Head of First Earth Day to Keynote at Pilgrim Place Event 

Denis Hayes, coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970, named by TIME Magazine in 1999 as “Hero of the Planet,” and a pioneer in sustainable development in the Pacific Northwest, will be the keynote speaker at Pilgrim Place at a banquet honoring the recipients of the Second Annual Napier Awards for Creative Leadership. 

The event will take place on Friday, February 10, 2012 at Abernethy Hall at Pilgrim Place in Claremont.

Two students from the Claremont Colleges will be selected among ten nominees for the 2012 Napier Award for Creative Leadership, each receiving a $10,000 gift.  The recipients will be announced at the banquet.

             

The Napier Awards were named for Davie and Joy Napier, long-time residents of Pilgrim Place.  Davie was president of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley and earlier was at Stanford University and Yale Divinity School.  He and his wife Joy were activists for civil rights, global justice, peace and the environment. Through them, numerous students and colleagues were introduced to the biblical vision of a world transformed, where justice, mercy and peace prevailed.  

             

Denis Hayes was student body class president at Stanford in the ‘60s when Davie Napier was Dean of the Chapel.  Hayes will also be the second recipient of the Napier Medal, which will presented that evening.

             

Established by the friends and family of the couple as a way of extending their legacy,

the Napier Awards for Creative Leadership celebrate outstanding leadership of college students in their senior year in the areas of global peace, social justice and care of the Earth.  The money will help the students implement their projects. In future years the judging committee plans to also accept applications from Yale, Stanford, Pacific School of Religion and Claremont School of Theology.

             

Founded in 1915, Pilgrim Place is a retirement community for Christian missionaries, clergy, and those who have spent their life in a variety of religious and humanitarian nonprofit professions.  At Pilgrim Place, residents continue their lifelong service and outreach to others while exploring new opportunities for personal growth and learning. 

            

  The event is open to the public.  Seating is limited.  Admission is $25 per person.  Contact Joyce Yarborough at Pilgrim Place for additional information( 909) 399-5511.

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