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Human Peace Sign Attempts World Record

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Ithaca, NY -- June 22, 2008 -- In an effort to promote world peace, and to establish a world record, close to 7,000 participants gathered to form a human peace sign at Stewart Park in Ithaca, NY. The event took place on the final day of the festival that drew record crowds from June 18-22.
The human peace sign was inspired and organized by Trevor Dougherty, a sophomore at Ithaca High School. According to Dougherty, the effort was to send a message for peace first, and establishing a world record second. Dougherty is well known for his ability to move and inspire people and unite them for a cause.
The organizers on the ground handed out beans to those arriving and then counted backwards from their bag to get an accurate count. "We had 5,814 counted, and an additional 1,000 that didn't collect their beans or were already there when we began the handout," said Dougherty.
Up in the sky, Dougherty entrusted the filming of this historic and unified effort to Wendy Post, Ken Luby Sr., and Rebecca Eschler. Dougherty coordinated the human formation of the peace sign from on the ground, using UHF communications to direct his air crew for optimal recording of the effort.
The flight for aerial photography was made possible thanks to David St. George, chief pilot and chief instructor at East Hill Flying Club, Ithaca. St. George, who was recently named the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Instructor of the Year for the eastern region at Kennedy International Airport, took photographers and filmmakers high in the sky to capture the aerial images of the world's largest human peace sign for broadcast and submission.
Post, who once served as a Department of Defense correspondent in combative zones, retired early from her position and went to work as the Director of an Outreach and Homeless Services organization. Post now serves as Editor for several publications as well as guest writer for a daily newspaper. Post has extensive aerial photography experience, and remains involved in environmental and humanitarian efforts locally and throughout the United States.
Ken Luby Sr. is the father of Ken Luby, the 28-year old Owego resident who won a spot earlier this year on Steven Spielberg's "On The Lot" reality TV show. Although Luby didn't win first place, he has been embraced by the film industry and thus remains in Los Angeles, CA. His father, Ken Luby Sr., has been communicating with his son in California to gather ideas for the filming of this event.
Rebecca Eschler is an Owego resident who has worked for several newspapers in the area. Rebecca accompanied Post and Luby to assist with the photography and video recording process. Her creative and enthusiastic outlook inspired the creative capturing of the world record breaking efforts.
Sponsors who have supported the effort of making this record attempt successful include the Ithaca Festival 2008, and Ithaca's own Viva Taqueria restaurant.
The videography, now completed, will be edited and assembled for broadcast via YouTube, and for submission to Guiness World Records (TM). The YouTube broadcast should be available soon with a link made available through http://www.youtube.com/maddogza.