Gratitude!

"We couldn't have done it without you!" Uncounted thanks are due from peace-loving people everywhere: ("T" next to a name indicates a STAR ALLIANCE Foundation Trustee.)

To Ernest D. Siravo (T, ret.): creative Co-Founder, 1984-90+; initiator of The "STAR ALLIANCE SHOW" in 1987; Co-Host and Co-Producer, 1987 to 1990+; pioneering "STAR ALLIANCE Global Goodwill Tours" Founder, 1991-2003+; office host, 1993-95; and present exemplary monthly donor!
To ALL V.I.P. and everyday citizen signers on STAR ALLIANCE Declaration and Pledge editions since 1985! (Please see partial V.I.P. listings at www.STARALLIANCE.org). [To anyone who signed a STAR ALLIANCE Declaration and Pledge, may not be accounted for and sees this: please let us (and history) know who and where you are!!!!! We trust you shall be further recognized!]
To Linus Pauling, Leonard Bernstein, John Denver, Stevie Wonder, The Retired Peace Corps Volunteers, Vladimir Pozner and all our distinguished "STAR OF PEACE" Award winners since 1986! To all who have donated or volunteered in any way since 1985; to all who have taken a STAR ALLIANCE foundation-affiliated Goodwill Tour since 1991; and to all our fine guests on "THE STAR ALLIANCE SHOW" - TV and radio "Quality-of-Life" Media interviews from 1987 to 2006! To San Francisco Public Access Media (Channel 25) and Marin Community Access Television, from 1987-1990. To Berkeley Community Media from 1997 to 2006 (Particular thanks to Micky Mayzes.) We'd like to recognize all of you further!
To the late, great Babu Chiri Sherpa of Nepal: for personally carrying the STAR ALLIANCE flag for peace to the summit of Mount Everest on three different occasions - including the first (1999 May 6th): an unprecedented overnight stay on top; and the third, setting a new speed record! To Babu's trusty partner from Tibet and "Nomad Expeditions:" Lhawang Dhondup, for vitally facilitating and supporting our connection with Babu! To Barbara Addleman of Piedmont, California, the first "Betsy Ross" of STAR ALLIANCE: for hand-sewing in a hurry the first two flags for Mt. Everest and Babu's family, and one for the "Heart of the Amazon!" To Cecilia Franklin of Sew Images, Oakland, for making two additional flags: for Mt. Everest and Babu's family! To Usana of Thailand and the United States, for sewing a beautiful large flag and for many occasions of personal and financial support to Peter and the STAR ALLIANCE foundation! To Poupeh, Iranian 'Round the World cyclist for peace, who signed the Mt. Everest peace flag on 2003 October 3 at the Persian Cultural Center in Berkeley: "To everybody, in the name of love, friendship and global peace!" To Rama Ananda of San Francisco,, who first suggested the idea of Mount Everest for promoting peace in 1988, ten years prior.
To our landlord, Everest Properties of Berkeley, for many years of donating absolutely vital historical and utilitarian storage space!
To BigBiz.com, for hosting our websites .org and .net pro-bono - "For the Good," since 1997!
To Phil Hill, graphics artist extraordinaire: team leader in designing our wonderful STAR ALLIANCE foundation logo in 1987! To Patsy ____ , talented graphics artist of San Francisco, for creating the historic first color STAR ALLIANCE Citizens' Declaration layouts! To Richard at Pacific Print Media (PacPrint.com) for beautiful logo enhancement and card-stationery design work in 2007-8.
To members of the San Francisco Consular Community, especially the (USSR)-Russian Consulate, for facilitating STAR ALLIANCE Foundation communications for peace during the critical wind-down years of the Cold War. To Vladimir Azaroushkin, who as Vice Consul of the USSR personally signed an early STAR ALLIANCE peace declaration at a World Affairs Council reception on Market Street in San Francisco, 1989..
To the late Leonard J. Waxdeck, who for some forty years hosted the "Leonard J. Waxdeck Bird-Calling Contest of Piedmont," setting an example for fun and positive promotions.
To Kate Kelly, Catherine Heenan and many other local Bay Area newscasters who inspired Peter with their friendly "stardom" in the early years.
To "Yaley" George Wooley: for helping the 1980s co-founders to develop and express first in 1987 a lasting STAR ALLIANCE theme: "Radiating Unity - The Happy Integration of Diversity!"
To Azara, Denise Dunee, Connie Madden, Craig Stevens (T-ret.), Ilene Cummings (T-ret.), Warren Kleinmeier, MD (T-ret.), and all the gang at the Warfield Building on Market Street in San Francisco in 1987 and '88 and beyond. To Fatoush and her father, our wonderful Turkish-American landlords at the Warfield! To Cindy Cahill, without whom we could never have made our move to Berkeley, late 1990, in "one piece." To Robert Downing-Olson, who "caught us" then, when there was no other safety net! To all the gang at Ninth Street in Berkeley who contributed in different ways!
To Carolina Marks of Berkeley, distinguished, worldwide initiator of the "World Walls for Peace" movement and the "Peace Empowerment Process" (www.wwfp.org).
To Mamade Kadreebux (T) and his team including Judy Olson (T), Dawn Bravo and Albert Louis Bravo for vital support and friendship at the historic Corder Building in downtown Berkeley! (Please enjoy Mamade's new book: Journey into Ancient Arabia! See: www.mamade.net.).
To Peter Schoewe (T) for key multiple volunteering stints, for vital special support to Peter, and for leading several refreshing local STAR ALLIANCE vacation tours! To James G. "Gil" Chandler, a fountain of creative ideas, who first developed our STAR ALLIANCE foundation website in 1997-98! To Eric Leimseider, for sponsoring Peter to the Sterling Men's Weekend experience, Spring 2005, and remaining a fine friend in the ongoing "Challenge of Peace!"
To our wonderful Salvation Army volunteer accountant friend and his wife in San Francisco in the late '80's; and to East Bay accountant George Balsbaugh, for vital help with our IRS filings in the middle years! To JP of "The Big Eight," for helping us so much with the original application for IRS tax exemption in 1985-6!
To "Savina," the Eastern European women's chorus, for performing so beautifully at our historic reception for Linus Pauling, Ph.D., first celebrity signer and "Star of Peace" award recipient in 1986! To the Lee Swent family of Piedmont: for so generously hosting that memorable event! To Iasos, supportive, pioneering Greek-American artist-musician for peace and happiness!
To Habib Touri, pioneering Arab-American volunteer in San Francisco, 1988-90: for your concepts and encouragements to develop Citizens' Media in Qatar and elsewhere! Your ideas have morphed and manifested in different ways! May we see you again!
To Sean Sohai of Iran and America, who co-created with Peter the STAR ALLIANCE "Argument Transformation Technique," laughing a lot together over dinner in San Francisco! (1990).
To Mariella Thaning and Jessica Phelps, each for several highly influential editing suggestions and encouragements (2008)! To Victoria Collins of the "Pieces of Peace" Project for her wonderful suggestion about "We Choose" in the Declaration (2008-8-3).
To Stephanie Thomas, Doug and Nancy Merritt and all the dedicated local and national people supporting The Campaign for a United States Department of Peace! Special added mention to Stephanie for "Co-creating" the "Ring of All Nations" name with Peter on 2008-8-3, at the end of the latest DofP conference in Berkeley!
To "Cat" Lee: for fabulous help in early 2008 to start "reorganizing the office" for the new era! To her friends David and Cuong for a great "Team Day!" To Jeffrey M. Robbert for repeated volunteering plus generous and crucial tide-over financial support! (Jeffrey has one of the highest donation to income ratios ever!) To Henry C. Winston (T) for important celebrity liaison achievements and longtime personal support to the early co-founders! To Captain Jerry Tsai (T), record-holding pilot on solo flights from California to Taiwan: for his exemplary, longstanding commitment to Taiwan/Mainland-China-USA friendship and support to the STAR ALLIANCE! To Harry Costyk (USAF, ret; T, ret.) for his stalwart, long-term friendship and volunteer "brain-spirit" support that often kept Peter going in the mid-1990's; and for many timely event reminders and networking, including introduction to the great "Skycar" inventor Paul Moller of Moller International! To David Seaborg (T., ret.) for his profound, long-term commitment to the environment and peace, and to both David and Adelle for many occasions of sharing and caring.
To the late Marilyn S. Sengler (who died January 1996): for her generous bequest to Peter - received "in the nick of time" to save the foundation over a year later! To the late R. Peaslee and Virginia Peterson DuMont and their (other) surviving children, Peter's siblings - Virginia "Ginger" DuMont Kelly, Peaslee "Lee" DuMont, MD; Jayne "Jayna" DuMont Mack, Julia "Julie" DuMont Rivin, and Edward C. "Ned" DuMont - for important personal support to STAR ALLIANCE prime founder "Peter Bruce" DuMont! To cousins Melinda and Michael Manlin of Pacific Grove, California, and cousin Stephen D. Hutcheon of San Francisco for important support to Peter and STAR ALLIANCE! To Andrey Mikhaelov and Ludmilla Malofeeva, Director and Deputy Director of the Russian Federation Parliamentary Center, for traveling all the way from Moscow for the one-day Human Rights Conference sponsored by University of California's Boalt Hall School of Law on February 29, "Leap Day" 2008 - and for staying afterward to "Communicate, Cooperate and Celebrate" so beautifully and mutually for ongoing, peaceful Russian-American relations! To our friendly helpful neighbor Helton deCarvalho: for tipping us off to that important conference opportunity. "See what you started?" HdC! To physicist and sportsman Husain Muzaffar for help with the Declaration and pledge, and for a special bond of friendship; and to him and doctoral law student Shoaib Ghias, Stephen and Barbara for encouraging our communication with Pakistan for peace. To Jaman, Carter and many others in the Kadreebux "clan" for their warm and supportive circle of friendship!
To the Zykov Family of Russia and the United States (T, ret.): Mikhail, Tatiana, and Alexandra; "Stars of Peace."
To the late artist Nancy Tankersley Taylor for heroic volunteering for the 1993 Goodwill & Peace, Russian-American friendship concert! To Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral of San Francisco for donating that beautiful and important venue for this historic event; and to "The Odessa Trio" of Russia and the USA for playing so beautifully! To Grace Episcopal Cathedral of San Francisco, too, for its friendly, supportive community support in our early years! To artists Nancy T. Taylor, her sister Arden K. Varnel; to Augusta Lucas-Andrea and again: M. Mamade Kadreebux: for beautiful contributions of "priceless art" from all! To the great "artist-for-peace" Potenza: for loaning several of her spectacular "Hearts of the World" paintings to Peter's 1994, UC Berkeley graduation ceremony in "Peace and Conflict Studies!"
To all Peter's wonderful University of California professors and instructors in "Peace and Conflict" and other relevant disciplines, 1992-1994: including Michael Nagler, Ph.D.; Jerry Sanders, PhD.; John Ratcliff, Ph.D.; Nancy Hanawi, Ph.D.; David Ulancy, Ph.D.; Rita Maran, Ph.D.; and the late David Hoosan, Ph.D.! Thank you all so much for your priceless "nuggets of wisdom" to keep!
To STAR ALLIANCE volunteers Margaret "Mimi" McNabb (T., ret.) for chairing volunteers for our 15thAanniversary in 2000, and for many show tickets, dinners and her loyal friendship since then! To musicians Habib Kahn and Michael DeWall for entertaining beautifully at the 15th anniversary and other events for peace! To Albert Gwin, Gordon Wright, Frank Bowles, M. Jean du Lac, R. Ghosh, Rosalie Say, Estelle Ogus, Yo-Yo Mike, "Trey" Hewitt, Gemma Aquino and Helene Knox, Ph.D. (T, ret.) for various forms of encouraging support over the years! To Jill Janice S., for vital help with preliminary recovery organization in c. 2005. To Evelyn Chase Pilarsky: for her "unbridled" (sic) creativity, sparky energy and active persistence in promoting teamwork, etc.! To Michael D. Nelson, for his dedication to a better world and for introducing us to Japanese "Genius Convention" inventor Dr. Yoshira Nakamats, which precipitated meetings with UC Berkeley's Chancellor Tien, Oakland Mayor Elijhu Harris, and later the historic, unanimous 1995 endorsement of the Oakland City Council! To the Mayor & Council!
To F.M.: for important personal friendship with Peter since 2006!
To HD "Dave" Moe (T), founder of Berkeley's "Living Philosophers" group, for persistent encouragement to "Write the book(s)!" etc.. To Dr. Rash Ghosh of Bangladesh and America; for his generous and cooperative spirit and his contributions to the welfare of others!
To various schools and groups for the opportunity to speak out on "The Vocabulary of Peace" and "Universal Peace Ethics."
To KQED's "Forum" with Michael Krasny et al, and to NPR's "Talk of the Nation" with Neal Conan et al, for important opportunities to speak out to large radio audiences!
To our friends at the World Affairs Council of Northern California, the Commonwealth Club of California, and the United Nations Associations of San Francisco and Berkeley: for their critical ongoing work in international and public affairs! Without your work (for example) we would never have met then Secretary of State George Shultz and then Supreme-Soviet/US-Canada Studies scholar Georgi Arbatov in classic "free-speech" style at San Francisco events in the crucial, catalytic Spring of 1985!
To Rajen Thapa and Family of "Taste of the Himalayas" restaurant for hosting our 20th anniversary celebration in 2005! Again: to Robert Downing-Olson (T, ret.) for vital early and transitional support from 1989-1993. To Lia Belli for hosting a celebrity reception in 1990. To David Lawrence, Esq., without whose timely, substantial loan our historic tribute dinner for Russian journalist and "Star of Peace" award recipient Vladamir Pozner at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco in 1990 would never have happened!
To trademark attorneys Jefferson Scher, Lawrence Townsend and Thomas Cook, for generous pro-bono support over the years since 1997! To Berkeley attorney Walter K. Pyle for many years of pro-bono legal advice and serving as our official corporate "agent for service." To attorney George D. Oliver for helping Peter recover from his "big fall" in 2003! To attorney Robert H. Allen of Watsonville, California, for pro-bono assistance to Jeffrey Robbert on behalf of the STAR ALLIANCE foundation. Special recognition to elected official-signers: Hon. Ron Dellums, Hon. Barbara Lee, Hon. Elihu M. Harris and Hon. Kriss Worthington!
To all the "children-now-youth" of the Carl Munck Elementary School who had Peter part-time in 1999-2000 and signed the STAR ALLIANCE Young People's Declaration for Peace!
To Randy Ray Robinson, wherever you are, for your devoted fandom to Stevie Wonder which, in our early days, encouraged us in presenting the "Star of Peace" award to Stevie onstage at the Oakland Coliseum Arena during his 1986 concert there!
To J.N., Colby Cogswell, John and Linda Gage; Nat and Marilyn Goldhaber; Andrew Hayes, Jefferson Scher, George (T) and Susan Troy; Susan __; and all our other supporters and donors, large and small since 1985! To Lillian Darr, Maria Peterson, Ken ___ Neil Prunty, Adam Ladd, Milo and Rodney Neldam and others.
To Ken Norwood of Shared Living Resource Center, for truly "walking his talk" and generously donating shared office space during the mid-1990's! To Kim Norwood for donating his PhotoShop books.
To Everest Properties, The City of Berkeley, and Echo Housing for helping Peter prevent homelessness while "saving the ship" during perhaps the lowest point! To the City of Berkeley's North Berkeley Senior Center, and Michael Magey of San Francisco for helping the recovery organizing process in 2008.
To Ellen Trabilcy for excellent photography and support at the U.S. National Parks, Golden Gate National Recreation Area June 7th, 2008 Open House. (Ellen photo-recorded Peter DuMont's enthusiastic interaction with Parks planners regarding the proposed national-global monument for peace at Alcatraz!) To Park Planners for duly considering our bold proposal-in-process!
To Michael Gamble, MD; Jeanine Mattheson. MS; Diane Hira Rose, MA, MFT; the Wright Institute and others for important personal support to the founder.
To the United States Social Security System, legacy of the FDR years and gift of The People to themselves: for providing a safety net and a practical road to recovery from the circumstantial overwhelm created by "economic discrimination before the law!"
To the late, great Henry G. Bieler, MD, an inspiration to Peter and author of the classic 1965 book: Food is Your Best Medicine; to Drs. Livingston, Harper, Noble, Rezai and Tong of Lifelong Dental in Berkeley; to Dr. Ali Allen Rezai & Co., DDS of Oakland; to Dr. Jayum Starks of West Berkeley Family Practice; to Dr. Andrea Thatch, Lily Wolff, LCSW; and the entire Lifelong Medical system; and to Alta Bates hospital in Berkeley - many thanks to all these doctors, their fine staff; and to regular practice of the TM and TM-Sidhis ™ techniques (see next) for helping keep Peter healthy over the years!
To the late, great Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his ongoing institutions and supporters, for gifting both STAR ALLIANCE 1980's Co- founders (and the wide world) with the Transcendental Meditation ("T.M.") and TM-Sidhis techniques & programs for deep relaxation, stress reduction and "The Science of Creative Intelligence!" Special thanks to instructors George Ellis, Stuart Moody, Jay B. Marcus, Esq. (The Crime Vaccine) and others who have worked teaching TM in prison and rehabilitation programs. To Franklin Harris for kind encouragement to develop the musical!
To Angela Villarreal for her strong encouragements July 23rd, 2008 on the Declaration and organizational description; and for "co-creating" in the expanded "Pledge of Nonviolence, Good Will and Peace," with her lively supportive presence, the lines about "beings of higher intelligence" and "everyone can be higher in their intelligence…"
Again to the Persian Cultural Center of Berkeley, our neighbor, for consistent friendliness, and for their annual "Norouz" Persian New Year's celebration at Spring Equinox - a wonderful opportunity to share publicly the STAR ALLIANCE Mt. Everest flag of hope for peace! Ditto to the annual Himalayan Fair of Berkeley!
To musician Michael Bates for his wonderful, inspirational song - a fitting theme for STAR ALLIANCE: "Timeless...We Are Timeless...!"
To Ian and Matthew, father and son at Canterbury Press of Berkeley: for many vital, donated color Declaration, "Star of Peace" award and other color document prints and copies during the 1990's! To CopyGrafik of Berkeley. To CopyRite, CopyWorld, CopyMat and Krishna Copy of Berkeley and San Francisco: for many copy and computer services, plus important discounts and donations over the years. (And to CopyWorld for some "third track" citizen diplomacy to Pakistan!) To The Starving Musician of Berkeley and to Cambridge Sound, for sound equipment donated to our Twentieth Anniversary! To Artist & Craftsman Supply of Berkeley for donated frames!
To Dennis and Scott and all at "The Enchanted Crystal" of Union Street, San Francisco, for all their beautiful, donated "Star of Peace" crystal medallions! To Andrea Lacedonia for recommending them, and for her friendship over the years!
To Staples: for supportive promotional discounts through their new Berkeley Store! To Radston's Office Supply, too, for excellent prices and service over the years. To Capital One and USAA for business policies and practices supportive to our efforts. To M.A.C. of Berkeley, our friendly local MacIntosh store; and to the Used Computer Store; and the "Cartridge World" store of Berkeley.
To the "STAR ALLIANCE" global airline alliance, for helping make our name (established by the foundation in 1986) an increasingly "household word" since 1997! And to Hertz Corporation and the airline alliance for many, much-appreciated rent-a-car "free day" bonus certificates!
And to all those other dear friends who should be mentioned and have been inadvertently omitted to date! You are much appreciated! Please be in touch!
Finally, to the great Immanuel Kant (18th century German philosopher) who emphasized the importance of a good will, and encouraged each of us to act as if our choices were to become universal laws! ["The Categorical Imperative."] On his tombstone is the following quotation.

"Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and more steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above…and the moral law within…!"

Immanuel Kant on the Two Great Sources of Wonder in the Universe: (More complete quotation):

"Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and more steadily we reflect on them; the starry heavens above and the moral law within. . . The former view of a countless multitude of worlds…[obliterates] as it were, my importance as an animal creature, which must give back to the planet (a mere speck in the universe) the matter from which it came, the matter which is for a little time provided with vital force, we know not how. The latter on the contrary, infinitely raises my worth as that of an intelligence by my personality, in which the moral law reveals a life independent of all animality and even of the whole world of sense--at least so far as it may be inferred from the purposive destination assigned to my existence by this law, a destination which is not restricted to the conditions and limits of this life but reaches into the infinite." (Kant, Critique of Practical Reason, 1788)

"It is impossible to think of anything at all in the world, or even beyond it, that could be considered good without limitation except a good will." (Kant: Groundwork for The Metaphysics of Morals)