John Denver

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John Denver, world famous musician. As one commentator notes: "If theologian Matthew Fox has written the book on Creation Spirituality, it’s John Denver who has written its hymnal." [1]

"He was asked to serve as a member of the Presidential Commission on World and Domestic Hunger and was one of the five founders of The Hunger Project, an organization committed to the sustainable end of chronic hunger. Denver was asked to be a member of the fact-finding delegation, which toured African countries devastated by drought and starvation as a representative of the Hunger Project and UNICEF. Because of his tireless effort and dedication, Denver was awarded the Presidential “World Without Hunger” Award.

"Denver also received recognition from many governments for his concerts to raise awareness of global hunger problems. Other causes that Denver supported include The National Wildlife Federation, Save The Children, The Cousteau Society, Friends of The Earth and the Human/Dolphin Foundation, to name just a few...

"This commitment led to the establishment of The Windstar Foundation, a non-profit environmental education and research center co-founded by Denver in 1976. Windstar works to promote a holistic approach to addressing global issues, inspiring individuals to recognize themselves as an integral and vital part of the world around them and to work toward a sustainable future for the world.

"Denver founded “Plant-It 2020,” an environmental foundation that urges people all over the world to plant as many indigenous trees as possible." [2]

Gale Jack recalled that: "When John Denver died in a plane crash this autumn, I felt as if I lost a brother. We had both grown up in the Southwest and attended Texas Tech (though I did not meet him until many years later). We both became macrobiotic about the same time. I attended several of John's concerts in Boston with Alex and other macrobiotic friends, and once in Texas I cooked for John while he was on tour and speaking on world hunger... The Kushis served on the board of Wind star, John's environmental foundation in Aspen, Colorado. In Tokyo, John was a favorite of Lima Ohsawa, and into her late nineties she regularly attended his concerts and make arrangements to see him privately." [3]

Awards

  • 1979: U.S Jaycee’s Ten Outstanding men of America Award
  • Whale Protection Fund Service Award
  • 1985: NASA Medal for Public Service
  • Presidential “World Without Hunger Award” conferred by President Reagan
  • 1990: National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award
  • International Center for Tropical Ecology World Ecology Award

Affiliations

Biography

  • Christine Smith, A Mountain in the Wind: An Exploration of the Spirituality of John Denver (Findhorn, 2001).

Resources and articles

Related Sourcewatch articles

References