Father William T. Cunningham
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Father William T. Cunningham (Born in 1930), a Detroit native, began studies for priesthood in 1943 at Sacred Heart Seminary. Fr. Cunningham was a parish priest for 5 years, then in 1961 joined the faculty of Sacred heart Seminary as an English professor. He was a columnist and book review editor of the Michigan Catholic. Fr. Cunningham is most remembered for his work at Focus: HOPE. In 1968 Fr. Cunningham and Eleanor Josaitis co-founded Focus: HOPE, a nonprofit civil and human rights organization, helping to resolve discrimination and injustice and to build a harmonious community. On May 26, 1997, Fr. Cunningham died after a battle with cancer.
[edit] Awards
- NAACP's Ira W. Jayne Memorial Medal
- Temple Israel Brotherhood Award
- Bishop Donnelly Alumni Award
- Jefferson Award
- UCS Executive of the Year Award
- Jessie Slaton Award of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations
- National Governor's Association Award (twice)
- 1987 Detroit News Michiganian of the Year Award
- Salvation Army's William Booth Award
- Marquette University Alumni Award
- University of Michigan 1993 Business Leadership Award
[edit] References
- Father William T. Cunningham, The Collection of Archives & Urban Affairs, Wayne State University Walter P. Reuther Library
