William Wasson

Father William B. Wasson (December 21, 1923 - August 16, 2006) was an American Catholic priest. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, but moved to Mexico where he trained as a priest. In 1954, he founded Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a charity for orphans and neglected and abandoned children, which today operates across Latin America. Wasson died in August 2006 in Arizona, due to complications arising from a hip injury.

Published works

 * Luke XV
 * The Sermon on the Mount
 * Gospel in the Dust

Achievements and awards
This is the Mexican National Prize and was given for his contribution to the children of Mexico. He is the only US citizen to receive this award. This is Mexico's highest award, and recognizes services performed for Mexico or humanity by foreign nationals. This was the first time a priest had been honored. This was presented by the Hispanic Community of Phoenix, Arizona. This is a $100,000 prize given to individuals who make a difference in the world of children. This is recognized as the “Nobel Prize” for public service in America. Fr. Wasson was recognized for his volunteer service to the Hispanic community. This was for working to improve the lives of children and their communities in the Americas Wasson was awarded $100,000 for his "driving entrepreneurial mindset with an abiding faith to combat poverty, illiteracy, hunger, disease and injustice".
 * Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement - 1962
 * Luis Elizondo Humanitarian Award - 1977
 * Good Samaritan Award from the National Catholic Development Conference - 1979
 * Franciscan International Award - 1981
 * Order of the Aztec Eagle - 1990
 * National Caring Award by the Caring Institute of Washington DC - 1997
 * KFC's Colonel's Way Award - 1998
 * El Sol de Nuestra Communidad Award - 1998
 * Kellogg’s Hannah Neil World of Children Award - 2000
 * Jefferson Award for Public Service - 2003
 * Ivy Humanitarian Award by the Ivy Inter-American Foundation - 2005
 * Opus Prize Finalist - 2005

External links and references

 * Washington Post Obituary
 * Opus Prize
 * Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos Homepage
 * Report of World of Children award

Specific