Ralph DiGia, lifelong war resister and pacifist died February 1 in New York City. Ralph had a bad fall a couple of weeks ago, broke his hip, and has had a series of serious health problems following his admission to St. Vincent's Hospital.
Ralph, 93, has been the heart and soul of War Resisters League since he came on staff shortly after the end of World War II and his release from federal prison, where he had served a term for refusing service as a conscientious objector.
An associate of A. J. Muste, Bayard Rustin, Dave Dellinger, Barbara Deming, and many others, Ralph held key posts over the years with Liberation magazine as well as being on the staff of the War Resisters League. While Ralph was not a public speaker or a writer, he played a key a role within the radical pacifist movement, and was central to many of the major antiwar actions of the past six decades.
Ralph was deeply loved by the movement, especially by those at his political home, the War Resisters League. He is survived by his wife, Karin DiGia, his children, and his two brothers.
Read Death and Taxes . . . and a whole lot of fun, a remembrance of of Ralph written by Ruth Benn.
Read Remembering Ralph, a tribute to Ralph by David McReynolds.
A New York Times article about Ralph (March 22, 2003)
