Page A3 * Thursday, July 2, 1998
Palladium-Item

By Matt Godbey
Staff Writer

For most people, shoes are nothing more than something to wear on your feet.

For Rudy Stolfer, they're a means to alert people about the need for world peace.

Stolfer is nearing the end of a cross-country trek that will have taken him 5,500 miles from Washington D.C. to the West Coast and back. After a stop in Richmond the past two days, he's got 500 miles left before arriving back in the Nation's Capital on Labor Day.

He walked to Oregon, traveled down the coast to Los Angeles and "hung a left," Stolfer said.

"I'm out there reconnecting with God, seeing the world at 3 mph," he said

And while this feat might sound like a simple test of endurance, for Stolfer it's an opportunity to reach as many people as possible with his message.

Pulling a silver cardboard coffin on wheels adorned with the message "War Victims" and covering 15 to 20 miles a day, Stolfer has a grand goal.

"The bottom line is to end all wars." he said. "The war mentality just does not work any more -- somebody's always going to come along with a bigger stick."

It's a message that has been well received by curious individuals who take time to stop and talk to find out the meaning behind the coffin, Stolfer said.

"People know (it's time to stop wars), people are aware it's time for a major change, especially the kids," he said.

Throughout his travels, Stolfer said, the best response has been from children and college students who are willing to spend time meeting with him as he travels across the United States.

It's these type of encounters that help Stolfer persevere in his effort.

When he and four others first took off from Washington in December 1996, they had $7 between them. The others have since dropped out due to other commitments and injuries, but Stolfer said he's never gone without during the entire two-year journey.

His secret? The grace of God as felt through Samaritans willing to help with food, donations or places to sleep along the way.

"Sometimes it's just somebody stopping by with a sandwich or a donation. I don't solicit, but if somebody offers, I don't turn it down. Some people have invited me in for the night and made arrangements down the road," he said.

Stolfer said he will join a group of demonstrators hoping to get rid of nuclear weapons by the year 2000 when he returns to the capital on Labor Day

But he's already completed a major goal: raising awareness. "Maybe somebody I talk to will write a letter, or make a phone call. Change starts within the individual. You have to make the decision, nobody can tell you."