Peace Links is a national organization committed to promoting peaceful alternatives to nuclear war. Betty Bumpers, wife of former U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers, founded the organization in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1982. The Pennsylvania Peace Links chapter was established in Pittsburgh on July 6, 1983 by a group of influential local women, including Teresa Heinz and Joan Specter. Mary J. Paradise served as the first president. Other founding officers of Pennsylvania Peace Links were Toni Conaway, Teresa Wilson, Ruth Friedman, Mary Sheehan, and June Stool. The organization collaborated with other nuclear disarmament groups on various efforts, such as Physicians for Social Responsibility (in organizing the Concert for Peace in 1984), the Nurse Alliance for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. After the end of the Cold War, Peace Links remained dedicated to the abolishment of nuclear weapons, but their mission also widened to include women's rights and equitable development worldwide. Peace Links is recognized as an accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) by the United Nations, and a delegation from Pennsylvania Peace Links attended the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China on September 4-15, 1995. Today the organization utilizes a Board of Directors and volunteer base, along with a mailing list of over 3,500 individuals, and maintains a website at http://www.peacelinks.us/.
From the description of Records of Pennsylvania Peace Links, 1981-2004. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 55129092
