At the Pacem in Terris Annual Dinner on Thursday, October 22, in the Community Hall of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE, three Peacemaker Among Us Awards were given.  Judy Butler, outgoing Chair of the Pacem in Terris Board presented two Peacemakers Among Us Awards to Peggy Smith and John Flynn.  John Flynn was unable to attend because of a performance in Chicago, so his award was accepted for him by his good friend and Pacem in Terris Board member, Kevin O’Connell.  Sally Milbury-Steen presented a posthumous Peacemaker Among Us Award to Rev. Clifford A. Armour, Jr., which was accepted on behalf of his widow Jeanette Armour by Molly Dee Rounsley, a close family friend.

 

 

Peggy Smith is worthy of this honor because of her lifelong commitment to peacemaking and to making the world better, wherever she is and through whatever she does.  This dedication began when she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia from 1965 -67, training teachers through a pilot educational television program which was very innovative at that time.  From 1970 – 1975 she worked as a member of the Peace Corps Staff , serving for two years in Washington, DC before becoming the Training Director for in-country training in Nepal for three years.   In Nepal she not only trained the in-coming Peace Corps Volunteers, but also served on many committees, visited orphanages, and offered counseling services.  She also adopted her daughter Poonam, from the orphanage in Kathmandu when she was only four months old.  

 

After Peggy left the Peace Corps, she never stopped being an agent of social change and a global citizen.  Whether she was working in corporate settings, in educational ones, or in her own consulting agency, Smith and Associates, she continued to teach and foster the communication skills and openness necessary for cross-cultural and interpersonal understanding and acceptance.  She has played an important role in the “Just Faith” program at Resurrection Parish and put its teachings into practice through outreach to the poor, disabled, and unemployed.  Most recently she has worked hard in the Save Darfur campaign.  Because working for peace and justice has been such a consistent and fundamental part of her life and faith, Peggy Smith is truly a Peacemaker Among Us.

 

 

John Flynn deserves this honor because of his dedication to peace and social justice through his song writing, musical performances (on stage and at vigils), volunteer work, and his family life.  During the early part of his songwriting career, much of his music focused on seeing the world through the eyes of his children.  In more recent years, his songs have helped audiences honor previously unsung people: a woman who struggled to save her neighborhood from drugs, young people who went to Iraq and returned in coffins, and the Iraqi civilians who have been killed in the war.  He has performed in and helped organize concerts against the death penalty that have brought Sister Helen Prejean to Delaware. This past summer he gave a benefit concert in Wilmington for the Eric Hall Foundation and gave Mrs. Hall the opportunity to tell the public about her son and his fatal struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

 

John arranges his concert tours in a way that allows him to facilitate a discussion group called New Beginnings at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington every Wednesday morning.  Through these discussions, he helps the inmates build the skills they will need to stay out of jail upon their release.  He also volunteers his time, talent, and treasure to Camp Dreamcatcher  --  a camp in Oxford, PA that serves the needs of children who are HIV positive.  He is a true troubadour of peace, justice, love, family, and faith.  He uses the poetry of his lyrics to awaken and inspire us in ways that reacquaint us with our better selves.  John Flynn is truly a Peacemaker Among Us.

 

 

Cliff Armour is most deserving of this honor, for when he died far too young on May 12, the world lost a brave peacemaker and Pacem in Terris lost a faithful servant.  During his ten years on the Pacem in Terris Board from 1987 – 1997, he was Chair of the Board from 1991 – 1997, and ever thereafter kept close ties with us, even after his retirement as Senior Pastor at Newark United Methodist Church and his subsequent move to North Carolina.  He did a great deal to help guide and sustain Pacem during his time on the Board and offered wise counsel and encouragement to the Executive Director during the early years of her tenure.  He was also involved with our Ulster Project Delaware, hosting a Northern Irish leader for two years and building a relationship between UPD and Newark United Methodist Church which not only served as our Host Protestant Church in 1994 & 1995, but also post-Cliff in 2002 & 2003 and in 2007 & 2008.  No task was too small or too great for him – and one year he and his wife Jeanette even cooked South African food and personally catered our Annual Dinner.  He had the heart of a saint and a caring sense of process that always pulled us through the tough times. 

 

As his obituary beautifully said, “Cliff was a person of faith who believed in a God of openness and abundant love.  He recognized all God’s children as people of value who should be loved by all, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or economic status.  He was actively involved in seeking world peace through listening, learning and understanding, so that his grandson, Ryan, and all children could live in a world where they feel safe and loved.”   Rev. Clifford A. Armour, Jr. was truly a Peacemaker Among Us.

 

Pacem in Terris extends its best wishes to each of these special people who have labored so long to break the cycle of violence and to make the world a better place.  Although none of them has ever sought the spotlight, because they have been too busy and dedicated to have any time for that, it gives us great pleasure to accord them the present and posthumous recognition and honor that they so richly deserve.  Congratulations!!