist and a champion of conservation. Personally, I have wonderful memories of the counsel and advice he gave me.”

Mr. Peck also joined the Psychiatry Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and helped establish the affiliated Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association.

After his retirement, Mr. Peck moved to St. Michaels and resided in a home on Solitude and Edge creeks. He was a descendant of Eastern Shore settlers in Dorchester County and helped form the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Conference. He was also a member of the Wye Fellows Aspen Institute.

A memorial service is planned for Jan. 16 at the Third Haven Meeting in Easton. No time has been set.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years; a son, Charles E. Peck Jr. of Parkville; three daughters, Margaret Peck Iovino of Easton, Katherine Peck Koustmer of Cincinnati, and Perry Anne Peck Flanagan of Loudon, Tenn.; a sister, Joan Peck Arnold, of South Berwick, Maine; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

jacques.kelly@baltsun.com