and , co-directors of the , delivered the plenary address, entitled “Putting a Face on the ‘Other.’”

Four days later, Zehr was one of two recipients of the 2013 “,” conferred by the in a ceremony hosted by JMU President Jonathan R. Alger. The other recipient, Vida S. Huber, was a 1961 graduate of EMU who chaired from 1967 to 1984 and then held leadership roles at JMU until her sudden death in 2005. The awards were given in recognition of the duo’s “visionary leadership and enduring commitment to the creation of a more compassionate, equitable and caring community.” Huber’s surviving husband, Harold, accepted her posthumous award.

Evoking empathetic responses

At the state-wide mediation conference, Zehr and Stauffer, who is a CJP professor, spoke of how a process of “othering” – or increasing the social distance between people or groups – makes it easier for them to harm each other. They then contrasted the ways in which the traditional criminal justice system increases “othering” with the ways that restorative justice processes can reduce social distance and evoke empathic responses between victims and offenders.

Their presentation garnered an enthusiastic response from the audience of mediators, many of whom were hearing specifics about restorative justice’s objectives and techniques for the first time.

“It made a … light bulb go off in my head,” said Doreene Thomas, who wants to start a restorative justice program in Chesapeake, Va., where she mediates cases referred from local courts. “I see a huge need for it.”

Jennifer Phillips, a mediator from Richmond and the VMN president-elect, said the plenary session’s focus on restorative justice opened up a “new world” to her. “I’d heard of restorative justice, but this was the first time I’d been exposed to it like this.

“Hidden treasure”

“I had no idea that [so much] was available here,” Phillips continued, calling EMU “a hidden treasure.”

Zehr and Stauffer also discussed the arts as a good peacebuilding tool for putting faces on “others.” Zehr shared photographs and stories from several of his books intended to humanize prisoners, crime victims and children with incarcerated parents. Stauffer told the audience about a project he worked on in South Africa, where two opposing factions in a violent conflict created films about their experiences. Once the two videos were completed, the two sides combined them into one film exploring the conflict’s roots, which was eventually screened before a mixed audience of people who had previously been unwilling to meet and discuss their differences.

“We think the arts have the power to engage people emotionally and intuitively [in ways] that other things don’t,” said Zehr. “They allow us to engage the ambiguity and complexity of the world.”

Nine CJP-linked presenters

Using the arts as a peacebuilding and conflict resolution tool was the subject of a separate session led by three CJP students – Sarah Roth Shank, Corie Custer and Jonathan Swartz.

Judith Tolleson Clarke, with a 2011 MA from CJP, was one of four panelists who discussed their experiences using “dialogue circles” as part of restorative justice processes within Virginia’s correctional facilities. Clarke, from Richmond, Va., is the executive director and founder of the Virginia Center for Restorative Justice.

Other CJP-affiliated presenters at the conference included professor emeritus Vernon Janzti, who co-led a session on trauma awareness for mediators, Barbie Fischer, a 2012 MA graduate of CJP, who spoke about family group conferencing, and Brenda Waugh, a lawyer from Winchester, Va., who graduated from CJP in 2009. Waugh was co-leader of a session on how the architecture and layout of a room can help or hinder a mediation process.

VMN President Paula Young said one of the reasons she wanted to hold the conference on the EMU campus was to give mediators from the region exposure to the expertise in conflict resolution and peacebuilding resources present at EMU.

“[CJP has] a particularly strong program with particularly strong scholars who can introduce our members to a lot of conflict theory that they might not otherwise get,” she said. “I’ve heard nothing but positive things [from attendees] about being here.”

Shared desire to reduce violence, increase justice

Members of the VMN attended the conference to receive continuing education credits to maintain their certification as mediators, as well as for more informal professional development and networking.

“The sessions have been wonderful,” said Ron Williams, a retired attorney and a relatively new mediator who said the opportunity to learn from more experienced mediators was valuable.

Young said that because some VMN members have long experience as mediators, she wanted to develop a program that would keep them engaged by looking in-depth at challenging and engaging topics – something accomplished by tapping the expertise of the “distinguished scholars” at CJP.

“It was a great pleasure to host the VMN conference on campus,” said CJP professor and program director . “The questions and conversation in response to the plenary talk by Howard Zehr and Carl Stauffer indicate that we need to continue our conversation with members of VMN. We seem to have a lot of shared concerns and similar commitments to reducing violence and increasing justice in our communities.”

The first honorees of this new “community service” award are two people with close ties to 草莓社区: (1) Howard Zehr, PhD, a semi-retired faculty member, who is being recognized for his seminal role in the foundation and promotion of the field of restorative justice around the world, and (2) Vida Huber, PhD, a 1961 graduate of EMU who chaired EMU’s nursing program from 1967 to 1984 and then held leadership roles at JMU until her sudden death in 2005.

Zehr is currently co-directing, with EMU professor Carl Stauffer, the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice at EMU, established in the fall of 2012. Zehr began teaching restorative justice at EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding in 1996, but recently stepped away from teaching. He served as the center’s co-director for five years, 2002-2007.

Zehr’s longevity in the field of restorative justice, global renown, and early book on the subject (Changing Lenses– A New Focus for Crime and Justice, published in 1990) has caused him to be dubbed the “grandfather of restorative justice.” He is the author, co-author or editor of 22 books, plus the source of dozens of chapters, op-ed pieces, and other presentations.

In wide demand around the world, Zehr has given restorative justice presentations in 35 states and 25 countries. As an example, Zehr has done eight speaking tours in New Zealand, a country that has restructured its juvenile justice system to put restorative conferences at its core, with remarkable results.

On the local level, JMU’s director of judicial affairs, Josh Bacon, PhD, is one who has been influenced by Zehr. In a blog posted on March 18, 2011, Bacon wrote: “I as well as many others who have practiced student discipline in the university setting thought we knew what restorative justice was. Well, after studying with the ‘grandfather’ of the field, Howard Zehr, I can say, ‘I was extremely wrong’ in my understanding of restorative justice.” He continued:

Learning about the principles and practices of restorative justice has transformed my view of the potential of student discipline and re-energized my professional focus. I have seen restorative justice challenge our students in a new way and transform their view of conflict and relationships.

I have seen many negative, harmful incidents go through restorative processes and come out the other side with transformed students and community members. This is not something people involved in student discipline are used to seeing, and I believe higher education is just beginning to discover the potential of restorative justice practices in creating educated and enlightened citizens.

At the time of her death, Vida Huber was an associate dean of JMU’s College of Integrated Science and Technology (CISAT). She was also director of JMU’s Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services and professor of nursing.

“Vida was very much committed and motivated to help bring about opportunities on this campus where individuals preparing to be professionals in various health and human services fields could learn to work together,” said JMU provost Jerry Benson, who was dean of CISAT at the time of Huber’s death.

The Mahatma Gandhi Center’s Global Nonviolence Community Service Award is conferred in recognition of “visionary leadership and enduring commitment to the creation of a more compassionate, equitable and caring community,” said Gary S. Race, director of the Gandhi Center. He anticipates that the community service award will be given every second year, alternating in the future with the center’s global nonviolence award, which has not been awarded since 2009.

The community service awards officially will be conferred in a by-invitation ceremony at JMU on Oct. 2, 2013, a day that corresponds with the birthday of Gandhi. Vida’s husband, retired EMU staff member Harold E. Huber, will accept his wife’s posthumous award.

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying."
– John William Waterhouse

Rather sobering – I’ve written obituaries of six former workplace colleagues over the last three months – Robert D. Yoder, Norman Derstine, Vida J. Huber, Paul R. Yoder, Sr., Mary Jane Detweiler and Linden M. Wenger, in that order.

It’s served as a reminder of the tenuous nature of life – that we’re pilgrims on a journey, emerging from dust and to dust we return.

Early December, I attended the wedding of a nephew, Stephen Bishop, to Julie Snyder, a celebrative occasion as two hearts and lives joined as one.

Almost ironically, both the wedding ceremony – attended by a throng of witnesses – and the funerals, where families and friends celebrated the lives and legacies of the departed, were marked by moments of joy, even laughter, amid a flood of emotions.

I was able to attend the funeral/memorial services of two of the six former 草莓社区 persons – Norman Derstine and Vida Huber.

I was moved by the worshipful atmosphere and by tributes being given by persons who had related closely to the deceased. The spoken word, stirring, special music and singing of hymns spoke of the triumph of God’s eternal life and love over physical death – in spite of the painful separation – refreshed and renewed my spirit and faith.

All six left an indelible mark on my life, starting with:

* Norman Derstine, 85, from my same home area of Bucks County, Pa., my dad’s best buddy growing up. When I started my public information/media relations position at my alma mater the summer of 1971, Norman was director of church relations here. We worked closely together, literally, office-wise and otherwise. I was struck by Norman’s commitment to promoting the school’s significant contributions to the broader church. He also had much interest in radio broadcasting, as did I, then and now.

* Robert (Bob) Yoder, 76, long-time biology professor in the Suter Science Center next to my office, was rather low-key, a quiet but astute observer of human nature, a friend of the Earth, an avid angler (I once sent him a cartoon depicting a guy sitting in a rowboat fishing. A sign on the side of the small craft read, "I’d rather be working").

Among Bob’s gifts was an amazing flair for writing poems, songs and other creative tributes that he gave others to mark special occasions. He made others feel special, and in turn, so was Bob.

* Mary Jane Detweiler, 79, was the wife of EMU’s sixth president, the late Richard C. Detweiler. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis early in their tenure here. Even while in obvious pain much of the time, she never complained, but rather regularly bore a radiant countenance and a positive spirit. Richard was a mentor; Mary Jane was an encourager.

* Vida Huber, 68, and her husband, Harold, were our good neighbors in the Belmont Estates subdivision ever since we moved to the ‘Burg the summer of 1971.

Vida put the squeeze on me in those early days here, as the EMU nursing department that she headed kept growing, spurring the need for more office and classroom space in the dingy basement of the old administration building. As the program expanded, our office space kept shrinking to the point that four people occupied the area that I had to myself when I started working at EMU.

But Vida never deliberately elbowed anyone. She was a compassionate educator, a good listener, both a thinker and a doer, involved in many agencies and programs beyond her immediate work related to the healing arts. She was anticipating the next exciting stage of life, retirement, when those plans suddenly changed.

The diversity of people who spoke at Vida’s memorial service spotlighted her wide range of influence, community involvement and cutting edge work in the health care arena.

* Paul R. Yoder, Sr. would have turned 90 on Christmas Day this year, was amazing, the perfect example – to me, anyway – of how to successfully grow old with grace and enthusiasm. Paul was an ardent supporter of EMU, usually cheering on the Royals at numerous athletic events and remained a member of the executive committee of the Loyal Royals athletic booster club at the time of his death.

Paul frequently spoke words of encouragement to me on my work here as well as on my column jottings, which energized me in turn.

* Linden M. Wenger, 92, taught undergraduate and seminary-level Bible and philosophy courses for 23 years until his retirement in 1978. He was a pastor/overseer in Virginia Mennonite Conference, held numerous other conference and churchwide offices over the years and worked with older adult issues.

Linden knew his stuff, but he didn’t exactly exhibit the most scintillating pedagogy style when I had him for a philosophy course my freshman year (1963-64) at EMU. So I was in a guarded mood when, many years later, I had him as a guest on my live weekly interview program, "Focal Point," on the university radio station, WEMC-FM.

The topic was his just-released book, "Climbing Down the Ladder," an autobiographical treatise on retirement. The gentle man amazed me – he was both animated and candid in talking about the need to accept one’s limitations as an older adult and the need to graciously turn over certain responsibilities to younger people. It ranks among my most memorable programs in more than 20 years of doing the show.

As I sat there at the funerals, I wondered how many accolades the deceased had heard while alive, well and hearty.

Except for Mary Jane and Linden, the others leave spouses behind to carry on without their mates. It will certainly be a difficult Christmas for each one, as it was for me that first holiday season after my dad died in 1998.

The departure of these six remind me how often I sit and wring my hands over life’s difficulties, on well-made plans that have gone awry.

What a difference it might make if a larger proportion of this energy went into reflecting upon the people whose lives have intersected mine at critical developmental stages, serving as positive role models to me, and to letting them know that.

As a new year dawns, maybe one of the best resolutions each of us can make is to give a bit of yourself – a handwritten card with a message of affirmation, a phone call to someone at a distance who has influenced your life at a critical point, starting with those closest to you and branching out from there.

Isn’t that preserving the spirit of Christmas all year long?

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Jim Bishop is public information officer at 草莓社区. He can be contacted at bishopj@emu.edu.