A MEMORIAL TO

Wally Ellinger

BY CURE FOUNDER CHARLES SULLIVAN

“In the big world, with its billions of people, our lives revolve around a few dear friends, Wally was one of those people for me, for you, and for many others. I remember all of those newsletter mailing parties at Ruth and Wally's, all the meetings he chaired.”

Just as Alan Pogue has captured through his photographs the spirit of individuals, so he has done with the above words. Alan, like Pauline and myself, deeply regret that we are not present with you today to celebrate the life of an unforgettable friend and prison reformer.

Alan is in South America taking pictures for the second edition of Dignity of the Individual, our publication that will report on the prison conditions of the 35 countries of the Americas. Alan also missed the memorial service for Molly Ivins who also did her part in helping CURE become Texas CURE in the seventies and is now International CURE.

One of Wally's contributions was to teach us practical organizing principles that we have incorporated into CURE's modus operandi. Last weekend, I journeyed to Boston to revitalize our chapter there. One of the reasons was that Wally emphasized to me many times that, as a priest, he would travel hundreds of miles in Missouri just to simply meet with a person who was working in social services under him. "Charlie, I call it the apostolate of meeting. Phone and letters will be much more effective after this encounter." he would say.

Other Wallyisms that we still use is the "open mike" evening where any person at a CURE convention has the opportunity to speak for a few minutes. The first time this was used was our going-away fund-raiser in 1985, which Wally chaired and raised over 10,000 dollars. Even John Henry Faulk took advantage of the open mike that wonderful evening.

And Pauline brought up another creative and effective fundraising evening he sponsored for CURE when he had his 60th birthday. He asked people to “give either 60 cents, 6 dollars or 60 dollars!”

This was almost 30 years ago, and like Alan mentions, Wally and Ruth's home was like a second home for CURE people and for many other social activists especially during their annual Christmas party.

I had the honor of staying downstairs in their home when I came back from Washington two years ago to participate in the 50-year celebration of The Texas Observer. And, of course, Wally and Ruth hosted a Texas-CURE meeting while I was there.

Wally was so excited about the turnout especially the presence of his dear friend, Terrance Hazel. Wally wrote to Terrance in prison supporting him as he took on the racism of the "System". Terrance was now out and shared some of these "horror" stories that evening.

At the end of my visit, Wally set the alarm and drove me very early to the airport. I had to be in Tulsa for a meeting of Oklahoma-CURE. He told me then that he was just waiting now to be called home. Wally, as we know, was a deeply spiritual person. And, as I look back now to then and over the years, I cannot help but think about what Molly said and lived. And, Wally certainly would stand and lead the applause since he truly lived these words:

"Keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it".