It's rare that an entire community can share in an individual honor, but that's the way we feel upon hearing that 18-year-old Sarah Hubbard has been named recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin.



The violin, which is given to a promising music student for one year in tribute to Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, carries with it the responsibility to play, when possible for peace.



It is a responsibility Hubbard willingly accepts and we will be watching eagerly to see how she spends her year in the company of an instrument with such a rich and tragic legacy.



Pearl had many ties to Western Massachusetts, including stints at the North Adams Transcript, the Berkshire Eagle and the Berkshire bureau of the then Springfield Union-News. He touched many more people throughout the region with his music and his fervent desire for social justice.



Following his death, The Daniel Pearl Foundation was formed by Pearl's family and friends to continue Pearl's mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through journalism, and his love of music. Since its inception, Daniel Pearl World Music Days have been held worldwide and have promoted over 3,100 performances in 85 countries.



And now Sarah Hubbard can join in that legacy as she takes charge of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin for the next year. We trust that she will add to Daniel's Pearl legacy by using the violin to advance music, understanding, and peace.