In Memoriam

Yvonne Logan in Detroit in 2014. Credit: JAPA.

WILPF US President Mary Hanson Harrison shared with members the news that Yvonne Logan, “a dynamic and devoted past-president and patron of WILPF US,” died on Saturday, June 24, in St. Louis, Missouri. Yvonne was 97.

In her message, Mary said: “She was remarkable both as an activist and as a human being, who lived nearly a century (97 years). ‘A woman of considerable stature,’ as one member described her. Another wrote, encapsulating her essence: ‘A good soul for sure.’ The last quote came from Rodger Routh, WILPF DSM member and videographer, remembering her unfailing support and kindness when we interviewed her for the WILPF US legacy fundraising video a few years ago.”

When she was a young mother herself, Yvonne worked on the Baby Tooth Survey for the St. Louis Committee for Nuclear Information. Mary Hanson Harrison reminded members that Yvonne Logan was especially proud of the success of the “baby tooth survey/campaign,” which originated with two St. Louis physicians, who measured the levels of the radioactive isotope Strontium 90 in young children’s baby teeth. (WILPF played an important part in requesting and gathering samples for the survey.) The results led President John F. Kennedy “to negotiate a treaty with the Soviet Union to end above-ground testing of atomic bombs in 1963”; see more about the 1959-1970 survey, and more about the Tooth Fairy project.

In this video, filmed at the annual meeting of the WILPF St. Louis Branch, on April 23, 2017, Yvonne talks about the survey.

Her obituary in the St. Louis Dispatch notes: “Yvonne joined the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in 1956, and remained dedicated to the organization throughout her life, including a period as the president of its U.S. section. She helped to organize countless demonstrations and was arrested many times in the course of her career as an activist.” Read the full obituary.

Donations in Yvonne’s memory and as a tribute to her legacy may be made to WILPF US (send a check made out to PDF/WILPF, P.O. Box 13075, Des Moines, IA 50310, and note in the memo line “Yvonne Logan Legacy”); or to her favorite project, the Disarmament Fund (Yvonne Logan), at the Jane Addams Peace Association, in New York.