Walsh University honored former U.S. Ambassador and Alliance to End Hunger Executive Director Emeritus Tony P. Hall with the University’s prestigious Founders’ Award during the First Annual Ohio Hunger Dialogue, September 26-27.
The Founders' Award was established in 1985 and is awarded to those who have achieved national stature by illustrating in their lives the same ideals that inspired the Venerable John de La Mennais and Father Gabriel Deshayes in establishing the Brothers of Christian Instruction, Walsh’s founders. These ideals are faith in God, fidelity to the Catholic Church, active concern for Christian education, dedication to authentic social justice and courageous promotion of human welfare especially among those less fortunate and disenfranchised.
"Ambassador Hall’s career is the very embodiment of the Walsh ideal of servant leadership. He has advocated to improve human rights conditions around the world, introduced legislation to end the importation of conflict diamonds, and even spent time teaching English in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer," said Walsh President Richard Jusseaume. "His career has been diverse, encompassing so much and yet, at its core, has remained a commitment to ensuring all people, no matter their circumstances, have a quality of life that protects and honors their basic human rights."
Three times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ambassador Tony P. Hall is a leading advocate for hunger relief programs and improving human rights conditions in the world and has carried these causes close to his heart throughout his distinguished career.
Ambassador Tony P. Hall, a native of Dayton, OH, served Ohio as a representative to the U.S. Congress from Ohio’s Third District for almost 24 years. Ambassador Hall chaired the House Select Committee on Hunger and the Democratic Caucus Task Force on Hunger. He authored legislation that supported food aid, child survival, basic education, primary health care, micro-enterprise and development assistance in the world’s poorest countries. During this time he also founded the Congressional Friends of Human Rights Monitors and the Congressional Hunger Center, a non-governmental organization committed to ending hunger through training and educational programs for emerging leaders. In April 1993, he fasted for 22 days to draw attention to the needs of hungry people in the United States and around the world.
In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Hall as Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. He served in that role until his retirement in 2006 and currently serves as the Executive Director Emeritus of the Alliance to End Hunger, an organization working to end hunger at home and abroad.
Walsh welcomed approximately 100 attendees to campus for the First Annual Hunger Dialogue, September 26-27. The Symposium included a Keynote address by Ambassador Hall and presentations by The Greater Cleveland Area Food Bank, Case Western Reserve University, Xavier University, the Akron Zoo, the University of Akron, Otterbein University, Hiram College, Stark County Hunger Task Force, Kent State University, Ohio State University, Wittenberg University, Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network and the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank. Held in conjunction with the Ohio Campus Compact, attendees representing close to 15 universities across Ohio participated in the conference. The Hunger Dialogue also included a pre-conference "Farm to School" Workshop hosted by the Ohio State Extension Services on Friday, September 26. Based on the models of dialogues already held in Kansas and North Carolina, Ohio was the third state to host a state-wide meeting devoted to seeking hunger solutions.