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I attended the recent 2024 Human Rights Annual Dinner Meeting at The Commons in support of my good friend, Bud Herron, and in support of human rights. Bud as well as Rev. Dr. Felipe Martinez received the William R. Laws Human Rights Award. It was well attended and an evening filled with a wonderful atmosphere, delicious food, and inspiring and informative speeches.

I was fortunate enough to get to know Bud when Hope was suddenly without a newspaper. He was instrumental in guiding our committee in the formation of a free reading and not-for-profit digital media source, “HSJ Online,” which we started in 2015 and which is now proudly in its tenth year.

Bud lived in Hope for his first eighteen years, graduated from Hauser, and has an impressive lifetime resume. Within the hallway of Hauser, there is an Outstanding Alumni Plaque that has a list of Bud's accomplishments. Since receiving that award, he has received others because Bud knows the importance of continuing to give of himself, to appreciate each moment on this earth. Bud is also humble and knows the importance of expressing gratitude to others as in his acceptance speech for The William R. Laws Human Rights Award that follows:

“When Aida (Aida Ramirez, Director of the Columbus Human Rights Commission) called me several weeks ago to tell me I would be the recipient of this award, my shock was followed by some honest mental denial that I was qualified to stand anywhere near the shadow of William R. Laws.

“He was a man who called on each of us to work to become the loving, embracing, welcoming, inclusive human beings who live in the hearts of our better selves.

“Times when I have come close to those ideals have been through my association with others. So, I want to express gratitude to some of those others who have encouraged me, believed in me and worked with me to coax my better self now and then from intent to practice.

“As I accept this award tonight, I offer:

“— gratitude to my extraordinary parents, who tied 10 cents in a small hankie each Sunday when I was a child and told me I owed this much of my $1.00 weekly allowance to the church to help others. (I didn’t much like the idea, but only untied the hankie and pocketed the dime a couple of times on the way to Sunday School. Well, maybe three or four, but no more than six.)

“— gratitude to my newspaper associates over more than 50 years of work in journalism. None of them believed in alternate facts as they labored to discover and report the truth. The facts were not always popular with either the powerful or the powerless, but my newspaper colleagues continued making the world a better place for all with REAL objective information — often for little more than poverty pay.

“— gratitude to my co-workers during my late-life work with Advocates for Children. They were and are beautiful people who never give up on a child. They never quit looking for a rainbow, even when the storms in the child’s world seem unending and unsolvable. They welcomed me into a common purpose which had only one task — be for the child.

“— gratitude to the scores of abused and neglected children I worked with as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. They enriched my life and taught me lessons in courage, resilience, faith, hope and unconditional love. Some of them were real poops. All of them were real gifts to the world.

“— gratitude to my late wife, Ann, whose example of living one’s love was infectious and made me a better person than I otherwise might have been. She was my teacher, my editor, my inspiration and my love.

“My deepest gratitude to all of these others. And thank you to those who nominated me for this high award as well as to the members and staff of the Columbus Human Rights Commission. And thanks to all of you for supporting Human Rights and for being here tonight.”

Before the formal start of the event, I asked Bud how long his speech would be. I was surprised when hearing only four minutes, that he and Felipe had agreed to that seemingly short period of time. However, I heard two of the greatest speeches out of many during my lifetime!

Within my files, I have several articles from Bud and found one he wrote for “The Republic” which I wish to pull a few lines feeling as if they align with this award:

“Maybe someday technology will be invented that will bring us all together -- giving us a place to gather, but without isolation, a place to get to know each other in peace and harmony. It could be a place dominated by thoroughly washed brains - where truth is embraced, lies are not spread, paranoia is defeated, justice is honored, and ignorance is eliminated.

“While I am concerned this idea is too far-fetched ever to be created, just think of how much cleaner our brains would be --how much more we would all be anchored in reality for the good of humankind.

“Maybe we could call it the Othernet.”

* Note 1: You can refer to “The Republic” for excellent coverage of this event.
* Note 2: It was good to see my good friend and “HSJ” writer, Larry Perkinson, who received the award in 2017.
* Note 3: I need to express a special thank you to my neighbors, Mike & Jamie Champlin, for greeting me warmly at the event and to Mike, Chairperson of the Columbus Human Rights Commission, for helping me in regard to the photos.