Boston Humanitarian Award Recipients
An award of Affiliated Family Funeral Homes
together with the Boston Theological Institute in recognition
of persons actively engaged in the field of dying, death and
bereavement (education, pastoral work, chaplaincy, social
work), hospice care (medicine and allied fields), and persons
who have personally experienced personal loss in their own
lives and can speak empathetically.
1996 Connie S. Bickford, Establishment of
the Annual Bereavement Seminar for Seminarians; Field Educator,
Boston University School of Theology
1997 Merle R. Jordan, Work in fields of Psychology and Theology,
the Danielson Boston University School of Theology
1998 Sister Zita M. Fleming, C.J.S., Ministry to AJDS patients
1999 Mary Robinson, Director of Pastoral
Care, Children's Hospital, Boston
2000 Maria Trozzi, Director of The Good
Grief Program, Boston Medical Center; author of Talking With
Children About Loss
2001 Judith Lewis Herman, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry,
Harvard Medical Director of Training, Victims of Violence
Program at Cambridge Hospital
2002 Victor Scalise, Jr., Minister; Director, National Center
for Death Education, Mt. Ida College
2003 The Salvation Army (Major William Bode receiving for
the SA)
2004 Rev. Dr. Raymond Hammond and Rev. Dr. and Gloria White
Hammond
CRITERIA FOR THE ANNUAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
There are three components that make for competent, capable
compassionate persons in the field of dying, death, bereavement.
• They are well educated in the field of dying, death a bereavement.
• They are actively engaged in some aspect of the field. (i.e.,
Education, Pastoral Care, Chaplaincy, Social Work, Hospice
Care, Medicine and other allied fields)
• They are persons who have personally experienced some of
personal loss in their lives.
The Boston Theological Institute and Waterman/ Waring Family
Funeral Homes seek to find, select, and honor a person who
meets the above criteria.
The first award recipient was Connie S. Bickford, Field Education
Director, Boston University School of Theology. She was selected
because of her efforts in establishing the Bereavement Seminar
for Seminarians.
The second award recipient was Dr.Merle R. Jordan, Professor
of Psychology and Theology and Director of the Danielson Center,
Boston University School of Theology. He was selected because
of his years of educating future past the skills they would
need to meet the practical pastoral challenges of the dying
and bereaved.
The third award recipient was Sister Zita M. Fleming, C. J.
S. She was selected because of her compassionate work with
patients. She has been with over 300 of them when they were
In these three recipients we see one of the major components
mark this award -diversity.
o A Protestant Pastor
o A Seminary Professor
o A Roman Catholic Sister
We are looking for people who
-have made a difference
-are inordinate caregivers
-have contributed to the larger community
-have gone unrecognized but who are extraordinary
Affiliated Family Funeral Homes, 492 Rock
St., Fall River, MA 02720 Boston Theological Institute: www.bostontheological.org
