2007 Laureate

The Rev. Ron Pierre Vignec received the prize in 2007. Pastor Vignec founded the Salishan/Eastside Lutheran Mission in 1985.

He played the key role in revitalizing the Salishan neighborhood in east Tacoma, the largest federal housing project on the West Coast. It once was awash in violence, drugs, prostitution, and ethnic tensions, but Vignec’s hard work has helped drop every measurable crime statistic in Salishan.

The nomination submission from Louis Zubaly and Bill Lincoln stated that Pastor Ron’s activities “exemplify international peace work within diverse and often troubled communities as he creatively, persistently, effectively and non-intrusively responds to the need of citizens and non-citizens while striving to find ways to help them develop sustainable cultures of peace with justice.” Former Bishop David Wold remarked, “Ron is my passport to worlds I have not known.”

Pastor Ron, as he is known in the community, has been serving the community for years demonstrating authentic leadership as a liaison with law enforcement, educators, news reporters, community organizations, non-profit agencies, businesses as well as community, civic and elected government leaders. His approach to community service and the building of communities has created a positive evolution of the fabric of the Salishan/Eastside region of the county and far beyond. Mr. Lincoln adds, “People from all over the world have made Tacoma their home, often coming from war torn regions or from extreme poverty. If we want peace in the world we need to strive for peace with justice at home as well, particularly in concert with persons of different cultures and beliefs. For years, we have had among us a true peace worker who deals with global problems on our local scene.”

Read Ron and Nancy Vignec’s account of their Norway trip.

Click here to read an article about Pastor Ron and the GTPP.

RON VIGNEC PASSED AWAY ON NOV. 10, 2013

Pastor Ron Vignec, known in Tacoma as the “Bishop of Salishan”, passed away on Sunday, November 10, 2013. The Memorial Service was held on Thursday, Nov. 21 at Urban Grace Church in Tacoma, Washington. Here is an article about the service from the News Tribune. Pastor Ron will be greatly missed!

Links to articles about Ron:

Son Lauren’s tribute to his father

The News Tribune: Nov. 11

KING5News: Nov. 12

Learn more about Ron in his video Laureate Spotlight:

2006 Laureates

In 2006, the committee was pleased to award the Prize to CRI (Conflict Resolution, Research and Resource Institute). Mr. Julio Quan of Centro Latino submitted the nomination, citing Executive Director William F. (Bill) Lincoln and Associate Director Polly Davis for “doing whatever it takes to restore peace in troubled regions, often accepting the risks without a fee.”

The mission of CRI (now the Lincoln Institute) is to teach and practice the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict in the community, the nation, and the world through the utilization of time-tested theories, processes, and techniques which ensure equitable, practical, and lasting agreements.
Update: We congratulate 2006 GTPP Laureates Bill Lincoln and Polly Davis who were presented with special awards at the recent conference of the Washington Mediators Association (WMA).

Mr. Lincoln received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bill has been recognized as a pioneer in mediation and negotiation theory and practice. He was a federal commissioner who helped found the United States Institute of Peace, has extensive experience working in hot spots – Wounded Knee, Walpole Prison, with the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the URNG in Guatemala in preparation for the UN sanctioned peace talks and recently with warlords in Afghanistan. Bill is a co-founder of the Russian-American Programs for Peace which started the first graduate program in conflict resolution in Russia, and began the conflict resolution center in St Petersburg. The list goes on Many practitioners in our region have been trained by Bill whether as members of his early mediation training programs at Antioch, through the State of Washington Career Executive Programs or through the Pierce County Dispute Resolution Center of which he was a founder. Bill continues his work in Tacoma and is currently involved in training negotiators involved with the United Nations food safety program.

Ms. Davis received the Excellence in Mediation Award. This award is in recognition of those who promote and practice excellence in mediation, exemplifying the application of thought that is at the forefront of our field. In her more than 20 years in the field, Polly has worked with the Northwest Institute for Restorative Justice, the King, Snohomish and Pierce County DRCs, the Lincoln Institute and the King County Interlocal Conflict Resolution Group. She has extensive international experience, working in Russia, Cuba, Poland, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Sudan and Afghanistan. She is a teacher and mentor, developing and providing trainings on a wide range of mediation topics. She also conducts facilitations and mediations in workplace, public policy and other areas. She is widely recognized by training participants and colleagues for her thoughtfulness and insight.

2005 Laureate

The 2005 Greater Tacoma Peace Prize recipient, our first laureate, was George F. Russell, Jr. Mr. Russell was nominated by Karin Moye Kelley, of Bates Technical College, for his work in the realm of peace education, security and peace awareness both regionally and globally. While his success in the investment field is no secret, his calling to spend the rest of his life dedicated to peace endeavors is far less public. He has been called a visionary, in that he sees time not in terms of months or years, but in generations and centuries. His “hands-on” efforts in the arena of peace work have touched lives in our own neighborhoods and in countries around the world.

Just a few examples of his work include the following:

• Big Homie Project, Tacoma — through Jane’s Fellowship Program, The Russell Family Foundation is supporting the gang intervention work of Lawrence Stone in Tacoma.
• Hate Free Zone, Seattle — piloted a high school curriculum on promoting peace and understanding following September 11th.
• Nuclear Threat Initiative — to resolve global threat posed by loose nukes.
• Transmutation Technologies —  focused on the possibility of destroying nuclear waste.
• Business Humanitarian Forum — This group focuses on global peace issues.
• National Bureau of Asian Research — committed to promoting effective and far-sighted policy in the United States, throughout Asia and in Russia.
• East West Institute —  various projects promoting democracy, government transparency and related peace issues in the former Soviet Union.

Through research support and meeting with political leaders around the world, his work will undoubtedly have a positive impact on families and communities for generations to come.