Unitarian Universalist Association Honors Denise and Jerry Davidoff with Highest Award
June 24, 2006
Longtime volunteer leaders Denise and Jerry Davidoff were honored last night with the highest award given by the Unitarian Universalist Association. The Westport, CT, residents were recognized for decades of individual service to their faith community with the 2006 Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism. UUA President the Rev. William G. Sinkford presented the award to the Davidoffs at the denomination’s annual General Assembly in St. Louis on June 23rd.
Denise (Denny) Taft Davidoff’s professional career was in advertising and marketing. She formed her own agency in 1967, but her passion was her volunteer service work, which culminated in being elected to serve as the UUA’s Moderator, the Association' from 1993 to 2001. Her active participation in Unitarian Universalist affairs began years before at her home church in Westport, CT. From there she was drawn into leadership positions in liberal religion. Denny’s tireless work has helped to shape virtually every substantive Unitarian Universalist organization, institution and decision, for more than a quarter-century.
A typical week’s agenda may find her chairing the Partner Church Council's task force on economic fairness in New York; chairing the Board meeting of the Church of the Larger Fellowship in Boston; attending the Trustees meeting of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Beyond the denomination she is co-founder of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation and a Trustee of the World Conference on Religion and Peace.
While serving on the Commission on Appraisal, Jerry Davidoff co-authored "Our Professional Ministry." As a member of the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, he acquired the reputation of "rules maven." In addition to his work for the liberal denomination, Jerry serves as trustee and secretary of the Alban Institute, the ecclesiastical think-tank nurturing scholarship among the liberal clergy. A long-time member of his local Westport (Connecticut) Board of Education (and for two years, its chair), he was also a founder and original board member of the Connecticut Women's Educational and Legal Fund. Jerry has also served as board chair of the Westchester Institution for Training in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
His deep and abiding commitment to justice led Jerry to turn his law practice away from adversarial struggle and toward the arts of reconciliation so that justice might better be served in the course of restoring and strengthening relationships.
The award citation reads, in part, “Denny and Jerry, you …hold us to your high standard, requiring of us no less than what you require of yourselves: that the liberal religious vision of truth, justice and love be incarnated in our deeds and in our lives. With joyful gratitude for your gifts so generously given, we present to you the 2006 Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism.”
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Last updated on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.
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