Pire, Dominique (Georges) (b. Feb. 10, 1910, Dinant, Belg.—d. Jan. 30, 1969, Lou- vain), cleric and educator who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1958 for his aid to displaced persons in Europe after World War II. Pire became a Dominican in 1928 and taught moral philosophy (1937—47) at the Dominican Monastery of La Sarte, Huy, Beig. He was active in the World War II resistance movement and became deeply involved in the postwar refugee problem. In 1949 Pire founded the Aide aux Personnes Diplaces, which soon had branches throughout Europe. Its goal was to guarantee every means of aid to displaced persons, regardless of their nationality or religion. Between 1950 and 1954, Pire founded four “homes of welcome” in Belgium for aged refugees. Seven European “villages” were subsequently founded in Germany, Belgium, and Austria (1956—62) to enable refugees to again become independent members of society. Pire also initiated the system of sponsors that allowed a refugee to be helped by a person in another country. After accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, Pire established (1960) the Mahatma Gandhi International Peace Centre, Huy, later known as the University of Peace, for instructing youths in the principles and practice of peace.

In 1962 he started the “Island of Peace” project, an international community in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) governed by the principle of self-help. In 1967 this program ended, and Pire started a second Island of Peace in India. He was also the founder of World Friendships (to promote better understanding between races) and World Sponsorships (to aid African and Asian refugees). Pire was the author of Btir la paix (1966; Building Peace, 1967). Pirelli, important family of industrialists in Italy since the 19th century. Giovanni Battista Pirelli (1848—1932) established Italy’s first rubber factory in 1872 in Milan. He pioneered in the manufacture of electric cable (1884) and automobile tires (1899). His two sons, Piero (1881—1956) and Alberto (1882—1971), entered the Pirelli firm when they were in their 20s and expanded it into a truly international enterprise. Before becoming chairman of the company in 1956 (a post he held until his retirement in 1965), Alberto was active in international affairs, serving with the Supreme Economic Council of Versailles (1919), the International Labour Office (1920-22), the League of Nations (1923—27 ud as a minister of state of the Italian government in 1938.

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Author Resource BoxPublicist, political activist, married, living in Belgrad.Read Olga Vischenov Profile