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=                           Peace_Pilgrim                            =
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                            Introduction
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Peace Pilgrim (July 18, 1908 - July 7, 1981), born Mildred Lisette
Norman, was an American spiritual teacher, mystic, pacifist,
vegetarian activist and peace activist. In 1952, she became the first
woman to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one
season. Starting on January 1, 1953, in Pasadena, California, she
adopted the name "Peace Pilgrim" and walked across the United States
for 28 years, speaking with others about peace. She was on her seventh
cross-country journey when she died.

A transcript of a 1964 conversation with Peace Pilgrim from a
broadcast on KPFK radio in Los Angeles was published as "Steps Toward
Inner Peace". She stopped counting miles in that year, having walked
more than 25,000  mi for peace.


                             Early life
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Mildred Lisette Norman was born on a poultry farm in Egg Harbor City,
New Jersey, in 1908, the oldest of three children. Her mother,
Josephine Marie Ranch, was a tailor, and her father, Ernest Norman, a
carpenter. Although poor, the Norman family was admired in a community
of German immigrants, whose relatives originally settled the area
after escaping Germany in 1855.

In 1933 she eloped with Stanley Ryder and moved to Philadelphia in
1939. They divorced in 1946. She became a vegetarian for ethical
reasons, stating that she could not kill any living creature. She
believed that meat eating was poisonous to the body and lived on a
diet of fruits, nuts, vegetables, wholegrains and dairy products.

In 1952, she became the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian
Trail.


                             Pilgrimage
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In the book, "Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words," she
related that her physical journey began after having experienced a
"spiritual awakening," following a long period of meditation practice.
She said that this awakening was a direct, mystical experience of the
"creator's" love. She claimed that this spurred her to then start her
decades-long walking journey for peace.

Her pilgrimage spanned almost three decades beginning January 1, 1953,
in Pasadena, California. The Korean War was in progress. She continued
walking for 28 years, spanning the American involvement in the Vietnam
War and beyond. Peace Pilgrim was a frequent speaker at churches,
universities, and local and national radio and television.

Expressing her ideas about peace, she referred to herself only as
"Peace Pilgrim." Peace Pilgrim's only possessions were the clothes on
her back and the few items she carried in the pockets of her blue
tunic which read "Peace Pilgrim" on the front and "25,000 miles on
foot for peace" on the back. She had no organizational backing,
carried no money, and would not even ask for food or shelter. When she
began her pilgrimage she had taken a vow to "remain a wanderer until
mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and
fasting until given food."

On July 7, 1981, while being driven to a speaking engagement near
Knox, Indiana, Peace Pilgrim was killed in an automobile accident. The
accident occurred on Indiana State Road 23, around 100  meters south
of the bridge crossing Eagle Creek about 1.6  miles north of Indiana
State Road 23's intersection with Indiana State Road 8. A marker is in
the front lawn on the west side of the highway. At the time of her
death, she was crossing the United States for the seventh time. After
her death, her body was cremated, and her ashes were interred in a
family plot near Egg Harbor City, New Jersey.


                               Legacy
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Friends of Peace Pilgrim is an all-volunteer non-profit organization
dedicated to making information about the life and message of Peace
Pilgrim available freely to all who ask. Since 1983 they have
published and distributed over 400,000 copies of the book, 'Peace
Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words', and over 1.5 million
copies of the booklet, 'Steps Toward Inner Peace'.  Books and booklets
have been sent to over 100 countries. The book has been translated
into 12 languages and the booklet into over 20 languages.
In 2005 Peace Pilgrim Park was created in her hometown of Egg Harbor
City, New Jersey on part of the site of the former Neutral Water
Health Resort Sanitarium. Since 2007 an annual Peace Pilgrim
Celebration has been observed in the park and at sites throughout Egg
Harbor City on September 20-22.

In 2017 she was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The same
year, she was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame.


                               Awards
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*'Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award'
*Inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2016)
*Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame (2017)


                              See also
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* Granny D
* List of peace activists
* List of people who have walked across the United States
* Ronald Podrow


                          Further reading
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*
*  (Ages 3-7 Grades K-1)


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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Pilgrim