By Julie A. Miller
Catholic Herald

Superior Catholic receives Peacemaker of Year award

SUPERIOR -- Superiorite Jan Provost, founder of the northland chapter of Grandmothers for Peace, has been named a Wisconsin Peacemaker of the Year by the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice (WNPJ). She received the award in a ceremony at WNPJ's annual assembly in Madison on Oct. 7.

WNPJ, which was founded during the Gulf War in 1991, is a broad-based network of groups and individuals working for peace and justice throughout the world. According to Bonnie Block, chair of WNPJ, one of the network's aims is to make the work people do for peace and justice visible. In keeping with that principle, the theme for one of the assembly events was "Light up Wisconsin." Provost is one of the people that lights up the state, Block said.

Provost was chosen for the award because "the committee was very impressed with the long-haul work that Jan has done. Grandmothers for Peace is one of those good organizations that makes it clear you can be an activist at any age," Block said.

There were three awards. Provost's is in the over-65 category. Other award winners are Michael Rebholz of Milwaukee in the under 25 category and Steve Watrous, Milwaukee, in the 25 to 65 category.

Provost, who will be 68 on her next birthday, is delighted by the award. "It's really wonderful for this area to get recognition from Madison." But she doesn't take all the credit. "It's really for all the grannies. It isn't just one person," she said, referring to members of Grandmothers for Peace. Provost founded the organization's northland chapter, encompassing the Duluth-Superior area, in 1983. The chapter currently has 33 members.

Provost's sister in California, Barbara Wiedner, started the original Grandmothers for Peace in 1982. It is now an international organization, with members in 34 U.S. cities and 16 nations all over the world.

What Provost describes as her epiphany took place when she read a magazine article about nuclear weapons. "I was busy raising seven children, teaching catechism and involved in the PTA," Provost said, and hadn't paid attention to those kinds of issues. After reading the article, she knew she had to take action. "I feel it is up to our generation to clean it up. Once you know, you're obligated to do something" about nuclear weapons, she said.

Wiedner's activism was also largely responsible for Provost's involvement in peace issues. "She's my idol. It was really her. If she can go and get herself arrested and be so passionate about it, I can too," Provost said.

In discussing the worldwide organization of Grandmothers for Peace, Provost said, "In fact the day that I get my award on Saturday (Oct. 7th) is the international day of protest to stop the militarization of space."

She is very concerned about the issue. "Can you imagine the arms race moving right into the heavens. Isn't that awful. We look to the heavens for comfort. There's so many things we need in the world and we are wasting our resources on Star Wars."

Star Wars refers to the Strategic Defense Initiative, a proposed defense system against nuclear missiles that would be partly based in space.

The northland chapter of Grandmothers for Peace works toward peace and justice in several ways. Each year they conduct a drive to collect "non-war" toys. This year it will start Nov. 22 and ends on Dec. 20, Provost said. Decorated boxes are placed in businesses, churches, schools and even day care centers all over Duluth and Superior where people can drop their donations of new, nonviolent toys. In addition, Provost said, the boxes spread the theme of nonviolence.

"We've been doing it for more than 17 years. Last year we got students at Superior Senior High School involved. It just gets better and better."

The toys are given to needy children through the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse in Superior, Loaves and Fishes in Duluth, and Toys for Tots in Superior.

According to Provost, they also protest and risk arrest. "Local grannies go to Project ELF in Clam Lake. It's the nuclear trigger," she said. The main protest day at ELF is Mother's Day. "We've been giving up our Mother's Day with our families for many years," she added.

Project ELF, in the Chequamegon National Forest, is a naval facility for transmitting electromagnetic waves to submarines. One of the reasons activists protest is that as a "trigger" the site can initiate a first strike submarine attack.

Not all of their activities are so hazardous. "The other thing we do locally is one of the grannies crochets an afghan and we raffle it off. Proceeds go to a student, either a senior in a local high school or someone going to a local college, who is working for social justice issues in the community," Provost said.

The group also sponsors an international studies forum each Thursday night, conducted by Hadji Dokhanchi, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

In addition to her involvement in Grandmothers for Peace, Provost serves as a member of a Superior community task force against violence. She and her husband, Ronald, are members of the Cathedral of Christ the King Parish, where Provost is a greeter and a befriender, visiting those in need of a friend. "I was nominated (for the award) by Liz Schmidt from Cathedral, she's one of our grannies," Provost said, adding that Schmidt is in charge of the befrienders and the parish social justice committee.

Provost lives in Superior's Billings Park neighborhood in the house where she grew up. She attended St. Patrick School, which was in Billings Park and graduated from Superior Cathedral High School. She and Ronald are expecting their ninth grandchild soon.

Provost calls Ronald the "unsung hero" and a "grandfather for peace." He is always there in the background, she said, giving rides, hauling things. "He puts up with some late suppers and not so many chocolate chip cookies," she added.

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