Arthur_Simon

Arthur Simon

Arthur Simon

American pastor and anti-hunger activist (1930-2023)

Arthur Simon (July 28, 1930 – November 14, 2023) was an American Lutheran minister, founder and president of Bread for the World, a citizens' lobby on hunger, which he served for almost two decades.[1]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Life and career

Arthur Simon was born in Eugene, Oregon on July 28, 1930.[2] He was a graduate of Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.[2] He was an ordained Lutheran minister. His brother was United States Senator Paul Simon (D-IL). He pastored at Trinity Lutheran Church on New York City's Lower East Side from 1961 to 1972. As a pastor, Simon became involved in responding to emergencies associated with hunger and poverty. Wanting to address the root causes of hunger, Simon formed a committee of seven Catholics and seven Protestants in 1974 called Bread for the World. He became Bread's first president, holding the position for sixteen years.[3] After retiring from Bread, he directed the Washington Office of the Christian Children's Fund from 1992 to 1997.[1][3]

His book Bread for the World won the national Religious Book Award, and was described by the Nobel Prize economist Gunnar Myrdal as a "clear and convincing" analysis of world hunger.[1] His most recent book is Silence Can Kill: Speaking Up to End Hunger and Make our Economy Work for Everyone. In 2009 he published The Rising of Bread for the World: An Outcry of Citizens Against Hunger. Prior to that, he authored, with David Beckmann, Grace at the Table: Ending Hunger in God’s World. His previous books include Faces of Poverty and Harvesting Peace: The Arms Race and Human Need. He has also had articles published in many national newspapers and journals.[4]

Simon received a number of awards and honorary degrees, including the Presidential Hunger Award for Lifetime Achievement. He has served on the advisory board for the Center for Public Justice.[4] He was the 35th recipient the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award in 2004. The honor was named after a 1963 encyclical letter, Pacem in terris (Peace on Earth), by Pope John XXIII that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations.[2]

Simon died at his Maryland home on November 14, 2023, at the age of 93.[5]

References

  1. [1]
    Profile Archived October 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine: Southern Illinois University Carbondale website.
  2. [2]
    Biodata Archived April 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine: St. Ambrose University (Davenport, Iowa) website
  3. [3]
    "Bread Mourns the Passing of Founder Rev. Art Simon". Bread for the World. November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  4. [4]
    Further profile: Center for Public Justice website.
  5. [5]
    Smietana, Bob; Banks, Adelle M. (November 17, 2023). "Art Simon, founder of Christian anti-hunger group Bread for the World, dies at 93". Religion News Service. Retrieved November 18, 2023.


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