Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner to Honor Monaghan, Bishop McHugh

By Richard W. Kimble

On April 25 in the Starlight Roof of the historic Waldorf- Astoria Hotel in New York City, the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund will be hosting the seventh annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner. This year we are delighted to be honoring two stalwarts in the pro-life movement, Mr. Thomas S. Monaghan and Bishop James T. McHugh.

Thomas Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, sold his company in December 1998 to devote his life to pro-life charitable work. As chairman of the Ave Maria Foundation, Monaghan has launched a new Catholic law school - - the Ave Maria School of Law - - which will open this fall in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When Monaghan announced plans for the law school, the first person he approached to become a professor at the school was Judge Robert H. Bork, who was a past honoree at the fourth annual Proudly Pro- Life Awards Dinner.

Bishop James T. McHugh of Rockville Centre, New York, has been fighting for the right to life since before Roe v. Wade and was instrumental in the formation of National Right to Life. It's safe to say that the pro-life movement wouldn't be as powerful as we are today if it hadn't been for the steadfast efforts of Bishop McHugh.

As honorary chairman for this year's dinner, we have selected the former commissioner of Major League Baseball, Mr. Bowie Kuhn. Mr. Kuhn was commissioner when Tom Monaghan purchased the Detroit Tigers in 1984. Since then, they have become very close friends and have been involved jointly in numerous Catholic charitable projects. In fact, Bowie Kuhn serves on the advisory board of the Ave Maria Foundation.

We are delighted to have Ben Stein serve as our general chairman and master of ceremonies. Mr. Stein's career in Hollywood is doing very well.

His Win Ben Stein's Money continues to be a smash hit on the Comedy Central cable station. In fact, he is so popular that Comedy Central gave him his very own talk show on Thursday evenings, which is doing very well in the ratings. It's so nice to see a dedicated and committed pro-lifer like Ben Stein doing so fabulously with his career. His continued friendship and support of National Right to Life mean so very much.

Past recipients of National Right to Life's Proudly Pro-Life Award have been, Mrs. Arthur DeMoss; John Cardinal O'Connor, Mother Teresa, Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey, Congressman Henry Hyde, Senator Bob Smith, Congressman Christopher Smith, Congressman Charles Canady, Judge Robert Bork, Mr. Virgil Dechant of the Knight of Columbus, Senator Jesse Helms and Mr. Wellington Mara of the New York Football Giants. We have also paid special tribute to Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan.

We truly hope your schedule will allow for you to be with us in New York on April 25. To quote Ben Stein, "Every voice, every pair of feet, every pair of hands are needed. Please be there with us so that God's unborn need not be alone." (See the ad on page 13.)