2013 Tom Dooley Awards
Event Honorees
Thomas A. Dooley Award — Bishop Gene Robinson
V. Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7, 2003, having served as Canon to the Ordinary (Assistant to the Bishop) for nearly 18 years. He was consecrated a Bishop on All Saints Sunday, November 2, 2003, and was invested as the Ninth Bishop of New Hampshire on March 7, 2004. A 1969 graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, he has a B.A. in American Studies / History. In 1973, he completed the M.Div. degree at the General Theological Seminary in New York, was ordained deacon, and then priest, serving as Curate at Christ Church, Ridgewood, New Jersey. Much of his ministry has focused on helping congregations and clergy, especially in times of conflict, utilizing his skills in congregational dynamics, conflict resolution and mediation. He holds two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards from national civil rights organizations.
His story is featured in the 2007 feature-length documentary, For the Bible Tells Me So. In 2008, Robinson’s book In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God (Seabury Books, New York) was released. Bishop Robinson has been active particularly in the area of full civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Working at the state, national and international levels, he has spoken and lobbied for equal protection under the law and full civil marriage rights. He has been honored by many LGBT organizations for this work, including the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, GLAD, NH Civil Liberties Union, GLAAD, and the Equality Forum. Bishop Robinson was invited by Barack Obama to give the invocation at the opening inaugural ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009.
The Bishop’s latest book, God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage, was published by Alfred Knopf in the fall of 2012. He is the focus of the 2012 documentary Love Free or Die: How the Bishop of New Hampshire is Changing the World. He is the father of two grown daughters and the proud grandfather of two granddaughters. He lives with his husband, Mark Andrew, who is employed by the State of New Hampshire’s Department Health & Human Services.
Distinguished Alumni Award — John Blandford
Dr. John Blandford (ND ’83, ’99) is Principal Deputy Director of the Division of Global HIV/AIDS at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which plays a key role in implementing the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease globally. In his current position, John oversees the management of CDC’s global HIV treatment, care and prevention programs and of its more than 2,200 staff working in 45 country offices and at headquarters in Atlanta.
John started his work with CDC’s global HIV program in 2003, establishing the division’s leadership in the use of economic research and financial analyses to support sustainable scale-up and efficient operation of global PEPFAR programs. He directed the PEPFAR HIV Treatment Costing Project, a multi-country study the costs and cost drivers of PEPFAR’s treatment programs and pioneered routine expenditure analyses to inform PEPFAR program management and efficiency. For two years, Dr. Blandford was seconded to the State Department’s Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, where he led implementation science activities across multiple U.S. government agencies and guided efforts to project global resource needs for scale-up of PEPFAR programs.
John received his Bachelor’s degree in theological studies from Notre Dame and a Master’s in economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He returned to Notre Dame for his PhD in economics, where his dissertation research focused on the effects of sexual identity in shaping labor market earnings and occupational outcomes. While pursuing his doctorate, John was an active and vocal advocate for LGBTQ campus community. He served as Co-Chair of Gay and Lesbian Students of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (GLND/SMC), and was central to mobilizing a sustained response to an attempt to expel the group from campus, eliciting broad campus support for GLND/SMC and drawing extensive national media attention to the issue.
John also contributed to efforts to support HIV awareness and services for Notre Dame and South Bend, participating in efforts that successfully brought the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt to Stepan Center, and he served as a member and treasurer of the board of directors of AIDS Ministries/AIDS Assist in South Bend. John was a founding member of GALA-ND/SMC and he served as its chair from 1999-2001. John’s greatest achievement was attracting the attention of Tom Pomeroyundefinedhis partner of 18 years and spouse of fiveundefinedat a social gathering in the rectory of South Bend’s St. Joseph’s Church.
Lawrence Condren GALA-ND/SMC Distinguished Service Award — Catherine Pittman
Dr. Catherine Pittman is an associate professor of psychology at Saint Mary's College, where she is currently serving as the faculty advisor for SAGA, the Straight and Gay Alliance. As a clinical psychology professor, Catherine teaches (according to her) some of the most interesting courses in the department, including Abnormal Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Clinical Practicum. A practicing clinical psychologist, Catherine co-authored a book (with her girl friend Lisa Karle) entitled Extinguishing Anxiety: Whole Brain Strategies to Relieve Fear and Stress. In addition to treating anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD, she also works with individuals with gender dysphoria. Catherine's Ph.D. is from Northern Illinois University and her Bachelor of Science is from Central Michigan University.
Catherine became involved in fighting discrimination after her sister lost her job as a teacher due to her sexual orientation. Catherine joined PinS (People in Support) at Saint Mary's College as the group worked to include sexual orientation in the college's nondiscrimination policy. After success in this endeavor, some members of PinS thought they would try their hand at extending protection against discrimination to all citizens who lived, worked, or played in South Bend. In March, 2012, Catherine led South Bend Equality to victory when an amendment to the South Bend Human Rights Ordinance became law. This amendment, which South Bend Equality members worked on getting passed for eight years, outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity within the city. Catherine has lived in South Bend since 1989, and has two daughters.
Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement — Sr. Margaret Farley
The recipient of eleven honorary degrees, the John Courtney Murray Award for Excellence in Theology, and a Luce Fellowship in Theology, Professor Farley is a past president of the Society of Christian Ethics and the Catholic Theological Society of America. She has served on the Bioethics Committee of Yale–New Haven Hospital and on the Ethics Committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Professor Farley directs and co-directs two projects relating to women, theology, and response to HIV/AIDS in Africa.
She has published more than eighty articles and chapters of books on medical ethics, sexual ethics, social ethics, historical theological ethics, ethics and spirituality, and feminist ethics. She is the author or editor of six books, including Personal Commitments: Beginning, Keeping, Changing and most recently Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics. The Vatican denounced Sr. Farley for Just Love in June of 2012, which offers contemporary interpretations of Christian ethics around gender and sexuality, including same-sex relationships and marriages.
