In 1981, the international organization established Sept. 21 as International Day of Peace to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace within and among all nations. While the event is celebrated more overseas than in the United States, some local groups and schools marked the day with special events.

One Dallas group, Peacemakers Incorporated, held its second annual Peacemakers Luncheon on Tuesday at the Tower Club in Dallas. The new Castleberry Peace Institute at the University of North Texas, named after journalist Vivian Castleberry, co-sponsored the event. The university will hold a grand opening of the institute at 6:30 tonight.

The luncheon prominently featured a simple yet beautiful symbol of peace: A curtain of brightly colored origami cranes greeted guests as they entered the room. The cranes also adorned the tables.

The crane is a sacred bird in Japan. A legend says that if a person folds 1,000 cranes, a wish will be granted.

The legend became famous with Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who died from the effects of the bombing of Hiroshima. She began folding cranes at first to wish for good health. But when she became sick, she wished for world peace. A statue of her sits atop the Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and also in Seattle's Peace Park.