Bob Witkowski, 1953–2010
Robert C. “Bob” Witkowski, 57, of Ashley, PA (formally of Wilkes-Barre), passed away on March 20, 2010, unexpectedly at his home. Bob worked passionately over the last four decades for peace and justice issues and was a long-time member and Steering Club member of the Interfaith Resource Center for Peace and Justice of Wilkes-Barre. He was an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation Church of Wyoming Valley in the Back Mountain area. He also supported the Chickory House, a nonprofit folk music organization in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty, Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern, Northeast Pennsylvania Folklore Society, and The War Resisters League.
Bob was “known for his soft-spoken but unwavering commitment to peace and environmental causes,” wrote an acquaintance and reporter Mark Guydish in the Times Leader of Wilkes-Barre. “Bob helped found the local Green Party...[and] pushed softly but tirelessly for even small changes that could lead to a big environmental impact, like walking or taking the bus.”
Born in Jersey City, N.J., Bob was the son of Charles and the late Florence H. Witkowski of Wood-Ridge, N.J. He was employed at the Salvation Army in Hanover Township, PA, and was the former owner of Gratefully Yours on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. Bob was a 1974 graduate of Kings College.
The father of two children, the late Kevin M. Witkowski, and Elizabeth-Ann “Beth-Ann” Witkowski, Bob also leaves Beth-Ann’s husband, Jason Dorfman. Bob was the eldest of five siblings. Along with his father and daughter, he leaves his brother Kenneth; sister Elaine Rutigliano, her husband Joseph, and their four children; brother Thomas and his partner Mark Davila; and brother James, his wife Susan, and their two children. “Bob was not a mover and shaker, he does not leave a legacy of sweeping change,” Guydish wrote. Rather, “he was a persistent voice of conscience, a chronic reminder there are less destructive paths to most goals.”
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Interfaith Resource Center for Peace and Justice, 63 North Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre, PA, 18702-1317.
—Beth-Ann Witkowski and Thomas Witkowski
Denis Adelsberger, 1944–2010
Denis Adelsberger, former coordinator of the Atlanta Workshop in Nonviolence (AWIN), died on Feb. 18, 2010, of lung cancer.
In the summer of 1968, Denis became the coordinator of AWIN after receiving an undesirable discharge from the Army for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War. AWIN, which was patterned after the New York Workshop in Nonviolence, was started in March 1967 with financial support from WRL , the Committee for Nonviolent Action, and Fellowship of Reconciliation.
Private Denis Adelsberger was AWOL from Fort Gordon, Ga., when he contacted AWIN to get advice and support before returning to his base. Shortly after he returned to Fort Gordon in January 1968, he was put in the stockade for refusing to wear the uniform. Denis handed his superiors a statement announcing his resignation from the Army, which read in part, “I am not refusing to serve my country. Indeed, I feel am doing what I can to save my country.” While Denis was in the stockade, AWIN organized a support demonstration outside the main gate of Fort Gordon.
After a couple of court-martials, Denis and another resisting GI, Private Neil Salo, were discharged from the Army on April 16, 1968. Following his release, Denis came to work for AWIN full time. After a few months, Sue and Henry Bass, who founded AWIN with the help of longtime Georgia members of WRL , passed the coordinating position on to Denis but continued to be active in AWIN. The South was full of military bases, and many GIs came to Atlanta to talk to Denis during the Vietnam War. For many years, former GIs would approach Denis on the streets of Atlanta and tell him they would not be alive except for him. If they had gone to Vietnam, they explained, they could not have shot first and so would have died.
Denis grew up in the Philadelphia area. Before being drafted into the Army, he was a lay Roman Catholic missionary in Central America.
Denis is survived by his brothers, Bernard Adelsberger of Fairfax Station, VA, Joseph Adelsberger of E ugene, OR , and sister, Lorette Lefebvre of Willow Grove, PA.
In his letter of resignation from the Army, excerpts of which were published in the April 15, 1968, issue of WIN, Denis wrote, “I am trying to help my country, since I am refusing to implement in any way the elements in our government which consider war an acceptable instrument of foreign policy.” Denis had declared his commitment to pacifism.
—Henry Bass
Marilyn Meyer, 1932–2010
A “natural born pacifist,” Marilyn Meyer was not always overtly political, but she brought her passion for life into all of her endeavors. A devoted daughter and sister, she volunteered for a number of neighborhood associations when she moved to Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, after her marriage to Simon. When Matt, her only child, became involved with peace movement causes at 17, Marilyn was a fast and stalwart supporter, following him into active membership with both Mobilization for Survival and the War Resisters League. She and Simon were “unindicted co-conspirators” in the draft registration resistance movement of the early 1980s; a point of pride for her was a featured spot as a guest on the Phil Donahue show, presenting as a mother for peace. When arrested for various nonviolent, civil disobedient actions against war, Marilyn could always be counted on to “mother” the police officers—showing concern for them as people while scolding them for the job they were doing.
Though trained as a legal secretary, she spent most of her adult life as a dedicated family caretaker, informally and lovingly nursing her aunts, mother, husband, younger brother, mother-inlaw, common-law husband, and others in their times of need. Though she never strayed far from her Dahill Road, New York, Jewish roots, she was pleased—almost incredulous—that she was able to enjoy visits to Puerto Rico, England, Cuba, Honduras, Ghana, and many U.S. states. She was a member of the Jewish Peace Fellowship who counted many Muslims and Christians among her close friends. She loved all of nature’s gifts and was blessed with a green thumb and a thriving collection of plants. She was an active supporter of the theater and loved making and buying crafts and curios. She wrote poetry and sang with the Brooklyn Women’s Chorus and other vocal groups. Among her published articles, recipes, and poems, she was especially proud that “Everybody’s Child” was published in Songs for Peace magazine—put to music and reproduced by guitarist Ron Wolfe.
As it says in the March 24 New York Times memorial tribute placed by the War Resisters League, Marilyn’s “bedrock commitment to nurturing, generosity, justice, and peace in action supported decades of nonviolent resistance to war and injustice. We’ll miss her caring warmth.” Marilyn, who was 77, is survived by Matt, daughter-in-law Meg, grandchildren Michael Del and Molly Soo, brother Burton Lehrenbaum, and countless devoted nieces, nephews, cousins, friends. She will be sorely missed.
Tzedakah (charity) in Marilyn’s name should be given to the War Resisters League, 339 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012.
—Matt Meyer
