President and Cofounder
JOURNEY OF HOPE...
from violence to healing™

Journey Participant:

Pilgrimage March, The TASK March and the Journeys in Indiana, Georgia, California, Virginia, Missouri, Texas, Philippines, Europe and the Christmas March to the Vatican in 1998

Founding board member of MVFR (1990 - 98)

Board Member of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP)

Advisory Board: Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CUADP)

Advisory Board: Lamp of Hope Project

"The answer is love and compassion for all of humanity. The answer is to love those who hate you, to love those who persecute you, and to love those who do all manner of evil against you. I am a Christian, and Jesus said, ‘Whosoever has no sin, cast the first stone.’ Under that criteria, none of us can cast the stone of death."

BILL PELKE
Anchorage, AK

PROFILE:

Bill Pelke's 78 - year - old grandmother Ruth, taught Bible lessons to neighborhood children in Gary, Indiana. One day, May 14th, 1985, four ninth grade girls from the local high school come to her door asking about the lessons, and she invited them into her home. As she turned to get information for them, one grabbed a vase and hit her over the head. Another pulled a knife out of her purse and began to stab her. Ruth was stabbed a total of 33 times. While one of the girls held the knife inside her, the others ransacked her house. They ended up with $10.00 and her ten-year-old car.

A year later, one of the girls, Paula Cooper, was sentenced to death for the crime. She had been 15 when the murder occurred, and at 16 became the youngest female on death row in America. Originally supportive of Paula's death sentence, Bill eventually forgave Paula, began corresponding and visiting with her, and worked to overturn her sentence. She is now serving 60 years in prison. Bill recently retired after over 30 years of service with Bethlehem Steel and plans to devote his retirement to abolishing the death penalty. He recently purchased a tour bus to travel across the country and spread the message of forgiveness and hope.

Reprinted with permission from Not In Our Name: Murder Victims Families Speak Out Against the Death Penalty, a publication of Murder Victims Families For Reconciliation, Barbara Hood & Rachel King, Editors; MVFR

Moving Toward Abolition: The Witness -- By Marianne Arbogast

The Leaven of Forgiveness: Sojourners -- By Mary Sue Penn

The Freedom of Forgiveness: Associated Press -- By David Briggs

Forgiveness:  Parade Magazine -- By David Wallenchinski

Family Members of Murder Victims Reflect on Execution:  ABC News -- by Buck Wolf

Stories of Violence and Responses To It: Bishop Brunett

Speaker Emphasizes Forgiveness:  The Digital Collegian -- By C. J. Engle

How I Came to Forgive the Unforgivable:  US Catholic magazine --  By Robert McClory

Justifiable Homicide?

Abolition Movin'

25th Anniversary Conference: National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty October 18-21, 2001

Tucker Execution Draws a Crowd

Forgiving the Dead Man Walking  By Debbie White

Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation  Twenty-Five years of MVFR  -- A Brief History

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