This special edition of the IIPT Newsletter is dedicated to an important component of IIPT history – the story of the creation of the Portrait of the Global Family. IIPT members and stakeholders have long used this portrait in tandem with “The Credo of the Peaceful Traveller” to encourage people to be ambassadors for peace around the world. This special edition commemorates the 30th anniversary of the IIPT Global Summit of 1994 and the portrait of the peaceful traveller.
THE PORTRAIT OF THE GLOBAL FAMILY AND THE CREDO OF THE PEACEFUL TRAVELLER
ARTIST PADRE JOHNSON
CREATOR OF THE ONE EARTH – ONE FAMILY PORTRAIT
By Louis D’Amore, Founder and President Emeritus IIPT
At the IIPT Second Global Summit in 1994:’Building a Sustainable World Through Tourism, we had four persons who had travelled around the world: Edgar Mitchell, Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 14 in 1971, he was the sixth person to walk on the Moon; Soviet Cosmonaut Dr. Georgy Grechko, who set a record at the time for the longest stay in space of more than 3 months aboard the Salyut-6 space station in 1977-78. They traveled around the world every 90 minutes.
IIPT’s “First Ambassador for Peace”, wheelchair athlete Rick Hanson of Vancouver, Canada, who in 26 months, in 1985 – 87, wheeled around the world, 40,000 kilometers in a wheelchair, visiting 34 countries and raising $23 million is support of spinal cord research.
And Padre Johnson, who in the 1990’s, travelled around the world for 13 years and living in 159 nations, travelling by almost every means of available transportation including a few thousand miles of walking to capture faces of the Global Human Family.
But his story begins more than 20 years prior to that, in 1966 – 68 when he entered the Navy Marine Chaplain Corps during the Vietnam War. In view of his extensive medical background and also his very successful community and campus ministry as an ordained Lutheran Pastor, he was officially assigned for the first time in American Military History to serve an independent duty position as both Chaplain and field medical officer with a black beret “River Raider” Assault Force One Special Forces Unit in the Mekong Delta Region. He literally cared for the body and soul of those he served and was branded with the respected name of “Padre.”
For Padre’s many successful lifesaving medical rescue efforts under some of the most mission impossible combat conditions, during which he was wounded in two separate battles, he was very highly decorated with two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit with Valor, the Bronze Star, two purple hearts and the Vietnamese Cross. He became one of the highest decorated Chaplains in U.S. history
A year after Padre returned from Vietnam, he was honored as One of the “Ten Outstanding Young Americans” – it was only the second time in the award’s history from its beginning in 1938 that this prestigious honor was given to someone representing the military. The award was given to Padre for his many lifesaving medical accomplishments under impossible conditions.
Padre was also a very successful college athlete in football and baseball during which he was offered a bonus contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was an emergency room and operating room medical technician during the period of his medical studies and then entered Lutheran Theological Seminary at the University of Chicago and became an ordained Lutheran Minister prior to his four years of active military service.
Following his four years in the active military and in Vietnam, he was offered a series of state and national leadership positions in government and human services in the state of Minnesota. There he created and implemented some very successful community-based crime and drug abuse prevention as the Director of Development for the Governor’s Crime Commission and later as Director of Community Development for the National Technical Services Foundation.
In the late 70’s, Padre departed from his active Ministry in the Lutheran Church and returned to Wyoming where his career was launched in Western, wildlife and portrait art. His “Ghost Riders in the Sky” painting was globally distributed and won the national western artist award.
At the pinnacle of his nationally recognized and celebrated western wild life art career, he received a Gold Medal Award for “the quality of excellence as a sketch and oil paint artist” in Oslo, Norway, where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented. At that celebration, he was strongly encouraged to travel the planet, under foundation sponsorship, to capture the best in the human drama through his portrait art talent and in writing his worldview insights.
In the 1990’s Padre completed his 13-year Faces of the Global Family project by actually living with the people as they lived in 159 nations. During and following his global adventure, Padre painted and sketched over 500 portraits including his centerpiece painting of 25 friends, surrounding our incredible earth, representing the then 7 billion people that occupy a space on our amazing planet.
PORTRAIT OF THE GLOBAL FAMILY
In December 1992, his book, “Journeys with the Global Family”, and his “Faces of the World Art Exhibition”, were celebrated at a very successful premier opening at the United Nations in New York. Another highlight overseas premier exhibit and presentation of his book and “Faces of the World Art Exhibition” occurred in Beijing, China’s Forbidden City Royal Palace site. This was the first time an American artist was invited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to exhibit at the Royal Palace site.
Padre arrived at the Second Global Conference a couple days early with a collection of his art to exhibit. I had the opportunity to have lunch with Padre which was quite an experience, full of laughter and engaging conversation about his travels. During the Conference, Padre struck up a friendship with Georgy Grechko, the Soviet Cosmonaut, who also had an engaging sense of humor
Following the Conference, Padre graciously allowed IIPT to use his “Faces of the World Centerpiece Painting” as an expression of “One Earth One Family” to promote together with our “IIPT Credo of the Peaceful Traveler.” He also provided us with 25 copies of his award-winning book, “Journeys with the Global Family” to present to prominent personalities in subsequent Global Conferences and Summits.
I’ve remained in contact with Padre by phone over the years. In my last conversation with him a couple of months, he advised that they are doing a movie of his life and that he is scheduled to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor – the country’s highest military honor.