Desmond Tutu

Activist and cleric, former Archbishop Desmond Tutu was born in 1931 in Klerksdorp, Transvaal. After three years as a high school teacher he began to study theology, and was ordained in 1960. He became chaplain at the University of Fort Hare, a centre of political opposition to apartheid, and one of the few quality universities for black students in southern Africa. From 1962-1966 he studied at King's College, London, where he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Theology. In 1975 he was appointed Dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg the first black person to hold that position. From 1976 to 1978 Tutu was Bishop of Lesotho, and in 1978 became the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. On October 16, 1984, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee cited his "role as a unifying leader figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa" Tutu became the first black person to become Archbishop and lead the Anglican Church in South Africa in 1986. After the fall of apartheid, he headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 2007, in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel, and Tutu convened The Elders, a group of world leaders to contribute their wisdom, kindness, leadership and integrity to tackle some of the world's toughest problems. Tutu served as its first Chair. In 2010, Tutu announced that he would be retiring from public life. Tutu is an honorary doctor of a number of leading universities in the USA, Britain and Germany. He has been married to Leah since 1955.