On March 9, Sally Frank, professor of law at Drake University for more than 20 years, was awarded the Catholic Peace Ministry’s Bishop Maurice J. Dingman Peace Award.

The Dingman Peace Award is given each year in memory and in honor of Maurice Dingman, the late Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines revered for his commitment to justice, peace, and equality. This year’s award was given to Frank on Saturday, March 9, at the 18th Annual Maurice J. Dingman Peace Award Dinner at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Church in Ankeny.

"Sally Frank is one of those academics who has not forgotten that we are also citizens," said Jeffrey J. Weiss, director of the Catholic Peace Ministry.

As a lawyer and law professor, Frank has represented protesters for years, defending citizens who have used nonviolent civil disobedience to challenge U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Frank’s efforts have been noted in The New York Times and the Des Moines Register