National leader for murder victim families who oppose the death penalty to speak at SMWC
Posted on: 03/23
On Tuesday, March 24, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) will welcome Bill Pelke, an Indiana native who is president and cofounder of the Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing, a non-profit organization that is led by murder victim family members who oppose the death penalty. Pelke will speak in the Conference Room of O’Shaughnessy Dining Hall from 12:05 p.m. to 12:55 p.m.
Pelke recently authored a book entitled “Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing,” which details the May 14, 1985, murder of his grandmother Ruth Pelke, a Bible teacher, by four teenage girls. Paula Cooper, who was deemed to be the ringleader, was sentenced to die in the electric chair by the state of Indiana. She was fifteen-years-old at the time of the murder.
Pelke originally supported the sentence of death for Cooper, but went through a spiritual transformation in 1986 after praying for love and compassion for Paula Cooper and her family. He became involved in an international crusade on Paula's behalf, and in 1989, after more than 2 million people from Italy signed petitions and Pope John Paul II’s request for mercy, Paula was taken off of death row and her sentence commuted to sixty years.
Pelke, who is a retired steelworker, has dedicated his life to working for abolition of the death penalty. He shares his story of forgiveness and healing, and how he came to realize that he did not need to see someone else die in order to heal from his grandmother’s death. He also helps organize Journey tours nationally and abroad.
He has traveled to over forty states and ten countries with the Journey of Hope and has told his story over 5000 times. He is the president and cofounder of Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing, chairman of the board of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, a founding board member of Murder Victims Families for Human Rights, an incorporator of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation, and vice president of Alaskans Against the Death Penalty. He also serves on advisory boards for Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the Lamp of Hope Project.
Belke’s presentation, which is being sponsored by the SMWC Peace & Justice Committee, is free and open to the public. Lunch is available for purchase in O’Shaughnessy, and brown bag lunches are also welcome. For more information, contact Paul Salstrom, Ph.D., at psalstrom@smwc.edu or 812-535-5254.
