Fifteen years after airing the first episode of America's Most Wanted—and nearly 22 years after the abduction and murder of his son Adam—John Walsh, 58, claimed a major victory in his very personal war against sexual predators and other lowlifes. On April 30, 2003, Walsh watched as President Bush signed into law a package of child-safety protection measures creating a national Amber Alert system to recover abducted children. Six weeks earlier, in what Walsh calls "probably the greatest day in the history of AMW," kidnapped Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart had been recovered thanks to sharp-eyed viewers. Walsh, whose crimefighting TV show has put almost 800 fugitives behind bars, is now stumping on behalf of a victims' rights amendment to the Constitution. "I'd like to be remembered as the father of a murdered child who fought back. As someone who tried to make a difference in honoring his son's name."
*The name of this award was originally the Impact Award. In 2008, the awards were renamed as the Inspire Awards.
