On Tuesday evening, January 13 Senator George Mitchell delivered the Vance Lecture to the Kent community gathered in St. Joseph’s Chapel.
The Senator gave his first-hand account of chairing the Northern Ireland peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement and spoke at length on the search for peace and stability in the Middle East. He emphasized that hope and opportunity are the prerequisites for lasting peace among all peoples. “Conflicts are created, conducted and sustained by human beings; they can be ended by human beings,” Senator Mitchell said.
George Mitchell entered the U.S. Senate in 1980 and went on to a distinguished career in the Senate that spanned 14 years. In January 1989, he became Senate majority leader. He held that position until he left the Senate in 1995. In 1996, the governments of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland asked Senator Mitchell to chair the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. He has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his service in the peace talks. These include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the U.S. government can give; the Philadelphia Liberty Medal; the Truman Institute Peace Prize; the German Peace Prize; and the United Nations (UNESCO) Peace Prize.
Kent School’s Vance Lecture is given in memory of Cyrus R. Vance, Kent Class of 1935, who served as Secretary of State from 1977-80. The topic of the Lecture is the prevention and resolution of violent conflict in our world.
