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Memorials: Orange Grove Friends Meeting

Michael Halliwell

Date of birth

Oct. 4, 1942

Date of death

July 16, 2020

Meeting

Orange Grove Friends Meeting

Memorial minute

Michael John Halliwell was born October 4, 1942, to Lloyd Halliwell and Betty Baner in Los Angeles, California. His parents divorced when he was eight years old and he lived with various relatives and in foster homes until he went to UCLA in 1959. He was a social worker in 1964, and then worked his way through a Ph.D. program.

At UCLA Mike met Betty Ladd, whom he married in 1966, and both Mike and Betty went into college teaching. Mike taught sociology from 1968-2004 at CSU Long Beach, in tandem with his ongoing political activism and research. Betty retired after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991, but her therapy was successful and she established Books for Peace, which shipped donated books to Peace Corps library and school projects overseas. During the last decade of his teaching at California State University, Mike’s main course focus was breast cancer research, leading to some therapies that helped in Betty’s treatment. After Betty succumbed to cancer in 2013, Mike kept the book project going.

Mike had a long history of working on civil rights, environmental, and international issues, even before running for the Republican seat in Congress for Marin and Sonoma Counties in 2006, 2010, and 2012. His concerns included the gerrymandering of district boundaries; unavailability of breast cancer treatment due to fears of malpractice suits in the medical profession; landfill and toxic waste in the San Francisco Bay; the Endangered Species Act; housing discrimination; LGBT rights; renewable energy; and lasting peace in the Middle East.

After retirement, Mike moved to Sonoma County, where he researched cancer cures in the research library at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato and was active with the Republican Party. He alternated a month at a time in Sonoma County and then in Van Nuys with Betty. While in Santa Rosa, Mike found spiritual nourishment among Quakers. He applied for membership in Redwood Forest Friends Meeting in November, 2005. A clearness committee was formed to meet with Mike, exploring his spiritual views, his understanding of Friends beliefs and practices, and the responsibilities of membership. Mike and the Meeting labored together for much of 2006 until unity was reached in November of that year, and his membership was approved.

Mike was known to be open and direct about his personal beliefs, but willing to hear alternative points of view. He was in solid support of the Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Integrity, Equality, Unity, and Community. He was in general support of the Peace Testimony and in the innate dignity and preciousness of human life. He always avoided physical violence, but felt that violence in order to prevent the imminent death of another human being or to prevent ongoing genocide is acceptable. He also supported the death penalty in certain circumstances.

Mike was a faithful attender of the Meeting for many years and was a stalwart contributor to Meeting projects. He attended an ongoing Bible Study group, served on a working group to draft a letter calling for the termination of Guantanamo prison, and could be counted on to step up for snack preparation or clean up. In addition Mike was active in the Quaker-Muslim Friendship Group, provided regular transportation to Sunday worship for some members, and served for a time as the Meeting’s archivist.

Mike was devoted to Betty and her Books for Peace organization. After Betty’s death, Mike took over the management of the project and also made arrangements for the project to continue after his own death.

When Michael learned that Bolivia has the world's third largest population of Quakers, he approached RFFM members of The WALJOK Foundation, which supports education in Bolivia, He donated funds to provide books for Quaker university students and sponsored 2 students' scholarships through Bolivian Quaker Education Fund until his death. A Books For Peace library with textbooks and computers was established in the BQEF office in La Paz, and another for high school students in a rural area. Michael carefully arranged for this work to continue in the future.

Michael was committed to the preservation of indigenous cultures in Guatemala through education and specifically by providing books. He funded a Books for Peace project with Guatemala Friends Scholarship Program (Progresa) that established libraries to assist teachers and students. His Mission Statement which was to be displayed with each library was "Let the word go forth that the torch has been passed from the ancient Mayan civilization to its living descendants." Libraries were established for teaching the following Mayan languages: Kaqchikel, K'iche', Mam and Q'anjob'al. He also sponsored one student in sociologüistics who was committed to the teaching of three different Mayan languages: Poqomam, K'iche' and Q'eqchi'.

Mike remained in Sonoma County for some years following Betty’s death, eventually moving back to Southern California. From time to time, he attended Orange Grove Meeting in Pasadena. At the time of his passing he was working with a couple of computer engineers working on creating a new chess game in 3d and tiered for multiple players. He also competed in several chess tournaments and was getting ready for another one.