I was born and raised Quaker in the Philadelphia area. My adult life has been an attempt to help people find meaning in their lives and not based on capitalist money grabbing. All my life I have been involved in construction projects, as a builder and later became a building designer. I was very moved by my experience volunteering in work camps in Mexico in 1941. It was my first real experience outside the Quaker cosmos and it changed my whole perspective on life.

I see every human being as a child of god, and therefore my sister or brother. Trying to help other people see this has been very challenging, we are constantly immersed in a self-serving culture. In my life I’ve tried to be involved in learning and community. It has been my intention to create a community where people see each person as a child of god and is supportive of each person’s quest for self-realization.

I am forever grateful to AFSC for providing me with this opportunity. There is nothing so expanding than to get outside one’s culture, to see how people relate to each other. I felt challenged to help create communities, loving respect for each person is fundamental to that cause. It isn’t some kind of goal you can reach and then relax. I’m 93 years old and I try never to be indifferent to the changes I would like to see in human behavior. AFSC played a very important role in helping me and others experience that fundamental shift away from narrow selfish goals, and towards building respect for all people of the world.