पुणे प्रवाह न्युज पोर्टल
Press release note
पुणे :- Dr. John Baburao Waidande who hails from Bhilawadi, Sangli, Maharashtra passed away at Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA, due to COVID-19 on December 20,2020, at the age of 75.
He had been conferred the Prominent Citizen’s Award from the Government of Maharashtra, India.
His father, Baburao Dhondiba Waidande spent time in prison in India as a Freedom Fighter with Mahatma Gandhi.
Most Outstanding International Student in the Philippines awarded to him by President Ferdinand Marcos.
He met and worked with Mother Teresa both in Calcutta, India and in Manila, Philippines. He also worked in the leprosy colonies, provided fresh water wells in villages in India and helped start a Marathi medium school for underprivileged children.
He received many awards for the recognition of his work. Governor’s Special Recognition from the State of West Virginia for implementing an effective and efficient AIDS program in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Governess Citation from the State of Maryland for his work in Mental Health and Addiction Counseling, Special Citation awarded from the West Virginia State Senate for implementing the first Clinical Pastoral Education Program through CPSP in the Eastern part of the State of West Virginia.
In his early days in America, John briefly worked for the Malaysian Embassy. After that John Waidande worked as an Addiction Counselor and a Dually Diagnosed Counselor in Washington, D.C. and Gaithersburg, Maryland.
A Memorial Service to pay tribute to him and celebrate his life was held at Spicer Adventist University House of Prayer and attended by family, friends, and the Spicer University staff, faculty and administrators.
