Yoko did not attend the ceremonies, declining at the last minute due to personal reasons, but Carol Barr of the Marlborough Gallery in Boston accepted the award for her.
IK's Boston correspondent, Ron Scarlett, spoke to Ms. Barr later about the event and she said: "I was honored to be asked by Yoko to accept the award. No one is more worthy or deserving of such a prestigious and meaningful award. It's a mother's award and she's the quintessential mother. Sean is such a delightful and magical personality which is surely a result of her direct involvement and love."
On May 14, Doreen Iudica filed a report for a Boston newspaper from New York. Iudica had visited Yoko at the Dakota, had been received warmly, given a tour of Yoko's apartment and talked briefly to Sean who was busily working on a school project in his room. The following are excerpts from that article:
"Sunday, Ono was a recipient of the Helen Caldicott Leadership Award from the Boston-based peace organization, Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND) for her extensive work in promoting the ideal of world peace. According to a WAND citation, Ono was given the award because 'her years of dedication to building a more peaceful world continues to inspire action and involvement for today's greatest social concerns.' "
Yoko commented: "My decision to accept the award was, one, it is an honor, but two, because it is also to focus attention to this organization which is doing good for the world. The desire we have to survive as a human race is the basis of what we're doing now for peace."
Yoko talked about her peace efforts as a continuation of what she and John were doing in the 60's: "By continuing the peace effort, I am always reminding people of our togetherness."
During the tour of the apartment, Iudica and Yoko stopped off at Sean's room where he was hard at work on a poster of Hitler. His room contains Beatles memorabilia: "My Mom has a warehouse full of this stuff. I just picked through the stuff one day and pulled out what I liked. It's really neat stuff."
Yoko told Iudica that Sean is "very aware of what I am doing in my work for peace, and that's good, but I don't think his generation should feel that they are responsible to turn the world around." Sean plans to work for peace someday.
Sean: "I know that someday I'll be doing something, apart from my Mom, to work for peace, but right now, Ijust have an opinion."
Yoko told Iudica that she continues to be involved in peace events because she is a mother. "I am a woman and mother first. I think, too, that I am most dedicated to children and what happens to children..they are the future and we must achieve peace for their sake. My hope is that we learn to understand each other and each other's needs, and we will try to live through understanding and through appreciating and sharing each other."
Iudica said she was given a warm farewell by Yoko, whose last words to her were: "Peace to you always."
"I am very honored to receive the Caldicott Leadership Award especially on this Mother's Day. The public awareness on the dangers of Nuclear warfare is more urgent now than ever. The work the Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament Education Fund is doing therefore is deeply appreciated by all of us - the mothers of the world. I would like to thank you for your good work on behalf of my son and myself, and hope that I am deserving of this award. You have encouraged me to do my best in the future. Thank you.
Yoko Ono
May 10 '87
New York City