Local Peaceheroes

(b.1945-d.1971)

At age 18 when Ted was called to the draft in the Vietnam War, he wrote a letter to his Draft Board: he did not mind serving his country like other young men, but that he needed to serve as a peace worker. And with that Ted, a pacifist, became a conscientious objector who served as an agricultural worker in Vietnam. He volunteered with the Vietnam Christian Service (VNCS) for two years in Di Linh (pronounced zee-ling) working with a Montagnard hill tribe. He helped them with agricultural production, drawing on experience from his family farm in Ohio.

He was killed on April 26, 1971 by North Vietnamese forces when they first attacked the volunteers’ house with rockets, and then invaded. The soldiers did not know who Studebaker was, they merely saw him as an American and therefore a threat. The lives of his wife and other volunteers were spared.

Dayton Peace Hero - 2014

Community leader John E. Moore Sr. was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 11, 1923. He and his family moved to Dayton the following year, and Dayton has been his home ever since. John attended Dayton Public Schools, and then studied business administration at the University of Dayton and the Ohio State University graduate center located in Dayton. He served in the Army Air Corps for three years and is a veteran of World War II. John worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base until his retirement in 1979. Over his 35 years as a civilian employee, he rose to the position of chief of civilian personnel.

After his retirement, John began volunteering in the community, stepping into leadership roles that promoted justice and peace. His experiences in the military and in civilian life — before the passage of Civil Rights — served as motivation.

“You…

Dayton Peace Hero – 2012 “You need to know what people did in the past.”

That’s been one of Margaret Evelyn Peters’s maxims for most, if not all, of her life.

In an interview with the Peace Museum, Margaret said that by understanding what really happened in the past, we could achieve more in the present. Specifically, knowing the accomplishments of our ancestors helps inspire our own achievements. Likewise, the possession of accurate, historical facts about people who are different from us helps us develop positive opinions about them. These conditions contribute to justice and peace.

Margaret was born March 12, 1936, in Dayton, Ohio, where she has lived her entire life. Her parents helped shape her interest in history. Her mother, Mary Margaret Smith Peters, wrote poetry and stories about her own life in Virginia. Her father, Joseph Andrew Peters, graduated at the top of West Virginia Institute’s class of…

Dayton Peace Hero – 2011

(b.1923 - d.2012)

Jeanne M. Comer, née Kuncl, was born August 1, 1923, in Omaha, Nebraska. She met Orville Comer in Collinsville, Illinois, just before World War II. They married there in 1941. After Orville returned from the war and completed his degree, they moved to Dayton, Ohio. Orville accepted a teaching position at the University of Dayton, and Jeanne eventually took a position as an executive secretary with the Northrup Corporation, where she worked for 18 years.

Jeanne became interested in Friendship Force after reading an article about the group in 1979. Friendship Force is an international organization that promotes peace through person-to-person exchange visits. Members stay in the homes of local families in countries around the world. Jeanne saw value in the “friendship goal.” She attended Friendship Force’s second annual convention in 1979, and worked to establish the Friendship Force of Dayton.

The…

Part 1: Nonviolent activist and environmentalist

For more than 30 years, Sister Dorothy helped poor Brazilian homesteaders build independent lives through sustainable farming in the Amazon rainforest.

Sister Dorothy Stang was born July 7, 1931, in Dayton, Ohio. She grew up on a farm near Dayton with nine siblings during the Great Depression. She was raised in the Catholic Church. Sister Dorothy knew she wanted to devote her life to missionary work. She applied to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. On her application she wrote, “I want to be a missionary in China.”

In 1948, Sister Dorothy joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as a candidate. Candidacy can last between 6 months and 2 years. During this time, a candidate receives education in ministry as well as areas best suited for her unique gifts or talents. These include healthcare, social services, education, and outreach to the…