Standing for peace, 212 straight Sundays

LITTLE COMPTON - Betty Torphy, 62, tries to avoid the limelight — only after some persuasion did she agree to be interviewed. She calls herself simply the "informal coordinator" of the Sakonnet Peace Alliance. As for her photograph, she would have preferred that it be taken on the Little Compton Commons showing her amidst the 20 or 30 members and friends of the Alliance, who for over four years every Sunday morning starting at 9:30 have stood for half an hour in silent vigil for peace.

Ms. Torphy has been instrumental in conducting a form of protest on the Commons by the Alliance known as "bearing quiet witness," that over a nearly unbroken string of 212 Sundays (the single exception was during the blizzard of January, 2005) has achieved a reputation in the region for its resolute opposition to the war.

Begun by Ms. Torphy, a friend, and Dan Burke, a retired Episcopal pastor in town, during the ramp-up to the war in January 2003, the vigil has become a fixture. Ms. Torphy and her husband Fred, who practices law in Fall River, have lived in Little Compton since 1990. Born and raised on Long Island, she has an undergraduate degree in English and two master's degrees, one in teaching and the other in psychology and religion. She taught high school English for seven years in Washington, D.C., Long Island, and in Portsmouth. She and her husband have four children, all grown.

What does "bearing witness" mean? "Being a presence on the Commons every Sunday, with our simple banners [examples read "Pray for Peace," "Hope Not Fear," "America Says No," and "Close Guantanamo"] can be a sign of what we believe in. It's almost an incarnation of our message. We commit each Sunday to stand in simplicity side-by-side. Bearing witness is prophetic."

What's been the reaction? "One man last summer came up with tears in his eyes. He'd been out of the country living in Germany, and he said he was so grateful to see us and our banners. People bike or drive by and wave or toot their horn. The reaction seems to be positive. No one comes up and gives us a hard time."

Why so long? "We go every week, week after week. That's our message. You grow with the community you join. These people have become good friends. You become a peace community within the community. It's not complicated."

Greatest fear? "That our country has lost its vision. That the situation in Iraq will continue to spiral out of control and that the administration will provoke hostilities with Iran."

Second favorite cause, after the Sakonnet Peace Alliance? "The environment, global warming specifically."

Pet peeves? "There's so little quiet left, so few quiet places, the noise in public spaces, especially televisions blaring in airports and doctors' offices."

Where do you seek quiet? "Walking along the beaches in Little Compton, especially Lloyd's Beach."

Like most about Little Compton? "The natural world, the beauty of it. Each season is a real season."

Most recent books? "Jimmy Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid;" "American Bloomsbury," by Susan Cheever; and "Gaudy Night" by Dorothy Sayers.

Magazines? "The New Yorker, Orion Magazine (a literary environmental magazine), The Nation. I don't count my husband's fishing magazines."

Most memorable demonstration? "The Code Pink march on international women's day, in March 2003, before the war. All the women's groups around the country were there, including the Raging Grannies. There was the most amazing and imaginative energy."

Favorite meal? "Breakfast because it is simple and in the morning – my favorite time of day. Winters I like oatmeal and fruit and herb tea."

Heroes? "Al Gore comes right to mind for his work on climate change. Also Gandhi and Martin Luther King, then the environmental activists and writers, Mardy Murie and Terry Tempest Williams, and then the peace activist, Medea Benjamin.

Favorite musician? "Right now, it's Leonard Cohen and his later music like"Anthem", a haunting piece about war. It's my favorite of his songs."

Favorite Bible passage" " 'Be still and know that I am God' from Psalm 46."

Advice to a 13 year old girl? "Spend as much time in nature as you can. Find the quiet places in your life. Learn to listen to yourself, trust yourself."

Dream car? "A Prius, or an old red pickup. Those are the extremes."

Sakonnet Peace Alliance

* Sunday vigils, 9:30 a.m., Little Compton Commons

* Silent meditation, Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m. St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Willow Avenue, Little Compton

* Other activities: Newspaper ads and notices, presence at local events, movie showings, speakers

* E-mail: SakPeaceAlliance@aol.com

BY TOM KILLIN DALGLISH

tdalglish@eastbaynewspapers.com