August 22 , 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :
PETER,PAUL & MARY EVENING FOR PEACE TO GO FORWARD FOR SEPTEMBER 17 TH
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation announced today that it will go forward with its 24 th Annual Evening for Peace on Monday September 17 honoring folk music giants Peter, Paul & Mary.
When health concerns for Mary Travers meant that all concerts had to be cancelled for the trio in September (including the one scheduled for Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theater), it appeared the Evening for Peace, the Foundation’s biggest event of the year, would have to be cancelled, too. But despite the cancellation of concert performances, Peter Yarrow and Noel (Paul is his stage name) Stookey were committed to attending the Foundation’s event which will be held at the Victoria Hall Theatre in Santa Barbara.
“They understood the situation, and quickly offered to make special arrangements to come to Santa Barbara from the East Coast so the show could go on,” said Steven Crandell, Director of Development & Public Affairs.
The Foundation’s Distinguished Peace Leadership Award will still go to all members of the trio even though Mary will be unable to attend. “I imagine she will be foremost in the thoughts of the audience during the event. We will take a moment to send our thoughts of healing to her during the program. We also hope to get a video message from Mary to show to everyone,” said Crandell.
The theme for the event this year is: Voices for Peace. The program will focus on the trio’s courage, persistence and dedication in lending their powerful voices to the cause of peace.
“Since the trio shot to the pinnacle of popular music in the 1960s, they’ve worked with great heart and determination, showing us, though their songs and their actions, that there can be no peace without justice and no justice without peace,” said Foundation President David Krieger.
People interested in attending should contact the Foundation through its website www.wagingpeace.org , or by phone 805 9653443, to request an invitation. With only 300 seats on offer, a sellout is likely so the Foundation encourages people to get their tickets early .Ticket prices are $250 (general admission, including a catered reception with fine California wine as well as the program itself) and $200 for students (with some sponsored tickets available for students involved in peace activism.) Sponsorship options include dinner with Peter and Noel (Paul) that evening after the program ends. Please call 805 965 3443 to ask for an invitation and full detials. The trio is joining an illustrious group of peace leaders who have received the award over the last 24 years. Past honorees include: the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Walter Cronkite, Helen Caldicott and Jacques Cousteau. (see below for a complete list of honorees and more information on Peter, Paul & Mary.)
The Event—
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s
24 th Annual Evening for Peace
Voices for Peace
Honoring Peter, Paul & Mary
Monday September 17, 2007
This year the Foundation is doing something new creating an intimate evening with Peter, Paul & Mary as the centerpiece. By letting Peter and Noel (Paul) talk about the trio’s inspiring experience and by incorporating powerful archival film footage, the Foundation hopes to bring to life an era, not so unlike our own, when people were weary of war and longed for peace.
The program will include:
• A specially prepared video on the trio’s career
• Reflections from Peter Yarrow and Noel (Paul) Stookey about the part they played in working for peace, and
• A rare musical treat for Santa Barbarans a selection of songs sung by two of the most famous folk singers on the planet. By choosing to attend and/or sponsor our Evening for Peace, people can help the Foundation in its efforts to create a world free of nuclear weapons and to develop new peace leaders among our youth.
Peter, Paul & Mary – Distinguished Peace Leaders
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is delighted to present its 2007 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award to Peter Yarrow, Noel (Paul) Stookey and Mary Travers. They share the award in recognition of their contributions as singers, songwriters and activists. They have created lasting songs of conscience while lending their talents and time over more than four decades to numerous projects promoting peace and justice. We salute their commitment and their vision, their musical grace and their personal integrity.
For more than four decades, Peter, Paul & Mary have sounded the call for peace with songs as potent as they are sweet. For millions of people, the trio has been an inspiration – creating close musical harmony even as they work for greater social harmony in the world.
On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington set a benchmark as the biggest human rights demonstration ever at that time with 250,000 people. On that day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. The most popular singing group in the nation, Peter, Paul & Mary, were also there that day, singing from the same podium and inspiring the crowd. The entire day’s events were broadcast live on CBS Television. The March was not just a turning point in the civil rights movement, it was a turning point in the history of the nation.
When later that decade, a half a million people came to Washington DC to protest the Vietnam War, Peter Paul & Mary were there, too. In fact, Peter had been one of the organizers of the rally.
Over more than 40 years, at hundreds of events addressing issues from the nuclear threat to human rights, Peter Paul and Mary have always had the courage to stand up (and sing) for what they believe in.
“Ultimately we’re all responsible for putting our belief into action,” said Noel (Paul) Stookey. And the trio has done just that on stage, in their recordings and in their work for peace and justice. By combining musicality with integrity, they have created a lasting and compelling music of conscience.
Distinguished Peace Leadership Award Honorees – Peter Yarrow, Noel (Paul) Stookey and Mary Travers (2007) – Singers, songwriters, activists: for being powerful voices for peace, individually and collectively; for creating lasting songs of conscience; and for giving talents to promote social change.
Blase Bonpane (2006)– Cofounder of the Office of the Americas: for being a persistent and eloquent voice for peace and justice.
Daniel Ellsberg (2005) – Author, whistleblower: for his courageous stances against war, militarism, government secrecy and nuclear weapons.
Walter Cronkite (2004) – Journalist: for the high level of integrity he brought to broadcast journalism.
Jonathan Schell (2003) – Author, lecturer: for his clear, intelligent and tireless voice for a nuclear weaponsfree world.
His Excellency Arthur N.R. Robinson (2002) – Former President of Trinidad and Tobago: for his key role in the creation of a permanent International Criminal Court.
Dr. Robert Woetzel (2002) – Professor of International Law: for his lifelong work to establish an International Criminal Court.
Hafsat Abiola (2001) – Founder of initiative to foster Nigerian democracy: for her courage and strength in working for democracy and human rights in Africa.
Craig Kielburger (2001) – Founder of Free the Children: for his leadership in working to end child exploitation and to empower youth around the world His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan (2000) – for his tireless efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.
General George Lee Butler (1999) – Former CommanderinChief of the US Strategic Command: for his courageous and outspoken commitment to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Jody Williams (1998) – Founding Coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Nobel Peace Prize Laureat: for her leadership in achieving the 1997 international treaty banning landmines.
Lord Yehudi Menuhin (1997) Violin virtuoso and conductor: for his outspoken advocacy of human dignity.
Anne & Paul Ehrlich (1996) – Stanford University scientists: for their work on population control, resource conservation and the environmental consequences of nuclear war.
Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh (1995) – President Emeritus, Notre Dame University: for distinguished service to humanity.
Dr. Helen Caldicott (1994) – Australian pediatrician and founder of Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament: for her courageous and inspirational efforts to end the nuclear arms race.
Dr. Carl Sagan (1993) – Astronomer and Pulitzerprize winning author: for his outspoken advocacy of peace and nuclear disarmament.
Mairead Corrigan Maguire (1992) Cofounder of the Community of the Peace People in Northern Ireland, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate: for her moral leadership and steadfast commitment to social justice and nonviolence. His Holiness The XIVth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1991) – Spiritual leader of Tibet, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate: for his advocacy of universal responsibility and nonviolence.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1990) – Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate: for his leadership in the nonviolent struggle against apartheid.
Captain JacquesYves Cousteau (1989) – Explorer and environmentalist: for his advocacy of ocean life and the rights of future generations.
Right Honorable David Russell Lange ( 1988) – Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, recognized, along with the people of New Zealand, for creating and protecting New Zealand’s nuclearfree status.
R.E. “Ted” Turner (1987) Founder of Turner Broadcasting System & CNN: for innovative efforts in initiating the Goodwill Games and founding the Better World Society.
Dr. Rodrigo Carazo (1986) – Former President of Costa Rica: for his role in founding the UN University for Peace.
Rear Admiral Gene R. LaRocque (1985) Retired US Navy and founder of the Center for Defense Information: for his courage in proposing alternatives to nuclear weapons in US defense and security policies.
Clairborne Pell (1984) – Former US Senator from Rhode Island and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: for his direct dialogue with Soviet leader Andropov when communications were not otherwise open between the United States and the USSR. # # #
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation initiates and supports worldwide efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, to strengthen international law and institutions, and to inspire and empower a new generation of peace leaders. Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan international education and advocacy organization. It has consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is recognized by the UN as a Peace Messenger Organization.
For more information about the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, see www.wagingpeace.org/menu/about
For More Information please call Director of Public Affairs, Steven Crandell at 805965 3443 or email [email protected]