We Have Lost Three Dear Friends

In the beginning, there were the "Wilke slides" and the Handbook on Abortion, both created by Barbara Wilke, RN and her husband, Dr John Wilke.  Without them there would have been no way to teach people about the horrors of abortion.  The Wilkes have continued as leaders of the right to life movement all these years.  Barbara died on April 14 at almost 90 years of age after 65 years of marriage, leaving six children, 22 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.  Jack Wilke, former President of the National Right to Life Committee,  continues as President of Life Issues Institute, which still continues pro-life education. Howie Phillips died on April 20.  He came from Boston and graduated from Harvard.  He ran for U S Senate in Massachusetts in 1978 as a Republican and for President many times in the Constitution Party.  He founded the Conservative Caucus.  He served as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity under President Nixon.  Howie was a genuine pro-lifer. When President Reagan proposed Sandra Day O'Connor for the Supreme Court, Howie publicly opposed her because of her voting record in the Arizona legislature and her connections with Planned Parenthood.  Others were aware of O'Connor's record but Howie was the only person who correctly identified David Souter's stealth positions.  Howie opposed Souter because "I read his senior thesis at Harvard in which he said he was a legal positivist ...and that he rejected all higher law theories, such as those spelled out in our Declaration of Independence. In addition, he was a trustee of two hospitals where he successfully changed the policy of those two hospitals from zero abortion to convenience abortion." Joseph R. Nolan, the pro-life gentleman, was appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court in 1981 by Governor Edward J. King where he served for fourteen years.  Justice Nolan authored and coauthored several law books. He also served as a professor at Suffolk University Law School. Prior to joining the SJC, Justice Nolan served on the Appeals Court, the Superior Court and the Brighton Municipal Court. Earlier in his career, Justice Nolan served as General Counsel to the Massachusetts Lottery Commission and was an associate at the law firm of Mansfield, Connolly and Gartland in Boston. A veteran of the United States Navy, Justice Nolan received his undergraduate and law degrees from Boston College. He later received that law school's St. Thomas More Award for distinguished service in professional and private life. So many of us had the pleasure of attending a pro-life event where Judge Nolan was the emcee or one of the guest speakers.  There was no more gracious or delightful speaker.  Judge Nolan died yesterday morning (Tuesday). Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"