Humanitarian John Prendergast has joined an illustrious list of notables as recipient of the 2010 Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award, presented at the annual dinner hosted by Holocaust Museum Houston.

In an evening honoring Holocaust survivors and the memory of those who lost their lives in the horrors of German concentration camps, Prendergast was recognized for his varied good works including co-founding the Enough Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. He has authored eight books on Africa including the New York Times best-seller Not On Our Watch and joined NBA greats in founding the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program.

In the most touching moment of the evening at the Hilton Americas-Houston, Holocaust survivor Helen Colin thanked Prendergast for his humanitarian efforts. "As we sit here tonight," she told the crowd of more than 700, "I can only think of how different my life with my family might have been if there had only been more people like John back in 1939 — more people willing to take a stand."

Although Colin was liberated from a camp, her parents, sister and brother all died in the Holocaust.

NBC news national correspondent Janet Shamlian, who has a home and family here, served as emcee and praised Prendergast for his ability to keep the national and international media focused long-term on some of the most serious problems in today's world. The event, chaired by Heidi and David Gerger, raised $720,000 for the museum that remains free and open to the public year-round.

Among the many notables in the house were Mayor Annise Parker, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, museum chairman Michael Goldberg, executive director Susan Myers, Soraya and Scott McClelland, Punkin and Walter Hecht, Kelli and Martin Fein, Bevin and Dan Dubrowski, Velva and Fred Levine, Yvonne Cormier, Glen Rosenbaum and Susan and Henri Soussan.