Saratoga Springs, NY - Peter Bradley Paquet passed away Monday, September 28, 2009 after a lengthy illness and a lifetime of inspiring others. Peter was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut. He graduated from the Hartford Art School, and went on to earn an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He began his teaching career at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where he solidified his belief that in order to teach young artists he had to find ways to push them beyond what they believed they could do.Peter often said of his students in Greenfield, and later at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, that half of them hated him, and half of them loved him, because he refused to allow them to only meet their own expectationshe demanded that they exceed them. It was while teaching at Skidmore that Peter began a new career, as owner of The Metro in Saratoga Springs. Initially, The Metro was a small neighborhood bar and disco, but Peter continued to expand and improve it for over fifteen years, from the early 1980s through 1995, until it was one of the largest and best known nightclubs in the region. It was a favorite venue for local and some nationally known musicians, and much loved by a large group of loyal regulars. It was not unusual for him to be approached by people when in Manhattan, and even as far away as Australia, who told him how much they loved The Metro. By 1996, Peter was able to devote himself full time to his passionmaking art. His works of art range from small wall pieces to large outdoor sculptures of stone and steel. Each piece exemplifies his unique view of life as a quest for beauty and understanding, and the ability to laugh in the face of hardship. Peter and his wife, Melissa Miller Paquet were married December 30, 1990. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children, Miranda, Bradley, and Teressa Paquet of Saratoga Springs, his parents, Basil B. and Helen P. Paquet of Miami, Florida, and his brother, Basil T. Paquet, and sister-in-law Sandra Paquet, also of Miami. Other survivors include his mother-in-law, Willie M. Miller of Saratoga Springs, a nephew, Nathan Paquet, of Boston, Massachusetts, and nieces Anna Paquet, of Miami, Florida, and Nicole Scott of Harrison, Tennessee. Burial will be Friday, October 2, 2009 at St. Peters cemetery in Peterborough, New Hampshire. A memorial service will be Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 10:00 AM at the Wilson Chapel, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY. Memorial donations may be made to Community Hospice of Saratoga, 179 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Those of us who knew Peter will remember him as a unique individual who ignored convention and followed his heart, a dreamer who made his dreams come true. Arrangements are under the direction of the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes of 628 North Broadway (584-5373). Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.