To the Editor:

So many contributed to the success of the Martha’s Vineyard Peace Council’s “Concert in the Cause of Peace” at the West Tisbury library last Friday evening. We are grateful to the Friends of the Library and to the town of West Tisbury for creating the performance space and for obtaining that most excellent piano to put in it, and to the overflow audience, many of whom were especially drawn to the concert for the opportunity to honor the Rev. Alden Besse and thank him for his many years of dedicated leadership in the cause of peace.

We have Alden to thank for maintaining the continuity of the Peace Council’s annual events, such as the Hiroshima Day vigil at the Gay Head Light, and our contingent in the 4th of July parade. Showing up is the mark of commitment to one’s cause, and Alden has always been there at every meeting, at every event, large or small, from sponsoring speakers like Howard Zinn to demonstrations at Five Corners, upholding the ideals of peace in the eyes of the Island community. Alden is a man of distinction for a lifetime of service to others. Since retiring from a long career as an Episcopal priest in 1990, he has served as chaplain at Windemere, as Clergy Association president, and as pastoral assistant at Grace Church. He is perhaps best known to Islanders for a leadership role with the Hunger Committee’s annual Crop Walk, a role that he led and a walk that he walked into his 90th year. And from the beginning, he has supported fundraising for the Embarking Peacemaker scholarships that we give to graduating Island seniors.

We are grateful especially to the performers, who freely donated their time and their finely cultivated gifts; to Lisa Weiss for such an effective and affecting piano performance throughout; to Jesse Keller of the Yard for her dance realization of music by Golijov, “ZZ’s Dream,” inspired by a poem of Zhuang Zhou, an early Taoist master; to Stephanie Barnes of the New England Conservatory for bringing to vivid life the words of Anne Frank, set by Bowen; to Vineyard soloist Martha Hudson for the Schubert songs (and for recalling to us Alden’s sermon on the theme of Hope, which he delivered in Union Chapel with the Clinton family sitting in the front row of the congregation). It was pianist Lisa Weiss, professor at Goucher College, who crafted the arc of the concert, from the exquisite opening with Bach, through the stunning “Harmonies du soir” by Liszt (echoing his friendship with Baudelaire), which brought the audience to a standing ovation, to the final chords of benediction with Anne Frank’s words: “I still believe that people are really good at heart. I must uphold my ideals.”

David Stanwood recorded the sound, and Lisa’s son Billie Weiss, photographer for the Red Sox, made a video record. Special thanks also to Janet Halladay and Chris Decker of Tisbury Printer for the program, to Jesse Keller and the Yard for the poster and for material help with publicity, and you know what we’re thanking Chilmark Chocolates for!

The inspiration that drew and motivated the artists was to do a benefit for the Peace Council scholarships. A number of attendees leaving the concert looked for a place to make a donation. As the library is a municipal facility, no money may exchange hands for events there. However, the following guidance appeared on the back of the program:

“Contributions to the Embarking Peacemaker scholarships are tax-deductible if written to the Permanent Endowment for Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1182, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. In the memo field, designate your check for the Embarking Peacemaker Fund. If you wish it to pass through for next year’s scholarships, instead of growing the fund for future scholarships, so indicate.” (The fund must grow to $20,000 for earnings to become available.)

Each spring, the MVPC scholarship committee evaluates applicants based on an essay and other indications of commitment to making peace in the world. To concentrate the minds of young people embarking into the larger world on the need, the opportunities, and the challenges of peacemaking expresses our central purpose, to uphold the ideals of peace.

For the Martha’s Vineyard Peace Council,

Bruce and Sarah Nevin

Edgartown