The audience was on their feet singing along with Peter and Paul during a memorable evening of inspiration and integrity, September 17 at the Victoria Hall Theatre in Santa Barbara. (See photo gallery.)

Mary Travers couldn’t attend due to her recovery from back surgery, but all three of the singer-activists were honored with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Distinguished Peace Leadership Award. They were praised for their courage and persistence in reaching millions of people with songs of conscience while lending their talents over more than four decades to numerous projects promoting peace and justice.

“They’ve worked with great heart and determination,” said David Krieger, President of the Foundation, “showing us, through their songs and their actions, that there can be no peace without justice and no justice without peace.”

The trio joins prior honorees including the Dalai Lama, Walter Cronkite, Jody Williams and Jacques Cousteau.

The mood was buoyant and positive among the audience, which included 112 students from area schools and colleges. All the students were sponsored by generous donors so they could attend the Evening for Peace for free. From the stage, Peter Yarrow and Noel (Paul) Stookey spoke about the need for personal and community-wide commitment to the cause of peace. They also inspired the audience with songs like “If I had a Hammer” and “Have You Been to Jail for Justice.”

In a video message, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the recipient of the Foundation’s 1990 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award, captured the feeling of the night – as well as the need for positive action – when he said:

“I want to pay a very warm tribute to Peter, Paul & Mary for all that they have done to make God’s world the kind of place it was created to be: a world of sharing, caring, compassion and love, where conflict and weapons are no more, and love and compassion take their place. This is the world all of us want. Let’s make it happen.”

Mary Travers responded to the honor in a statement read by Noel (Paul) Stookey:

“…I’ve been concerned with nuclear issues since the birth of my first child 48 years ago. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s efforts are such an important part of the work toward building a more peaceful world. Thank you for all you do and thank you again for honoring the three of us.”

The Foundation wishes to thank all those people and organizations who made this evening for Peace possible through their volunteer work, their gifts and their dedication to creating a world free of nuclear weapons.

See photo gallery from the
Evening for Peace