The Tom Paine Winter Soldier Peace and Justice Award dinner was all we had hoped for, a moment of celebration honoring Ed Bloch, Trudy Quaif and Steve Wickham. Their exemplary and tireless work for peace and justice brought our community to its feet with respect, admiration and love. Members of VFP,BNP,GNP, SPA, PA, WAW,CP, and others, 62 in all, packed our room at Evans Public House for an evening of community and friendship. The food was excellent, the speakers were eloquent and the music provided by Steel Street Rose was excellent. Thanks everyone for coming and making this a great party and wonderful memory for all involved.
Paz,
John Amidon
The awards dinner and presentations will be held at Evan’s Public House on Route 20 (Western Avenue) immediately across from the Guilderland Center Office Complex, about a quarter of a mile past 146E. Social hour will begin at 6 PM and dinner at 7 PM. Reservations are required by October 13, 2009 and can to be made by contacting Dan Wilcox at 518-482-0262 or through our Contact Us Page. The cost is $30 per person. Please make your check out to Veterans For Peace. On the memo line please write awards dinner. Kindly mail your check to:
Dan Wilcox
280 S. Main Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
For their exemplary, nonviolent and tireless efforts on behalf of Peace our recipients this year (October 15, 2009) are Ed Block, Trudy Quaif and Steve Wickham.
About our Honorees
Ed Bloch
Memorial Day Parade
May 25, 2009
Albany, NY
"At 85 years old, Ed Bloch continues to "fight the good fight." Ed has worked tirelessly to promote peace. For his efforts in World War II, Ed received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He continues to act on behalf of workers locally. Ed is a former candiate for Congress running against then Congressman Gerald Solomon. As Director of The Interfaith Alliance, the organization demands changes in public policy based on religious understanding. Ed served in the USMC 1943- 46 as rifle platoon leader L and then K-3-7, 1st Marine Dvision on Okinawa and China. Ed Bloch is now a member of Veteran's for Peace and is coordinator fo NYS Council of Veteran's Organzations. Married to Naomi Finkelstein the couple are the parents of four children."
Trudy Quaif
Delmar Vigil, 4 Corners
September 14, 2009
Trudy Quaif has been a dedicated peace activist and member of Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace since 2001 working tirelessly to end the wars in Irag and Afghanistan and create world peace. She has also worked with Women Against War, Peace Action, the Solidarity Committee and North East Peace and Justice Action Coalition along with many other Neighbors for Peace organizations. In July, she attended the National Assembly Peace Conference in Pittsburgh.
Trudy has organized buses to Washington and NYC to protest the wars and marched many miles in the streets. She has organized many forums, discussion groups, films and speakers, in the Capital region and is often seen tabling at events or setting up the BNP store, which includes everything a peace activist could want, from bumper stickers to t-shirts and buttons. In her spare time Trudy maintains the BNP website and sends out a weekly Peace email, notifying members of coming peace and justice related events.Trudy has also vigiled for peace at the Four Corners in Delmar, just about every week for the past 6+ years. Her current favorite slogan for a peace sign: "8 Years of War. How Many More?" She will continue this work as long as she can ...or there is an end to war and injustice.
Trudy, simply put, is one of the most dedicated and tirless peace activists in our community holding both our repect and affection for her dedicated work and friendly and easy going approach to this important work.
Steve Wickham
April 21, 2008
Guilderland Neighbors For Peace
Fools For War "Counter Demonstration"
Steve Wickham has provided support to the Veterans For Peace, Chapter 10, for a variety of projects and also provides support for the VFP Chapter 10 website.
Steve started his activism in February of 2006 after learning of, and subsequently watching, the movie Loose Change while listening to the Mike Malloy Radio Show.
The emotions evoked from what he learned from that film coupled with the environmental information his younger sister had been feeding him, triggered him to go to a seminar on Global Warming at SUNY Albany. At that fateful seminar he met his 2 new adopted sisters in activism, Trudy Quaif and Wendy Dwyer.
Trudy and Wendy introduced Steve and his wife Barbara to a whole new community in the Capital District that they didn’t know existed, the Capital District Peace Community, of which the Veterans For Peace are a huge part.
Steve’s participation in the Peace Community was first noticed when he assisted in bringing the makers of the Loose Change Film to the Capital District for a standing room only screening of the film with the Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace. Coverage the event made the front page of both the Times Union and Metroland Newspapers.
Steve later assisted in helping to organize the Remembering the Fallen 4th and 5th Anniversary Events of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. The event for the 4th anniversary was the largest anti-war event in the Capital District since Viet Nam.
Steve has assisted as well in the promotion of the last 2 Kateri Peace Conferences, the organization and promotion of the 2008 Peace and Sustainability Conference, and is currently assisting in the organizing and promotion of the October 17th, 2009 Capital District March Against the Escalation and Continued Occupation of Afghanistan.
During the past year, Steve has focused efforts at bringing together members of the Peace Community with members of the local Democratic Party and vice-versa so that there are better lines of communication between the two.
Steve is currently a Board Member of the Guilderland Neighbors for Peace, Committee Person for the Guilderland Democratic Party, and sits on the Town of Guilderland Environmental Conservation Advisory Council.
Steve graduated from Sidney HS with Honors, Ithaca College with a B.S. in Chemistry Summa Cum Laude, and has Masters in Chemistry from University of California at Berkeley.
He lives in Guilderland with his wonderful wife Barbara and their peaceful 6 year old cat Oliver. Barbara and Steve own a company called Wickwood Marketing, in which Steve works full-time from home.
Steel Street Rose
Steel Street Rose is one of the newest bands to grow out of the Capital District Music scene, though various members have been part of it for decades. Lead singer Cindy Hoffman's eclectic singing style brings raw emotion and powerful feeling to songs as diverse as contemporary country hits as performed by The Dixie Chicks and Sugarland; to classic rock and roll standards by bands such as the Beatles, Byrds and CCR... ; then again bringing the poignant ballads of Melissa Etheridge, Tracy Chapman and Bonnie Raitt to a new life.
David Pallas is one of the hardest working bassists of the area, known in such bands as Acoustic Hartland, The Fearsome Critturs and Swing Shift. Guitarist Roger Allen, formerly of "Three Quarter North" and "Roger and Me" plays electric and acoustic six and twelve string guitars in many different stylings. Newest member Chris Wagner on the drum kit brings a smooth professional polish, exuberance and a rock solid backbeat to the band.
To listen to Steel Street Rose is to experience what the name exemplifies: A rivetingly vivid trip through the memories, dreams and promises that Rock, Country and the Blues brought to the music of the 70's, 80's, 90's, and now the first decade of this new millenium.