A familiar peace

Dayton” is the name of the university where we learned and grew, a place that nurtured those we care for and opened up a world of possibilities before us.

The word also signifies the city from which UD takes its name.

But when the NATO Parliamentary Assembly came to town in late May at the invitation of U.S. Rep. Mike Turner ’92, I found myself momentarily confused by a third definition of “Dayton” invoked with familiarity by members of the international delegation.

'Dayton' is the name of the university where we learned and grew...[it] also signifies the city from which UD takes its name.

During public panels held at the beautiful Roger Glass Center for the Arts, I had to reorient my hearing to instead understand “Dayton” as shorthand for “peace.” The Dayton Accords, negotiated in 1995 at neighboring Wright Patterson Air Force Base, put an end to the three-and-a-half-year-long Bosnian War that included fierce ethnic fighting, the targeting of civilian populations and genocide.

Elmedin Konaković, minister of foreign affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that while his country still struggles with the implementation of an imperfect agreement, the significance of the Dayton Accords endures 30 years later as Europe grapples with aggression from Russia.

“Importance of the peace in Dayton is really massive. … It’s much better than war, trust me,” said Konaković, who was a child soldier during the Bosnian War. “It’s possible — the diplomacy is possible, peace is possible.”

It is significant that Dayton the university brought together citizens and delegates to discuss the impact of Dayton the accords — a global example of how UD partners to bring people together to listen, learn and understand.

Peace — and war — were constant conversations during my studies at UD. I remember standing in the Marycrest lobby, watching on TV as President George H.W. Bush announced the assault on Iraq. I joined a throng of students gathered in Kennedy Union plaza to demonstrate our support, opposition and confusion.

The conversations and minicourses organized by our professors allowed us to read, research and discuss the future we feared versus the future for which we hoped. I was reminded of this recently when human rights leader Kerry Kennedy told today’s students to envision the world they want and make it happen (Page 16).

“I know I have an obligation to grow peace in myself and my relationships."

This May, as I listened to NATO leaders talk, I was moved to support their call for increased armament against Russia. And then I remembered the imperative for peace. Sister Thelma Wurzelbacher, C.PP.S. ’69, attended the Dayton Dialogue panels held at UD. “I know I have an obligation to grow peace in myself and my relationships,” she said. So often I heard that call in courses I took with Sister Judith Martin, S.S.J. These sisters are constantly challenging themselves, and us, to act with grace, love and hope.

In the world of possibilities still before us, it is important to remember that peace is possible. Or, as they say in Bosnia, “Dayton.”

A version of this article appears in print in the Summer 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 68. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE