Hackman, Walton N. (1937-1985)
Walton N. Hackman was a leader in peace and justice concerns, and a farmer. Hackman was born 18 December 1937 and died 16 December 1985 at his family's farm near Hatfield, PA. He was the son of Arthur K. and Lizzie Nice Hackman, and he married Karin Erdmann (26 June 1965). Together they raised a family of two sons. He was a member of the Plains Mennonite Church.
From 1960 to 1962 Hackman was in voluntary service with the Northern Light Gospel Mission, Red Lake, ON. As a student at Eastern Mennonite College he was active in several campus organizations. He spent the summer of 1964 in Mississippi with the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). From 1967 to 1971 he served as executive secretary of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee (Mennonite Church) and associate executive secretary of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Peace Section. He represented Mennonite churches on the National Inter-Religious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors (National Service Board for Religious Objectors), 1965-1969. He was executive secretary of MCC Peace Section, 1972-1974, then returned to the family farm.
During the Vietnam War epoch, Hackman played a critical role in helping the church grapple with the significance of draft resistance as a means of Christian witness. He was widely admired for his lawyer-like understanding of how to deal with the military draft. His concern for peace and simplicity encouraged his close involvement with Doris Janzen Longacre's "More with Less" books. He chaired the Franconia Conference (MC) and Eastern District (GCM) Hunger Concerns Committee and was instrumental in establishing the Souderton Thrift Shop. During the early 1980s he was active in state and local farm organizations and was a member of the MCC Farm Crisis Task Force.
| Author(s) | John A Lapp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1987 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Lapp, John A. "Hackman, Walton N. (1937-1985)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1987. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hackman,_Walton_N._(1937-1985)&oldid=87951.
APA style
Lapp, John A. (1987). Hackman, Walton N. (1937-1985). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hackman,_Walton_N._(1937-1985)&oldid=87951.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 359. All rights reserved.
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