The Bernard Lown Peace Bridge that crosses the Androscoggin River honors Dr. Bernard Lown, a world-renowned cardiologist & peace activist.
Born in Lithuania on June 7, 1921, Dr. Lown and his family emigrated to the USA in 1935 and settled in Lewiston. He pioneered numerous life-savings advances in cardiology, including the direct current defibrillator. A life-long peace activist and humanitarian, Dr. Lown founded Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) in 1961 and co-founded International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in 1980 with Russian physician Dr. Evgueni Chazov. The two doctors received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 on behalf of IPPNW. The South Bridge was renamed in 2008.
Dr. Lown died at the age of 99 in February, 2021.