Beyond Nuclear presents Kay Cumbow of Michigan with the 2016 Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud "Unsung Hero" Award at ANA's DC Days

Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear presents Kay Cumbow of Michigan with the 2016 Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud "Unsung Hero" Award at ANA's D.C. Days on Capitol Hill. Photo by Scott Kovac, Nuclear Watch New Mexico.At the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability's (ANA) 28th annual D.C. Days, Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps presented the 2016 Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud "Unsung Hero" Award to Kay Cumbow of Michigan, for her more than three decades of grassroots anti-nuclear activism. The awards reception was held April 19th, on the top floor of Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, overlooking a panoramic view of the District of Columbia at sunset.

Kevin's introduction of Kay describes the Judy Johnsrud "Unsung Hero" Award, and includes a far from complete list of the reasons why Kay is most deserving.

The text of the award certificate reads: Alliance for Nuclear Accountability and Beyond Nuclear award the 2016 Dr. Judith H. Johnsrud Unsung Hero Award to Kay Cumbow, for demonstrating tireless dedication and stubborn determination, despite daunting odds, in her creative, visionary work for a Nuclear-Free Great Lakes.

Here are Kay Cumbow's prepared remarks.

Kay attended DC Days as a member of a delegation from Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's (WILPF) Michigan Chapter. WILPF, founded more than a century ago, is an ANA member group, as is Beyond Nuclear. (WILPF celebrates its 101st birthday on 4/28/16!)

The award is named in honor of Judy Johnsrud (1931-2014), a Beyond Nuclear founding board member, in celebration of her nearly half-century of anti-nuclear leadership. Judy herself was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Sierra Club in 2012. Beyond Nuclear featured a tribute to Judy on the back cover of our Three Mile Island meltdown +35 years commemoration newsletter.