Parents of Would-Be Presidential Assassin Honored for Efforts in Mental Health Field
LAS VEGAS — The parents of would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley were honored Wednesday for their efforts to educate the public about mental illness.
Jack and Jo Ann Hinckley were given the Howard Safar Memorial Award for distinguished service during opening ceremonies at the annual meeting of the National Council of Community Mental Health Centers.
The Hinckleys, who founded the American Mental Health Fund in 1984 to raise money for mental illness research and public education, vowed to keep the public awareness program going.
“It’s the last major sickness still locked in the closet due to a social stigma,” Jack Hinckley said.
The Hinckley’s son, John, shot President Reagan and three others outside a Washington hotel in March, 1981. He was found innocent because of insanity and now resides in a psychiatric facility in the capital.
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