as the Cold War was coming to an end, the ASA was the first U.S. academic association to reach out to the Soviet Union's new leader Mikhail Gorbachev under his "glasnost" program to promote changes in economic policy, internal affairs and international relations. Under the direction of D'Antonio, the ASA worked with the Soviet Sociological Association to provide full scholarships and housing for outstanding Soviet scholars to receive their PhDs at approximately 20 American Universities. Other events of note during this time period: The University of Connecticut awarded him with Emeritus Professor Status in 1986. Catholic University After retiring from the ASA in 1991, D'Antonio became a visiting professor at George Washington University in Washington, DC. In 1993 he became an Adjunct Research Professor and Fellow at the Life Cycle Institute at the Catholic University of America (CUA). In 2007 he became a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at Catholic University. During this time period his research and publications focused on religion and voting patterns, mostly with Catholics. He continues to write books and oversee research today. His most recent media appearance was in a PBS documentary The Italian Americans, a 4-part television series on how immigrants from Italy came to shape America Personal life William and Lorraine D'Antonio have six children (JoAnne Goins, Albert, Nancy D'Antonio-Farnham, Carla, Raissa Henrie, Laura), six grand-children (Angela & Lisa Placona, Terra Dudley, Ariela Farnham, Bailey & Chris D'Antonio), seven step-grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Honors and distinctions 2009. The Rev. Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD, Award for Exemplary Church Research. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. 2009. Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame established The William D'Antonio Award to honor the scholarly labors, achievements, and promise of a graduate student determined most to merit the award in each year. Year-End Award Archive // Center for the Study of Religion and Society // University of Notre Dame 2004. Tira a Segno Foundation at New York University for outstanding contributions to the field of Higher Education (teaching, research, publications and leadership). 2004. Fulbright Senior Fellowship Award to University of Rome and University of Trieste, Italy. 2003. Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, St. Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont 2003. Morris Rosenberg Award for Recent Scholarly Achievement, District of Columbia Sociological Society. 1998. Convocation Address, "When Rights Collide: Matters of