David Ives and David Valone have edited a book celebrating the life of 1952 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Albert Schweitzer.
The book, "Reverence for Life Revisited: Albert Schweitzer's Relevance Today," is published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Ives is executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute and Valone is as an assistant professor of history and director of cultural programs for the College of Liberal Arts.
The book, a collection of 17 essays, is the product of a conference by the Albert Schweitzer Institute held at Quinnipiac in 2005. The conference re-examined Schweitzer's life and work, particularly his idea of reverence for life and assessed the relevance of his ideas for the 21st century.
"Reverence for life is a philosophy stating anything that has life should not be destroyed unless it is absolutely necessary, whether it be a plant, an animal or a human, and would only be done after thoughtful consideration of all alternatives to destroying something that has what Schweitzer called a will to live," Ives said. "Schweitzer considered this his most important contribution to the world, and if taken seriously, I think would make a positive difference for the environment, for animals and for ameliorating the war-like tendencies of human beings."
The essays represent various perspectives from people who worked with Schweitzer or were influenced by his life, plus practical applications of Schweitzer's ideas to current global issues, such as arms control, medical ethics and education. The essay writers include people engaged in diplomacy, wildlife conservation and health care, and people from the United States, Europe, Latin America and Africa.
The book includes essays by ethologist Jane Goodall, keynote speaker at the conference; Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global Security Institute headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.; and Luis Alberto Cordero, executive director of the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress in Costa Rica.
"Editing a book on Schweitzer has a personal significance for me, because I was very involved in the nuclear freeze movement during the 1980s and have long been aware of Schweitzer's efforts to promote nuclear disarmament," Valone said.
Essayists from Quinnipiac are Edward D'Angelo, part-time professor of philosophy; Timothy Dansdill, associate professor of English; Suzanne Hudd, associate professor of sociology; Dennis Richardson, associate professor of biology; philosophy professor Benjamin Page and alumnus Christopher Weaver, who is pursuing a master's degree in public health at Dartmouth College.
Ives is a member of the board of directors for the International Albert Schweitzer Association in Gunsbach, France, and an honorary board member of advisers council for World Centers of Compassion for Children, sponsored by 1976 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Betty Williams. Ives received the 2005 Special Award from the Connecticut Department of Higher Education and the Connecticut Commission on Community Service for leading the institute's popular Alternative Spring Break Program, which brings Quinnipiac students on aid missions to Nicaragua and Barbados. Ives earned a master's degree in student personnel and counseling in 1975 and a bachelor's degree in social work in 1973, both from The Ohio State University.
Valone earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1994 and bachelor's degree from Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., in 1986, both in history. Valone was a historian at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena from 1992 to 1995. He co-edited the book "Ireland's Great Hunger: Silence, Memory and Commemoration," published by University Press of America in 2002.