Paul Dunham, a Fresno activist in the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on Oct. 21 of natural causes during medical testing. He went to Bullard High School and Fresno State. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dunham was active in the antiwar movement and in politics on the Fresno State campus.
In May 1970, Dunham was arrested at a big demonstration on Shaw Avenue near Fresno State after the murders at Kent State and the bombing of Cambodia. He did 10 months in Lompoc federal prison for refusing induction and destroying his draft card.
He was a draft counselor, a public speaker and an activist. His sacrifices and efforts helped to end the Vietnam War and bring home men who otherwise might have died in a needless war.
After his release, he studied welding at Fresno City College and moved to Alaska where he was active in union politics. He then moved to Seattle, where he went to law school and represented workers in arbitration cases.
Returning to Fresno, he worked for the Westlands Water District and represented fellow union employees in grievance proceedings.
