Thomas Lewis (peace activist)
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Thomas Lewis (1940-2008) was an artist, peace activist, and a father.
In the late 60s, he was involved in such "actions" as the Baltimore Four, who poured blood on draft files at the Baltimore Customs House in 1967, and Catonsville Nine, who "napalmed" draft files in Catonsville, Maryland.
Lewis was active in the civil rights movement as a member of CORE and has close ties to the Catholic Worker Movement. He was a member of the Prince of Peace Plowshares, and was arrested many times over the years.
Lewis was a well known artist throughout the Worcester area, and many of his pieces still survive in galleries and archives throughout the USA. He was an art teacher at Anna Maria College, and he taught printmaking at the Worcester Art Museum.
Lewis was a memorable figure in the "radical Catholic" movement for his combination of art and activism; for example, Daniel Berrigan described his art as "…a poignant and powerful witness to the survival of the endangered conscience…. He heals the ancient split between ethics and imagination."
He dearly loved his family, and they became a huge part of his life. He often said that his pride and glory was his daughter, Nora Lewis Borbely, and she was by far his greatest accomplishment.
Lewis died in his sleep on April 4, 2008. He was 68.
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[edit] References
- Berrigan, Daniel (1970). The Trial of the Catonsville Nine. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-0549-5.
- Berrigan, Daniel (1983). 'Nightmare of God. Portland: Sunburst Press. ISBN 0934648085.
- Lynd, Straughton; & Lynd, Alice (Eds.) (1995). Nonviolence in America: A Documentary History. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
