Andrew E. Hunt - David Dellinger: The Life and Times of a Nonviolent Revolutionary

Thank you for buying this ebook, published by NYU Press.

Sign up for our e-newsletters to receive information about forthcoming books, special discounts, and more!

Sign Up!

A publisher of original scholarship since its founding in 1916, New York University Press Produces more than 100 new books each year, with a backlist of 3,000 titles in print. Working across the humanities and social sciences, NYU Press has award-winning lists in sociology, law, cultural and American studies, religion, American history, anthropology, politics, criminology, media and communication, literary studies, and psychology.

DAVID DELLINGER

ANDREW E. HUNT

The Life and Times of a Nonviolent Revolutionary

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

New York and London

www.nyupress.org

2006 by New York University

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hunt, Andrew E., 1968

David Dellinger : the life and times of a nonviolent revolutionary / Andrew E. Hunt.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN13: 9780814736388 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN10: 0814736386 (cloth : alk. paper)

1. Dellinger, David T., 1915 . 2. RadicalsUnited StatesBiography.

3. Political activistsUnited StatesBiography. 4. Vietnamese Conflict,

19611975Protest movements. I. Title.

HN90.R3H86 2006

959.70431092dc22 2005035202

[B]

New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,

and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Madeline and Aidan

THIS BOOK would not have been possible without the help of kind and generous people who not only graciously shared memories but also furnished addresses and telephone numbers, videotapes, newspaper articles, unpublished manuscripts, and, most important, their time.

Three people in particular helped me launch this project. Doug Dowd, a longtime antiwar activist and a friend of my father, offered guidance and inspiration. He also strongly recommended this project to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Im certain his endorsement resulted in the spectacular grant I received from SSHRC to write this book. Without that grant, and his help, this book would not have been possible. Marty Jezer, who, sadly, passed away in June 2005, offered me research suggestions, the names of people to interview, and his own reminiscences of his colorful experiences as a young activist in the 1960s. Marv Davidov, a legend in Minneapolis/St. Paul grassroots struggles for justice and a hero far beyond his community, contacted me as a result of an authors query I placed in The Progressive magazine. Marv arranged my first meeting with David Dellinger and Elizabeth Peterson in October 1999, and he gave me all sorts of help, materials, and encouragement along the way. Doug, Marty, and Marv deserve great thanks for all their efforts.

I spent time in several archives and had the good fortune to encounter helpful staff people wherever I went. My enthusiastic praise goes to the archivists at the Tamiment Collection at New York University, where David Dellingers papers are housed. The Tamiment staff put up with my numerous requests for boxes of materials and diligently replied to repeated e-mail queries. Their generosity will not be forgotten. Equally deserving of thanks was the staff at the Swarthmore College Peace Collection in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. What a joy it was to work with Wendy Chmielewski, Barbara Addison, Wilma Mosholder, and Anne Yoder, who always were friendly and willing to go the extra distance for me. And thank you to the archivists at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in Madison; the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas; and the Special Collections Department at Temple University in Philadelphia, home of the papers for Seven Days magazine. I hope that my future projects take me back to these wonderful places.

This account relies heavily on oral histories, and I thank the men and women who allowed me to interview them about David Dellinger.

Other individuals offered crucial information, suggestions, insights, and constructive feedback. A heartfelt thank-you to the following people: Norma Becker, Scott Bennett, Bob Birt, Paul Buhle, Jay Craven, Patch Dellinger, Randy Dellinger, Ralph DiGia, Mike Foley, Larry Gara, Paul Krassner, Bob Lamb, Dean McKay, Maggie Palmer Lauterer, Brad Lyttle, William Lovell, Walter Neagle, Gerald Nicosia, Sid Peck, and the folks at Toward Freedom and the War Resisters League. David J. Langum and Maurice Issserman read a rough draft of the entire manuscript for New York University Press, and they each gave me incredibly detailed and thorough critiques. The Department of History here at the University of Waterloo has been an exciting place to work while Ive written this book, thanks to my wonderful students and colleagues. In particular, Id like to single out Keith Eagles, Patrick Harrigan, Stan Johannesen, and Lynne Taylor. I also owe an enormous intellectual debt to Robert Alan Goldberg, which Ill never be able to pay back in full, but I aim to keep thanking him for it.

At New York University Press, my warmest thanks go to Niko Pfund (who has since moved to Oxford University Press), Eric Zinner, Emily Park, Despina Papazoglou Gimbel, Margaret Barrows Yamashita, and the wonderful staff. It has been such a pleasure working with NYU Press, just as it was with my first book, The Turning: A History of Vietnam Veterans against the War. In particular, Eric deserves kudos for his support, patience, and kindness. When I almost gave up writing this biography after encountering a few obstacles, he offered me the encouragement I needed to continue.

Finally, I want to thank my family. While I was researching this book, my brother Jeff and his wife Stephanie lost their dear son, Adam. He died in 2002 at the age of seventeen. Everybody loved Adam. He was gentle and witty and cared deeply about people and the world. Despite this devastating loss, my brother and his family have inspired me with their courage, indomitable spirits, and simple kindness. Thank you to my mom, Linda Hunt, for her ongoing friendship, love, and support. She read each draft of the book more than once and offered great feedback. Thank you to my dad, E. K. Hunt, and his wife, Jodie Hunt, for their warmth and love. My dad also read drafts and provided constructive advice that I always followed. In very different ways, both my parents nourished the insurgent spirit in me. Thank you, Minerva Colemere (Grandma Minnie), for your courageous example and faith in humanity. To my companion, Luisa DAmato: Thank you for all the love, laughter, and companionship you have given me. Luisa put up with a lot. She read rough drafts, didnt hesitate to let me know when she thought Dellinger was being asinine, and always lifted my spirits. Luisa and her childrenRuth and Tonyhave enriched my life beyond words.

And now, for the most special thank-you of all. Thank you, Madeline and Aidan. You have made me the proudest, happiest father in the world. Words cannot express how much I love you. The three of us have been through a lot together. Most of it has been wonderful, but we have also faced our fair share of challenges. Ill never forget something that my own father once said. I made mistakes, he admitted, but there was always a lot of love in our home. I couldnt have said it better. Madeline and Aidan, youre the reason I wrote this book. It is dedicated to you, with all my love.