The DACOR Bulletin April 2024

Learning,

Networking & Teaching

World Heritage Night

Vote for the Board

Spring Reception

OFFICERS

President: Angela Dickey

Vice President: Sylvia Stanfield

Secretary: Elizabeth Warner

Asst. Secretary: Alfreda Meyers

Treasurer: Richard Morford

Asst. Treasurer: Janice Bay

STAFF

Front Desk: 202.682.0500

Executive Director

John Bradshaw x14 jbradshaw@dacorbacon.org

Director of Operations

Meg Sharley x10 msharley@dacorbacon.org

Director of Development

Jared Hughes, x23 jhughes@dacorbacon.org

Director of Finance

Abdul Raheem Raheem, x16 araheem@dacorbacon.org

Director of Communications & Programs Bulletin Editor & Designer

Christine Skodon, x17 clskodon@dacorbacon.org

Staff Accountant

(Mr.) Aubrey Puranda, x13 apuranda@dacorbacon.org

Administrative Assistant

Seou Park, x11 spark@dacorbacon.org

Chef

Robert Moore, x18 or x26

General Inquiries

dacor@dacorbacon.org

The DACOR Bacon House is built on the Indigenous lands of the Nacotchtank (Anacostan) and later Piscataway people. The House was built in 1825 by enslaved laborers. Enslaved people lived and worked in the DACOR Bacon House until 1862 when the District of Columbia Emancipation Act was signed.

DACOR Programs & Policies

LUNCHEON TALKS

Members, along with guests they accompany, are invited to attend luncheon talks which are held weekly throughout the year. These talks begin at noon with a cash bar reception in honor of the speaker. Lunch starts at 12:30 pm, followed by the speaker’s remarks which conclude by 2:00 pm; attendees are free to leave at that time.

The charge is $35 per person and reservations are required. (The charge for attending only the speaker portion of the program from 1 – 2 pm is $15.) Changes and/or cancellations to programs are announced in our e-blasts and on our website.

OTHER EVENTS

All members of DACOR are invited to attend ADST/DACOR book launch receptions, A-100 receptions for newly-commissioned FSOs, and DCM/ PO receptions for DCMs and Principal Officers. There is no entry charge, but reservations are necessary. Members are also welcome at the Sunday afternoon Huston Musicales; a fee of $25 per member and $30 for guests is collected at the door. Children under 18 are admitted free.

Disclaimer: DACOR encourages vigorous expression and questioning of points of view, while striving for balance. No endorsement of speakers’ views or of their charitable, professional or commercial bona fides should be inferred.

MEMBERS’ LUNCHEONS

Members and their guests are invited to lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays, reservations are required. Members' Luncheons include a biscuit/bread, an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea and cost $35. A cash bar is available from 12 and lunch is served from 12:30 to 1:30. On Wednesdays a Chef’s Special of soup and salad is available for $18 from 12 - 1:30. Reservations are required.

NO-SHOWS & CANCELLATIONS NOT RECEIVED BY

9 AM THE BUSINESS DAY BEFORE AN EVENT WILL BE BILLED.

— TO MAKE OR CANCEL RESERVATIONS — Register through the Calendar of Events at www.dacorbacon.org Or contact us at programs@dacorbacon.org or 202.682.0500 x20.

DACOR routinely takes photos at its events. Members and guests should notify the DACOR photographer if they want to restrict the use of their names and images.

DRESS CODE

DACOR maintains a professional business attire dress code in the DACOR Bacon House. While suits, ties and heels are always welcome, they are not required. For individual events, or categories of events, DACOR may apply a formal business attire dress code where men are expected to wear a suit or jacket and tie, and women should wear commensurate attire. Promotional material for these events will specify that formal business attire is required. During summer months, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, business casual may be worn.

From the Executive Director

in 14 different

A list of the clubs and links to their websites is available in the Member Portal on the DACOR website. They are all impressive in their own ways. Some notable domestic clubs are the University Club of San Francisco; the Harbor Club in Charleston, SC; the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles; and the College Club of Boston. International Clubs of note are City University Club, London; the Capital Club East Africa in Nairobi; The Financial Club in Jakarta; The Albany Club in Toronto, and (my favorite on the list) the Royal Suva Yacht Club in Suva, Fiji. While some of these clubs are clearly more accessible than others, they would all be good stops on any trip.

Our few members who take advantage of this benefit and regularly use clubs have uniformly had excellent experiences. In past bulletins, several members have written about their experiences: Burnett Thompson of the Cultural Committee wrote about the National Arts Club in New York City in the June 2023 bulletin; Board Member and Development Committee Co-Chair Dana Linnet wrote about Cercle Munster in Luxembourg in the October 2022 bulletin. Mike McCamman of the Membership Committee wrote about the National Liberal Club in London in the November 2019 bulletin. Dana also recently had a wonderful experience at the Capital Club Dubai, which she will write about in an upcoming bulletin.

We also occasionally have members of reciprocal clubs have lunch or stay here at the DACOR Bacon House. Just in February we had a couple from the Athenaeum Club in Pasadena, CA come to members lunch at the House. We have also had members from the Franklin Inn Club in Philadelphia and the University Club in London stay with us over recent months.

In addition to using our reciprocal clubs, members can help recruit new clubs. If you are overseas or – better yet – you are a nonresident member posted overseas, you can identify clubs and offer a reciprocity arrangement with them. We have a package of materials you can share with the target club. Reciprocal Club Committee Chair, and founder of DACOR’s reciprocal program, Leo Cecchini, is always happy to add new clubs to the roster and is ready to help in the process.

If you want to utilize this program, you only need to get a letter from DACOR stating that you are a member in good standing. Instructions on how to do this are on the website. It is one of my favorite duties as Executive Director to sign these letters. I hope to be signing many more in the coming months!

John Bradshaw

Upcoming DACOR PROgRAms & EvEnts

Wednesday • April 3 • 4 - 5:30 pm Hybrid Program • 5:30 -7 pm Happy Hour

Co-sponsored by DACOR, Frontline Health Workers Coalition, Global Health Council & Project Hope

suPPORting AnD sAfEguARDing HEAltH WORkERs glObAllyAn EvEnt CElEbRAting WORlD HEAltH WORkER WEEk

Join us for an event on the critical importance of supporting and safeguarding health workers followed by a networking happy hour. Hear from globally recognized thought leaders on how frontline health workers are critical to the achievement of every global health goal and how the spaces where they work are increasingly targeted during conflict. Discussion will also focus on ways to further advance individual and institutional support for health workers throughout the health system.

This event is part of advocacy efforts by the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, Project HOPE, the Global Health Council and other partners during World Health Worker Week (WHWW) on April 1-7, the theme for which is Safe and Supported: Invest in Health Workers. It is the largest global campaign on health workers and WHWW has reached more than 15 million in the past years. This Washington, DC event will be a highlight in the week’s activities to elevate support for line health programs and the global frontline health care workforce.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Atul Gawande. Leonard Rubenstein will also give remarks. A panel with Anuradha Gupta, Dr. Jennifer Kates, Margaret McDonnell and Algene Sajery will be moderated by Jed Meline.

Full bios may be found in the online program announcement.

Thursday • April 4 • 5:30 - 7:30 pm • In-Person

Co-sponsored by DACOR & HECFAA

HAPPy HOuR WitH HECfAA

Join DACOR and HECFAA for a networking happy hour during this month’s Cocktails on the Patio. The event will feature a cash bar (cash and credit card accepted). The Hispanic & Latin Employee Council of Foreign Affairs Agencies (HECFAA) is a non-profit organization supporting employees affiliated with the U.S. Department of State. HECFAA works to promote the recruitment, retention, and career advancement of Hispanics and promote a foreign affairs workforce that reflects the diversity of the United States.

Friday • April 5 • 11:45 am - 2 pm • Hybrid • $35 in-person; $10 virtual

Development Dialogue at DACOR Hosted by DACOR & USAID Alumni Association

Dr. HOMI KHARAS

Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development, Brookings

tHE RisE Of tHE glObAl miDDlE ClAss

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Homi Kharas on his latest book The Rise of the Global Middle Class. The middle class is the most successful group in world history. Sometime before 2030 the fifth billionth person will join the middle class. What started a little over two hundred years ago as a search for a better life has fueled unprecedented global transformation. In his new book Homi Kharas looks at how this powerful dream captivated generations through history, but its demands have led younger generations to ask if it is all worth it. Can the middle class continue to thrive, or will it falter under the stresses of automation, consumerism, pollution, and political strife?

Homi Kharas is a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development, housed in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. In that capacity, he studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of the middle class, and global governance and the G-20. He previously served as interim vice president and director of the Global Economy and Development program.

A full bio may be found in the online program announcement.

Wednesday • April 10 • 12 - 2 pm • In-person • $35

Latin American and Caribbean Luncheon

Amb. Todd D. ROBINSON & Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Mr. Gastón H. SCHULMEISTER

Director, Department against Transnational Organized Crime, Organization of American States

tRAnsnAtiOnAl CRimE: HOW is it imPACting tHE REgiOn AnD

HOW CAn tHE unitED stAtEs tACklE tHis CHAllEngE WHilE PROtECting HumAn RigHts?

All those interested in Latin America and the Caribbean are welcome to attend LAC Luncheons. April’s topic is “Transnational Crime: How is it impacting the region and how can the United States tackle this challenge while protecting human rights?” with Ambassador Todd D. Robinson, Assistant Secretary of the State Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement; Mr. Gaston Schulmeister, Director of the OAS’s Department Against Transnational Crime; and other special guests!

Full bios may be found in the online program announcement.

Thursday • April 11 • 6:15 - 8:30 pm • Hybrid • $35

Co-sponsored by DACOR & Supreme Court Historical Society

Mr. DOUGLAS ROOKS

unknOWn siDE Of tHE fullER COuRt: tHE intERnAtiOnAl AnD insulAR CAsEs

Melville Fuller was chief justice during a turbulent and dynamic era in the history of the United States. Not stinting his flaws or some of the controversial decisions of his court, the new biography of Fuller, Calm Command, the first in 70 years, takes note of his internationalist work and the compelling insular cases in which his dissents are unexpected. Author Douglas Rooks also emphasizes Fuller’s unstinting efforts to unite the court and streamline its decision-making and case load.

Join us for an evening program and reception with Douglas Rooks in conversation with DACOR Trustee and lawyer Harry Baumgarten. Rooks, a lifelong journalist, has been an editor at three Maine and New Hampshire daily and weekly newspapers, and an opinion columnist for more than 40 years. His three previous books are Statesman: George Mitchell and the Art of the Possible; Rise, Decline and Renewal: The Democratic Party in Maine; and First Franco: Albert Beliveau in Law, Politics, and Love

A full bio may be found in the online program announcement.

Tuesday • April 23 • 6:30 - 9 pm • In-Person • $45

Salon

Col. MICHAEL DZIEDZIC

stRAtEgy, DiPlOmACy, AnD CRisis mAnAgEmEnt

“Why was there no warning of this?” “No planning, … just in case?” “What is the strategy here?”

How often do questions like these arise when an unexpected event brings on a bloody conflict and voices from all sides are calling for contenting powers and stakeholders to effect a satisfactory outcome? To be sure, no single individual or actor with a vital stake in a crisis is likely to have a simple or ready-made solution for violent conflicts that seem to burst on the scene. Perhaps, that is just the point. One-sided courses-of-action are not framed to address multi-sided interests and rights.

Michael Dziedzic is a retired Colonel whose career blended the worlds of theory and practice in the realm of peacekeeping and stability operations. His field experience included postings in El Salvador, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. His publications have shaped the way the U.S. approaches peace and stability operations. Notably, Quest for Viable Peace proposed that “conflict transformation” is the essence of the transition from war to sustainable peace. This concept was adopted by the State Department as the paradigm for U.S. strategic planning and was incorporated into the US Army Field Manual on Stability Operations. Dr. Dziedzic currently is a Senior Fellow for Combatting Criminalized Power Structures and Elite at the Alliance for Peacebuilding.

A full bio and more information about the Salon’s key issues for discussion may be found in the online program announcement.

Sunday • April 28

Cloyce K. Huston Musicale ENSEMBLE

BAMBOU

tWO WOmAn COmPOsERs - COlmAn AnD ARRiEu, Plus bEEtHOvEn, ZEmlinsky AnD AlbÉniZ

Heralding its first appearance at Bacon House is the woodwind quintet, Ensemble Bambou, with leader Maude Fish, bassoon. Joining her are Nicolette Oppelt, flute, Katherine Caesar-Spall, oboe, Cheryl Hill, clarinet, and Alan White, French horn.

“Umoja,” the Kwanzaa theme of Unity, opens the program, by Valerie Colman, the flutist and Grammy-winning black composer named one of the outstanding women composers of her generation. Besides this signature work we’ll also hear a younger contemporary of Ravel and Debussy, Mlle Claude Arrieu (1903-1990), our second distaff composer. The works by these two stellar composers will be leavened by several classics: Beethoven’s (d. 1827) Op. 71 Quintet, a piece by Zemlinsky (1871-1942), and ending with the rhythmic Suite Espagnole by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909).

Join us for this exciting international roster of composers inaugurating Ensemble Bambou’s quintet of woodwinds in performance at Dacor. Tea & sherry are served at intermission. Children under 18 years accompanied by an adult are admitted free.

Monday • May 13 • 11:45 am - 2 pm • Hybrid • $35 in-person; $10 virtual

Development Dialogue at DACOR Hosted by DACOR & USAID Alumni Association

Amb. ISOBEL COLEMAN

Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming, USAID

WORking titlE: tHE fiRst tHREE yEARs

Join DACOR and UAA for a reflection on the first three years of the Administration’s USAID programs and U.S. foreign policy objectives with USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman. Former USAID Counselor Chris Milligan will engage Ambassador Coleman in conversation. Deputy Administrator Coleman is responsible for USAID’s policy and programming, overseeing the Agency’s Regional and Pillar Bureaus. As Deputy Administrator, she guides USAID’s crisis response, including representing USAID on the Deputies Committee of the National Security Council, and oversees Agency efforts to promote food security, global health, democracy, and economic growth, and address the root causes of conflict.

Ambassador Coleman previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management, Reform and Special Political Affairs.

A full bio may be found in the online program announcement.

DREYFUS SCHOLARSHIPS DACOR Bacon House Foundation

Travel Committee Update

Historic Green Spring Tea Programs are offered on April 14, April 18, April 28, May 12, and May 26. They differ in offerings with tea, e.g. lecture, tour, workshop. Programs are by reservation only and run from 1 - 3 pm. Call 703-941-7987. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ parks/green-spring/historic-house

Spring Farm Day at Frying Pan Park, Saturday, May 4th 10 - 3 pm. Enjoy sheep shearing, cow and goat milking, wagon rides, and more. Pre-purchase online $12 and $14 at the door. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ frying=pan-park

Historic Garden Week is April 20 - 27. All across Virginia, private landscapes, historic sites and public gardens will be open for tours. Additionally, there will be more than 1,000 world-class floral arrangements created by Garden Club of Virginia members to enhance the properties. https://www.vagardenweek.org/

Southern Maryland Celtic Festival is on April 27. St. Leonard, MD will host multiple stages and music to include bagpipes, rugby games, and a Highland’s athletics area along with vendors selling Celtic-themed spirits, food and crafts. https://www.cssm.org/celticfestival.html

Foreign Affairs Day

Friday • May 3rd

Celebrate 100 years of the Foreign Service at this year's Foreign Affairs Day! In-person and virtual attendance are available.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS DAY INVITATIONS will be electronic this year. To make sure you receive an invitation, please send your personal email address to foreignaffairsday@state.gov.

DACOR is proud to sponsor the State Department's annual homecoming event. Inaugurated as "Foreign Service Day" in 1965 to honor and inform Department of State Foreign Service retirees, Foreign Affairs Day was expanded and renamed in 2001 to include Department Civil Service Employees. Attendees include retired Civil Service and Foreign Service generalists and specialists from the Department, as well as retired Foreign Service Officers from other foreign affairs agencies. This year, the event will include the traditional presentation of the Foreign Service Cup by DACOR and the Director General's Cups (Foreign Service and Civil Service) and remarks by Secretary of State Blinken. In addition, the AFSA Memorial Ceremony honoring personnel who have died serving abroad under circumstances distinctive to the Foreign Service will be held.

aDST-DaCOr Diplomats and Diplomacy Book Launch

Thursday

May 9

6 - 7:30 pm

PAkistAn AnD AmERiCAn DiPlOmACy: insigHts fROm 9/11 tO tHE AfgHAnistAn EnDgAmE

by TED CRAIG

In Pakistan and American Diplomacy, volume #75 in the Diplomats and Diplomacy Series, former senior U.S. embassy and State Department official Ted Craig offers the detailed insights of an American diplomat who participated in key episodes in U.S.-Pakistan relations since 2010. His astute, fast-moving diplomatic tour de force includes unsparing assessments of U.S. and Pakistani policy mistakes that fueled the long Afghan war and its disappointing end.

“Ted Craig’s book is packed with the wisdom of a professional diplomat, its pages peppered with insights won through tours of highpressure diplomacy in Islamabad.

A keen observer of the sport of politics and the politics of sport, Craig is above all a judicious analyst who accepts that in South Asian geopolitics, unlike cricket, lose-lose outcomes are always possible, even likely.”

–– Daniel Markey, South Asia senior adviser at the United States Institute of Peace

In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, as Pakistan squared off against key neighbors (Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh) and its former colonial ruler (Britain), Craig used each chapter to foreground a major issue in U.S.-Pakistan diplomacy. He also examined the excitement and ultimate disappointment accompanying the rise to power of former cricket star Imran Khan.

“Ted Craig weaves a short history of Pakistani cricket and the 2019 Cricket World Cup through his political analysis, describing the events and contests with the enthusiasm of a new fan. . . .The cricket enlivens his broader discussion as he finds illuminating connections between the sport and the geopolitics of South Asia.”

–– ali Gauhar, Pakistani cricket host and analyst

TeD CraiG’s twenty-nine-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service included two tours in Islamabad, Pakistan, the second as Political Counselor. He holds a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and taught as a Fellow at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. His service also included three tours in Latin America, a tour on the secretary of state’s Policy Planning Staff, and policy jobs on peace and security, the global environment, and human rights. He is currently a senior program advisor for the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, serving in South and Central Asia.

DACOR and ADST members and guests may purchase copies of the book at the reception or by completing the order form provided and sending it to ADST at admin@adst.org.

To RSVP please register through the DACOR Calendar of Events or contact programs@dacorbacon.org or 202.682.0500 x20 if you plan to attend the reception, which is free of charge.

PAKISTAN AND AMERICAN DIPLOMACY INSIGHTS FROM 9/11 TO THE AFGHANISTAN ENDGAME

tED CRAig

ADST-DACOR Diplomats anD Diplomacy series, volume 75

• Potomac Books/University of Nebraska Press, April 2024

• 288 pp, 3 maps, index

• Hardcover $34.95 (ADST& DACOR members & guests $28 +6% VA sales tax)

“Ted Craig provides an accessible, penetrating look at Pakistani and American policies through the difficult two decades after 9/11, exposing wishful thinking in both countries’ approach to the Afghanistan conflict….Craig writes with obvious affection toward Pakistan and its national pastime, cricket. Still, he casts a skeptical eye on the security policies of Pakistan, India, and the United States, while also providing useful insights for general readers and diplomatic practitioners alike.” aMbaSSaDOr SalMan baShir, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, 2008–2012

ORDER FORM -

Pakistan and American Diplomacy by Ted Craig

_____ Hardcover @ $30 (includes sales tax)

_____ Shipping & Handling: $4.16 Regular media mail per book [ask about priority or international rates]

_____ Total

☐ Send me the book. ☐ Pick up the book at the May 9 launch reception.

Please complete: Name

E-mail address

Payment options:

Check enclosed for $___________, payable to ADST

Please charge my: ☐ Visa ☐ MasterCard

Card Number: _______________________________________________________________________________

CCV Number (3 digits): _________________ Expiration Date: _________________

Signature of cardholder _______________________________________________________________________

Send this form or questions to admin@adst.org or mail the form to:

Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training P.O. Box 41839, Arlington, VA 22204 (tel. 703-302-6990)

DACOR Helps Host World Heritage Night

By Thomas Brannan, Public Outreach Committee

Members of DACOR’s mentoring and public outreach programs joined students and parents at a Fairfax County high school on March 1 to celebrate World Heritage Night, using the occasion to promote enrollment in advanced foreign language courses.

George C. Marshall High School is one of the region’s many high performing secondary schools, offering courses in French, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. Marshall is also one of the region’s most culturally diverse high schools where over 60 languages are spoken in students’ homes.

“We were there to encourage students considering careers in international affairs, including the U.S. Foreign Service, to take foreign language courses through all four years of high school,” said Tom Brannan, a member of DACOR’s Executive Committee. “Marshall has seen a trend of students opting out of world language courses in their junior and senior years.” He was joined by DACOR members Lynn Vega (Spanish), Amy Hansberger (French), George Hogeman (Mandarin), John Maher (Mandarin) and Dr. Kristen Luck (Japanese).

To graduate with the Advanced Studies Diploma in Virginia, students must complete three years of one language or two years of two languages. For the Standard Diploma, Virginia requires two years of one language or fine arts or career and technical ed courses.

Tom Brannan (right), member of Public Outreach Committee, with students.

Above: Kristen Luck (left) and Tom Brannan (right), members of Public Outreach Committee, with student.

Left: Lynn Vega (standing), Chair of the Public Outreach Committee, with students.

Memorial Day Observance

May 27 • 11:00 am

Please join us for the 2024 Memorial Day Observance at Rock Creek Cemetery

DACOR’s Foreign Service Sections of Rock Creek Cemetery will be the location of the 2024 Memorial Day Observance. Please join us for this year’s ceremony, organized by the Memorial Committee, chaired by Clarke Cooper.

P R O G R A M

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER INVOCATION

MUSICAL INTERLUDE REMARKS

WREATH LAYING

TAPS

BENEDICTION

Reception to follow at the cemetery’s St. Paul’s Parish Hall

Directions to Rock Creek Cemetery

From downtown: Go north on 16th Street. Turn right (east) on Upshur Street and follow to its end at Rock Creek Church Road. Turn left. Around the curve, the main entrance of the Cemetery can be seen.

From Virginia: Go through Rock Creek Park past the Zoo, bear right after an overpass and right on Piney Branch Parkway to its end. Turn right and proceed for a block and a half on Arkansas Avenue, then right on Upshur Street and proceed as above. Alternately, go up North Capitol Street, past the Soldiers Home (on your left) and turn left on Harewood Road, which runs into Rock Creek Church Road. The Cemetery entrance will be on your right.

From Maryland: Take Military Road across Rock Creek Park. It becomes Missouri Avenue. Turn right (south) on North Capitol Street. You will soon see the Cemetery on your right. Bear right, following the curve of the Cemetery fence, when North Capitol Street jogs left. You will come to the Cemetery entrance on the right.

After entering the Cemetery, drive between the Parish Hall on the left and the church on the right. Keep bearing left until you reach the DACOR monument in the northwest corner of the Cemetery.

DACOR Board of Governors Election

DACOR is governed by an elected 25-member Board of Governors whose responsibilities include oversight of the organization's mission, policies, strategic goals, budget and finances; the Board also constitutes the Board of Trustees of the DACOR Bacon House Foundation.

In accordance with the Bylaws, Regular Members elect members to serve as Governors. Terms are for three years and are elected on a staggered basis; this spring, eight seats are up for re-election.

The slate of candidates prepared by the Nominating

2024 DACOR ANNUAL MEMBERS' MEETING

Thursday, April 25

10:15 am - 12:00 pm

Business to be conducted:

■ Committee Reports

■ President & Executive Director Reports

■ Board Election Results

All members of DACOR are invited to attend.

Board of Governors

Shaz Akram

Harry Baumgarten

Deborah Bolton

R. Clarke Cooper

Craig Hall

Gene Harris

Carolee Heileman

Dana Linnet

Committee can be found on the ballot on page 17, their bios are on the preceding pages; members may also cast their vote for write-in candidates. The Nominating Committee is composed of James Benson (Chair), Janice Bay, Carolee Heileman, and Amb. Mattie R. Sharpless.

We thank our departing board members Julie Herr, Pooja Pama, Amb. Mattie R. Sharpless and Amb. Sylvia Stanfield for their hard work and dedication to DACOR and the DACOR Bacon House Foundation.

Ways to Vote:

☑ Complete the paper ballot found on page 17 and deliver it to DACOR.

☑ Complete the on-line ballot, which will be distributed via email in mid April, and submit it electronically.

DEADLINE:

To be counted, your ballot must be received by 10:15 am on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

Continuing Members

Joanna Martin

Keith McCormick

Richard Morford

Daphne Titus

Stephen Thompson

Marc Wall

Meredith Whiting

Ashley Wills

2024 Candidates for the Board of Governors/Trustees

*indicates the candidate is running for a second term

▶ JONATHAN BENTON

Jonathan Benton has long demonstrated support for and a commitment to outreach and advocacy on behalf of the Foreign Service, foreign affairs professions, and U.S. international engagement. He continues to support our institution and mission, including through DACOR programs and as a member of DACOR and AFSA. He believes he could make meaningful contributions to the organization as a board member.

Benton’s assignments in the Foreign Service included: special assistant to the Secretary, political officer in Moscow, DCM Dublin, and Deputy Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. He spent a year each on the Hill and at the National War College. After retirement in 2010, Benton was deployed as an annuitant 11 times, and worked with the U.S. Army and USAID. He is the recipient of AFSA’s Rivkin Award and numerous Department awards. He is currently working as senior advisor (contractor) coordinating foreign assistance to Ukraine and other countries in the region.

▶ JOSEPH T. “TOM” BRANNAN

Joseph T. “Tom” Brannan joined DACOR in 2013 and retired from teaching high school social studies in 2016. While serving on the Program Committee, he was elected to the DACOR Board in 2017, and served as the first chair of DACOR’s Public Outreach Committee from 2018 to 2023. He is currently an ex-officio member of the Board and a contributor to the Foundation’s UDC Scholarship Fund.

Tom’s international experience began with a stint in the Navy during the Cold War when his ship was homeported in Naples, Italy, from 1971-73. Returning to civilian life in 1973, he worked as a journalist, a regional planner, and for 12 years as assistant city manager of Alexandria, VA. Along the way he earned a B.A. in political science at Catholic University and an MPA from George Mason University. Completing GWU’s Transition to Teaching program in 2000, he launched his teaching career at George C. Marshall H.S. in Fairfax County where he revived the Model UN Club and served as its faculty advisor until his retirement in 2016.

▶ PAULA S. JAKUB*

Paula S. Jakub recently retired as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Foreign Service Protective Association (AFSPA). The Association administers the Foreign Service Benefit Plan under contract with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She was

also the Executive Director of the Senior Living Foundation (SLF) of the American Foreign Service, where she provided proactive management to the vital organization solely devoted to helping elderly Foreign Service retirees and widows. In this critical leadership role, she oversaw the grant/support functions and key activities that are vital to the continued success of the Foundation. Mrs. Jakub also serves on the Board of the Association of Federal Health Organizations. She has a 40-year extensive background in the insurance field, having received her underwriting certification from American College. Mrs. Jakub lives in Manassas, Virginia, with her husband, Michael Jakub.

▶ DONALD B. KURSCH*

Donald B. Kursch has been a member of DACOR since 2003 when he retired from the Foreign Service as a MinisterCounselor with 38 years of active service. He served as DCM in Budapest, Bonn and at the U.S. Mission to the European Union with additional postings in Moscow and Zurich and multiple assignments at State. Since retirement, Don has worked for the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), and as a Senior Advisor to State’s Bureau for Counterterrorism. He also served on AFSA’s Political Action Committee (PAC), and has worked with the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program for over 15 years. Don holds a B.A. in history from Harvard and an M.A. in international relations from GW’s Elliot School. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and its reserve from 1964-1967. He has a particular interest in helping DACOR expand and renew its membership and supporting the preservation of its magnificent headquarters. Don and his wife, Christine, live in Washington, DC.

▶ THOMAS MARTELLA

As a Principal with Booz Allen Hamilton, Tom Martella managed a consulting practice focused on international lending institutions (World Bank, USAID, IADB, UNDP), working in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. His work centered on modernizing operations including information technology and assisting organizations preparing to privatize, including the establishment of regulatory bodies in various major infrastructure areas. Residing in Kuwait, he led assignments there and in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, as well as Zambia. Residing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Martella led public-sector work including efforts for the BNDES. Prior to international work, he consulted with various U.S. DOD entities. Earlier, following Wabash College (AB, Political Science) and prior to graduate

school (MA, Journalism, Indiana University; MBA, Finance, The George Washington University), Martella taught at international schools in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Cairo, Egypt, and worked for a media group in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

▶ LYNNE G. PLATT*

A career Foreign Service officer who served in Europe, Near East Asia and the Western Hemisphere, Lynne Platt retired from the State Department in 2018 with the rank of Minister Counselor. She and her husband moved to Florida in 2020. In January 2023, she became Board Chairperson of the 400-member Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida (FSRA-FL), the largest such state association in the country. She also is Vice President and Program Committee co-chair of the annual St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs, frequently recruiting retired Foreign Service officers as conference speakers. Lynne is Vice President of the Advisory Council of the University of South Florida’s World program. She recently was invited to join the Tampa Bay Area Committee on Foreign Relations. Lynne continues to promote public awareness of and support for the U.S. Foreign Service and for DACOR.

▶ THOMAS H. STAAL*

Thomas H. Staal has spent most of his career in international development and humanitarian assistance. At the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1988 to 2019, he began as an Emergency Program Officer in Sudan and ended his career as Agency Counselor, and retired from the Foreign Service at the rank of Career Minister. He served in several posts in East Africa and the Middle East, including USAID Mission Director in Iraq and Ethiopia. He also held a variety of positions in USAID Washington, including Acting Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, and Instructor at the National War College. Before USAID, Mr. Staal worked for World Vision in Sudan and ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia. He has an MA in Middle East Politics from Columbia University, and a M.Sc. from the National Defense University. The son of missionaries, he grew up in Iraq and Kuwait, and attended boarding school in India.

▶ AMB. W. STUART SYMINGTON

Ambassador Stuart Symington served as U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Rwanda and Djibouti, as U.S. Special Envoy for South Sudan, and as U.S. Special Representative for the Central African Republic. He was also Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Africa and African Security Affairs and Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge’ in Niger on 9/11/2001.

Symington began his diplomatic career with tours in Honduras, Spain, Mexico, and Ecuador. He later worked for the Undersecretary for Political Affairs and in the State Department’s West Africa office, before

going to Iraq for the run-up to the 2005 election.

Outside the Department, Symington was the Foreign Policy Advisor to NORAD and Northern Command, the State Department Representative to the Joint Forces Staff College, and a Pearson fellow for Congressman Ike Skelton; he also accompanied Congressman Bill Richardson to North Korea and Sudan in 1996 on humanitarian missions to secure the release of American captives.

He is now a Senior Fellow at the National Defense University’s Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia.

Before becoming a diplomat, Ambassador Symington worked as a lawyer in Missouri, New York, Paris, and London. He is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Law and Brown University. Symington was raised in Missouri and graduated from John Burroughs School in St. Louis. He and his wife Susan Ide Symington have two children and two grandsons.

▶ LYNN NORTHCUTT VEGA

Lynn Northcutt Vega is a career Foreign Service Officer with the US Agency for International Development. She has served with USAID in a variety of positions both inside its headquarters in Washington, DC, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Her long-term work overseas includes postings to Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean, Colombia, and Moldova. Ms. Vega is an expert on vulnerable populations (victims of conflict, refugees, IDPs, child combatants, demobilized ex-combatants, ethnic minorities, and people living with disabilities), disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, local governance, Latin American culture and politics, civilian-military cooperation, and conflict management and mitigation. She is regularly called upon to speak at international and national fora on these and other topics related to her work.

Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Vega spent six years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. At CSIS, she was an editor with the Center’s foreign policy journal, The Washington Quarterly, and a research assistant for the International Leadership Forum, an activity focused on sharing experiences and lessons learned among past and future democratic leaders and thinkers from around the world. She is fluent in Spanish and English and has basic Romanian. She has been the recipient of various Meritorious Honor and Superior Honor Awards from both USAID and the Department of State.

Election Ballot 2024

Board of Governors of DACOR

Board of Trustees of DACOR Bacon House Foundation

Regular Members - You may vote for no more than 9 candidates.

Candidate biographies can be found on pages 15-16.

_____ Jonathan Benton _____ Lynne G. Platt

_____ Joseph T. “Tom” Brannan _____ Thomas H. Staal

_____ Paula S. Jakub _____ W. Stuart Symington

_____ Donald B. Kursch _____ Lynn Northcutt Vega

_____ Thomas Martella

Write-in: _________________________________

Write-in: _________

Signed: ______________________________________________

Print: ________________________________________________

Send to:

DACOR, Inc. (Ballot) 1801 F Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20006

Ballots must be signed and received by 10:15 am April 25, 2024

Amna Sassy

University of Baltimore

Graduate School Focus: Global Affairs and Human Security

Title of Dissertation: Exploring the mental health of refugees and the lack of proper mental health resources and access available to refugees

Undergraduate School: Towson University

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

The Katherine & S. Pinkney Tuck Memorial Fellowship

• What has been the most memorable moment for you during your studies?

The most memorable moment has been meeting new classmates and creating new networks; each person has shown me to look at things that I learn about in my studies from various perspectives.

• Where have you worked or interned during your studies? What have you gained from the experiences?

I work full-time with the International Rescue Committee of Baltimore; I have gained a tremendous amount from this experience – I started out as an Extended Services Caseworker and was in that position 9 months and was then promoted to be the Casework Coordinator/ Supervisor in the Resettlement and Placement Program. I have thrived working at the IRC; one thing I have gained is sense of purpose because of the positive impact I have always wanted to make on others lives. Another thing I have gained is professional growth because the job requires a diverse skill set that includes full communication, advocacy, case management, and cultural sensitivity which has enhanced my development opportunities.

• Where have you traveled during your studies? I have traveled to Jordan and Egypt.

• What are your goals for the future?

My goals for the future are to complete my graduate program and continue to grow and excel in my professional development and career; I also hope that in the future I can have a career that would have me working in another country. My long-term plans slightly changed in that I am enjoying the work I am currently doing, and I know I want to continue to work with an international NGO or possibly become a Foreign Service Officer. I will continue to push myself to strive to achieve the best I can accomplish.

• What has your scholarship/fellowship allowed you to do that you would not otherwise have been able to do?

My scholarship/fellowship has allowed me to continue to pursue my higher education with a less financial burden as a full-time working student; in addition, by receiving this prestigious fellowship, it has enhanced my resume and opportunities such as the recent leadership promotion at my job – my peers in school and in work see the hard work and dedication I put in both my graduate studies and growing my career. I hope to help others to achieve greatness and to promote others to always believe in themselves and to understand that when we globally come together, we can achieve great ideas.

A Very Warm Welcome to Our New Administrative Assistant!

Seou (pronounced Sue) Park graduated with a B.A. in Public Policy and Foreign Affairs with a concentration in East Asian Relations at the University of Virginia. Prior to her employment at DACOR and Dacor Bacon House Foundation, she was a Program Coordinator for a Non-Profit in Northern Virginia. She helped plan and oversee the low-income K-12 academic/peer mentoring program, mental health services, and helped compose and submit local, federal, and international grants for the organization.

Seou joined the DACOR team in March 2024. She hopes to use her experience as the secretary of Liberty in North Korea at UVA and a Language Intern through the State Department to help to the growth of the community and success of DACOR and Dacor Bacon House Foundation.

Important PSA: Drop Everything Right Now & Fill Out Your DACOR Member Profile & Employment History!!

Why are up-to-date profiles and employment histories so important? For many reasons! They help us understand the make-up and interests of our members so leadership can be sure our benefits, programs, goals, etc., align with our community. They also helps us find certain subsets of members for targeted communications and opportunity sharing. And of course, it is imperative we have members' current contact information.

DACOR is the home of the foreign affairs family and that family is a wonderful mix of people with diverse experiences and interests. Help us figure out the details of our family and improve our home by filling out your member profile and employment history today!

Remember, you can access your member profile and employment history at any time - we encourage you to update them regularly.

Instructions:

• Go to www.dacorbacon.org and click on Members Portal. Select My Membership Account from the drop down that appears. Log into your account. (Don't remember your login? See page 24.)

• Your personal membership account page will load:

• To update your member profile, select the Member Information tab and click on Change Contact/Profile Info. Add as much information as you'd like in the profile and then click submit.

• To enter your employment history, select the Employment History tab and click on Employment History. Then, click the Add New Employment History button. Enter the appropriate information for your position and click Save Changes. Repeat for as many positions as you'd like to add.

We are here to help! If you have any questions or if you would like to be sent a physical version of your Member Profile/Employment History to fill out, contact Seou a spark@dacorbacon.org.

WElCOmE

Victoria Alysha Durgana LATORTUE and Jean-Bernard LATORTUE

Victoria LaTortue has been a Foreign Service Officer since September 2017. She currently serves in the Department of State’s Executive Secretariat advancing and planning the Secretary of State’s travel. Previously she served as a Vice Consul in Tel Aviv from 2021-2023 and as a Political Officer in Algiers, Algeria from 2018-2020. Victoria is a recipient of the Security Fellowship from the Truman National Security Project, Penn Kemble Forum for Democracy Fellowship from the National Endowment of Democracy, United Nations Graduate Fellowship from United Nations Association, and the Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship. She is also a member of Black Professionals in International Affairs (BPIA), Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS), and Thursday Luncheon Group (TLG). She has a Masters of Arts in Security Policy Study from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts from New York University. She speaks Hebrew, French, and Arabic.

Joann M. LOCKARD and Aaron W. LOCKARD

Joann Lockard is currently the nominee to be Ambassador to Burkina Faso. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Abidjan (2020-2023) and Counselor for Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy Prague (20172020). Joann joined the Foreign Service in May 1998. She served in Kazakhstan, El Salvador, Burkina Faso, Uganda, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, and Washington, DC. She joined the Foreign Service as a Political Officer, but found that she loved Public Diplomacy and switched cones in 2008. She served as PAO in four assignments before moving into the senior FS ranks and serving as DCM.

Joseph REID II and Alonzo Alexander MABLE

Joseph Reid was the Communications Director for US Senator George Allen on the Foreign Relations Committee 2004-2007. He was a Political Civil Society Consultant in Baghdad and Irbil Iraq for IRI from 2004-2008. He was a Partner and Director of International Business Development based in Kuwait for Qorvis Communications

(Washington DC) from 2011-2015. Joseph has lived, worked or traveled in 110 countries. In addition to his current role as a radio host and journalist traveling extensively for international news events (coronation, world expo, Olympics, Ukraine war) he spent three years based in the Middle East during the Arab Spring consulting with foreign governments and private companies. He has also been a featured contributor for the BBC World Service analyzing American politics for over a decade. Joseph was introduced to DACOR by Clarke Cooper.

Christopher Ellett RICH and Lori Sandra VAN GEMERT

Christopher Rich was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, from 1979 to 1982. He worked at Peace Corps HQ Operations Staff, 1985-89. After entering the Foreign Service as a Political Cone Officer, he was posted to Dhaka, Kingston, New Delhi, Cairo, Ankara, Kabul, Lahore, and Islamabad, with Washington tours in DRL, EAP, SCA, and OES from 1989 to 2019. Christopher was introduced to DACOR by Anthony “Bud” Rock.

Terri ROBL and Dr. Ahmed ESA

Terri Robl was a Foreign Service Officer, in the Economic cone from 1985 to 2018. Her last three assignments were as Senior Advisor/Lead Negotiator (EB/TRA) US-UK Open Skies; Director (WHA/EPSC) Western Hemisphere Economic Policy and Summit Coordination; and Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York. She was introduced to DACOR by Angela Dickey.

Dr. Shelley Virginia SAVAGE

Shelley Savage is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Togo, West Africa - 1992-1994). Since 2014, she has served as a clinical psychologist for Peace Corps (Headquarters). She is an Advanced Analytic Candidate at the Contemporary Freudian Society, a component society of the International Psychoanalytic Association.

During Shelley’s tenure at Peace Corps HQ she has held the positions of Acting Director and Chief Clinical Officer for her unit; Founder/Lead for an interdepartmental diversity, inclusion, and health equity programming committee; and Member of Agency-wide committees such as the Drug and Alcohol Working Group, Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and

Inclusion, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program. Her travels have taken her to 27 states/localities and 50 countries.

Christopher James SLOTTA

Christopher Slotta is a new USAID Foreign Service Officer recently completing his C3 training. Previously he worked as a USAID personal services contractor in Honduras from 2014 to 2016 and also worked as an Institutional Support Contractor from 2021 to 2023.

Jasmine Aja SUAREZ and Genai Kimberly MOORE

Jasmine Suarez advises politicians and stakeholders on STEM innovation and competitiveness both domestically and internationally. She currently works as a contract advisor for the Executive Office of the President, Office of the National Cyber Director. She previously held a position as a Senior Congressional Innovation Fellow for TechCongress and as a Senior Fellow advising the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Jasmine had previously worked as an EFL/ESL instructor in Saraburi, Thailand in 2015-2016 and as a language instructor in Gurye-gun, South Korea in 2016.

Dr. Beth VAN SCHAACK and Brent LANG

Beth Van Schaack is the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice. She previously served as Deputy in the same office.

In addition to serving in government in these two capacities, Beth has been a law professor at Stanford Law School and has worked with a number of civil society organizations engaged in global justice work. She also advised the U.S. interagency delegation to the Kampala Review Conference on the aggression amendments to the International Criminal Court treaty. She was introduced to DACOR by Emily Perkins.

Dr. Brandon W. TEMPLE and Kristyn TEMPLE

Brandon Temple was a National Security Advisor to Member of the House of Representatives in 2022. Previously he was a Strategic Advisor to the Commanding General of Joint Special Operations Command from June 2019 to July 2020. Brandon’s role in foreign affairs has primarily been through military service and academic work. He has served on ten overseas deployments, worked in NATO HQs in Afghanistan, and worked extensively with our “Five eyes” partners. Brandon’s BA is in international relations, his Masters is in diplomacy, and his Doctorate is in international development, with a focus in security studies. He was introduced to DACOR by Clarke Cooper.

Welcome Back!

On February 29th, DACOR teamed up with the Pickering and Rangel Fellows Association (PRFA) to hold a celebratory happy hour for DACOR member Patricia Scrogg’s retirement. Patricia managed the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program for the U.S. Department of State from 2006 - 2023 and also oversaw the other Diplomatic Fellowships run by the State Department, USAID, USDA, and APHIS, and the DEIA Champions Sponsorship Program for mid-career and senior State Department Foreign Service Officers.

DACOR Staff, particularly Christine Skodon, Director of Communications and Programs, were delighted to see Brandon Lee at the event. Brandon was the Program Intern at DACOR during the summer of 2019. At the time, he was an undergraduate at Florida International University majoring in International Relations. He attended the happy hour as a 2022 Rangel Fellow. Brandon is currently working on his master’s in international economic policy. He noted that his time at DACOR helped him decide to follow a Foreign Service career path. Of course, Brandon was told he is welcome at DACOR anytime!

Brandon and Christine catch-up at the event.

100 yEARs Of tHE fOREign sERviCE

2024 is the 100th anniversary of the Rogers Act which created the modern Foreign Service. Throughout the year, we will focus on important moments in our diplomatic history.

By Audrey Straw, Program Intern

The Red Scare and Wristonization

As the 1950s came rolling in, the Red Scare gripped the nation and the fear of communism infiltrating the government started to spread. Senator Joseph McCarthy led a campaign against perceived communism, and it particularly impacted the Department of State. He accused Foreign Service Officers, especially those working on Far Eastern affairs, of promoting a communist agenda.1 McCarthy also began to target LGBTQ+ employees, as he felt they were susceptible to blackmail.2 These accusations created a culture of fear within the Department of State. From 1950-1953, the State Department fired over 500 employees as security risks.3 The accusations were not supported by evidence, and this negatively impacted morale within the Department of State, undermining the effectiveness of the department. A member of the department’s staff noted, “few people who lived through the McCarthy era in the Department of State can ever forget the fear, intimidation, and sense of outrage which permeated Foggy Bottom.”4 Despite these challenges, the State Department was also looking to make significant changes to increase capacity and efficiency.

In January of 1950, the Rowe Committee was created to further consider alterations to the Foreign Service. The committee recommended that there should be a singular personnel system for the Department of State as a whole, separated into two groups: 1) an officer corps and 2) a clerical and technical group.5 Though this plan was widely liked within the Department, some Foreign Service Officers feared that integration would lead to a loss of retirement rights and limitations on promotions and assignments to desirable posts. The committee also found that the Foreign Service lacked junior recruits.6 The Department agreed in

a directive that integration of Departmental and Foreign Service personnel was practical to a certain extent, but integration should be voluntary and not required.7 This fell short of the expectations of the committee since it lacked urgency to achieve its purposes.8 Expanded recruitment of junior officers did not take place.9 In fact, in 1953, there was a halt in the appointment of new officers and 52 Foreign Service positions were eliminated.10

In early 1954, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles created a new committee headed by Henry Wriston, to make recommendations on “the measures necessary to strengthen the effectiveness of the professional service to a standard consistent with the vastly increasing responsibilities in the field of foreign policy.”11 On May 18, 1954, the committee sent the Wriston Report to Secretary Dulles with their recommendations. The committee presented several criticisms of the Departmental Administration of the Foreign Service, including an absence of strong administrative leadership leading to poor management, failure to recruit entry-level officers leading to a decline in the number of Foreign Service Officers, a lack of specialized skills within the Service, and inadequacies within the Foreign Service Institute (FSI).12

To address these deficiencies, the committee put forth several recommendations to the Department. Secretary Dulles approved the recommendations made by the Wriston Committee and urgently proceeded to implement them. Recognizing the failures to implement the suggestions of the Rowe Committee for integration, the Department leadership recognized that this time around, the proposed program would need to be implemented quickly and vigorously, regardless of any temporary inconveniences, to ensure

1. Plischke, Elmer. U.S. Department of State: A Reference History. 1999. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT. Page 662

2. https://adst.org/2020/11/the-state-department-under-the-red-scare-mccarthys-campaign/

3. https://afsa.org/afsa-history-timeline

4. Plischke 662

5. Barnes, William, and John Heath Morgan. The Foreign Service of the United States: Origins, Development, and Functions. July, 1961. Historical Office Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State. Page 269

6. Ibid 270

7. Ibid 271

8. Barnes and Morgan 271; Plischke 455

9. Barnes and Morgan 271

10. Barnes and Morgan 271; https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/timeline/1950-1959

11. Barnes and Morgan 271

12. Ibid 273-274

that it was not stopped by a vocal minority that opposed integration. They recognized that this was an opportunity to build a stronger foundation for the State Department and the Foreign Service.13 Implementation of the Wriston Report became known as “Wristonization.”

Integration of the Foreign Service and Department of State meant four categories of officers were to be unified: Civil Service officers holding positions concerned with the conduct of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service Officers, Foreign Service Reserve Officers, and Foreign Service Staff Officers. All these positions were combined under a Foreign Service Officers Corps, where members were expected to be prepared to serve at home and abroad in any position that the Secretary of State saw fit.14 In addition, a total of 3689 positions (with 1450 in the Department and 2239 abroad) were created.15 The role of the Foreign Service Reserve Officer also changed. Traditionally, this position dealt with cultural, information, and labor affairs. The Wriston Committee Report recommended that the Reserve would work as additional temporary specialists and accommodate for more lateral entry into the Foreign Service for those who lacked the years of experience necessary to do so.16

the rates of the class they were appointed to, based on the age, qualifications, and experience of the individual.17 New officers could be appointed from within the Department of State and from other agencies. This allowed for a smoother transition into integrations.18 In addition to the above provisions, for candidates for integration to qualify for appointment, they needed 4 years of governmental experience and to pass a mental and physical exam.19

From 1954-1957, the Foreign Service Officers Corps would increase by 80% thanks to integration.

A provision from the Act of 1946 had also discouraged individuals from wanting to join the Foreign Service. Paragraph 413b required that individuals appointed to a Foreign Service Officer position would receive the minimum salary rate provided to the class they had been appointed. This meant that often times, when individuals joined the Foreign Service, they would have a pay cut, which kept many qualified individuals from taking on this position. In April 1955, this provision was replaced by an amendment that newly appointed officers might receive salaries at one of

13. Ibid 278

14, Ubud 278

15. Ibid 279

16. Plischke 484

17. Barnes and Morgan 280

18. Ibid 281

19. Ibid 280

20. Ibid 292

21. Plischke 488

22. Barnes and Morgan 283

23. Ibid 284

The Foreign Service Act Amendment of 1955 also made other changes to the benefits of the Foreign Service. A home transfer allowance was established to meet the outof-pocket expenses incurred when returning to the US from abroad in between assignments. In addition, officers were given reimbursements for the payment of their children’s education and medical examinations. Finally, amendments were made to give retirement credits to those who served in the military or were stationed at a hardship post.20 The Act of 1955 also created the new rank of Career Ambassador.21 In addition to integration, the Junior Officer Recruitment Program was strengthened. In 1956, 7550 more people had taken the Foreign Service Officers exam than in 1954, representing candidates from across all 48 states that were currently in the Union. In March of 1957, 679 junior officers were appointed.22 The Department had built stronger relationships with colleges to increase interest for the foreign service among students. The Foreign Service Officers exam was shortened to make it more manageable. For example, the written exam was shortened to take only 1 day in comparison to the 3 ½ days it had previously taken.23 The examination was also available to be taken more widely

Henry M. Wriston, 1942

throughout the country, with the written exam increasing availability from 16 to 65 cities and the oral exam being available in 23 cities domestically and 5 internationally instead of just in Washington, DC.24

Changes were also made to the Foreign Service Institute. In 1954, an orientation course for Junior Officers and an intermediate course for mid-career officers was reinitiated.25 Language training was also significantly expanded. Training outside the institute at other institutions was also increased and specialization training was expanded.26

The Department of State instituted a new language policy, wherein Foreign Service Officers were encouraged to learn the language of each of their posts. In addition, language training schools were established in France, Germany, and Mexico. Foreign Service Circular 227 in 1958 created a mandatory language proficiency testing program, wherein officers were required to have a “useful” knowledge of 2 languages and be able to speak the language of their post.27

In addition to Wristonization, the US’ aid giving structure began to expand. Though Foreign Service Officers were not

24. Ibid 282

25. Ibid 285

26. Ibid 285

intimately involved with the administering of aid through the International Cooperation Agency (ICA), created in 1956, it did impact the work they were doing. Foreign Service Officers helped to negotiate the aid agreements, evaluated the political and economic effect of aid programs on countries, and ensured that aid programs matched with US foreign policy. Steps were taken to combine ICA staff with Foreign Service professionals, particularly within embassies and missions.28

In addition, the United States Information Agency (USIA), in 1958, adopted the Foreign Service personnel system for classifying officers abroad. The agency pushed for a career status for its officers, even creating a career officer corps modeled after that of the Foreign Service.29

Despite the threats caused by the Red Scare, the Foreign Service continued to grow, thanks to Wristonization. As the decade came to a close, Foreign Service offices began to pop up in other departments and agencies. The next decade would continue to demonstrate what a growing Foreign Service would look like.

27. https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/timeline/1950-1959

28. Barnes and Morgan 287-288

29. Ibid 290

Logging into DACOR's Website QUICK GUIDE

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• When the login page appears, enter your username and password if you have them and continue to the last bullet point below. If not, or if you need to reset them, go to the Reset Your Password section and enter your email we have on file. Click the Reset my Password button.

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• Take note of your username in the email (you can change it if you want to) and click on the reset link.

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• Enjoy all DACOR's website has to offer!

Need additional help? Contact Alya at agunawan@dacorbacon.org or 202.682.0500 x11.

The officers and trustees of the DACOR Bacon House Foundation acknowledge with gratitude the following donation in honor of a living individual:

Tracy Cooper-Tuckman

R. Clarke COOPER

Call for Nominations for the Eleanor Dodson Tragen Award 2024

The Eleanor Dodson Tragen Award honors a spouse, family member, domestic partner or member of household, who has effectively advocated and promoted rights, programs, services and benefits for Foreign Service families in the tradition of the AAFSW and its members, as did the late Mrs. Eleanor Tragen.

In the 1960s, Mrs. Tragen and her colleagues were instrumental in calling attention to the lack of rights of spouses (at that time almost exclusively wives); they wrote a brief, entitled, “What If?” that spotlighted the lack of resources wives had should they face a sudden death, illness or divorce. Ele then testified before Congress, using “What If?” as her basis and eventually helped to win important rights for wives such as access to alimony and pension benefits.

While the first recipients of the award (see box) were recognized for this early work in gaining rights for wives, more recent recipients have been honored for their work on issues that face today’s Foreign Service spouses, partners and families.

Criteria:

The recipient, active duty or retired, will be chosen for his/her volunteer efforts to enhance, improve, broaden or make more effective services, rights and benefits provided to FS spouses, families, EFM domestic partners and household members. The initiative to be recognized should benefit more than just a specific mission activity at one post, but offer promise of replication or application throughout the Foreign Service.

2023: Michelle Neyland

Award:

The winner will receive a cash award of $2,000, which will be presented at the AAFSW Annual Awards Program in November or December. If available, the Program will be held at the State Department and the winner will also be honored at a luncheon at the DACOR Bacon House and receive travel costs to and free lodging at DACOR Bacon House if posted outside of DC.

Eligibility:

Nominees must be spouses, family members, EFM domestic partners or members of household of FS employees, active or retired. Previous nominees can be considered if an updated justification sheet is included. Nominees must agree to attend the November/ December awards ceremony if selected.

Nominations:

To make a nomination, please submit the following:

• Nominee’s full name

• Nominee’s relationship to the direct-hire employee or retiree

• Nominee’s email address

• Nominator’s name and relationship to nominee

• Justification for the nomination including specific actions and qualities that fulfill the award criteria

• Name of nominee’s hometown newspaper and U.S. representative in Congress

• Nominations should be submitted as a Word document, not to exceed 3 pages, double spaced. Nominations should be sent by e-mail to John Bradshaw at: jbradshaw@dacorbacon.org

Submission deadline: April 26, 2024.

Past Tragen Award Recipients

For her leadership in spearheading a successful pay equity legislation campaign for Civil Service Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas, for educating and motivating the right stakeholders and delivering tangible results for Department and interagency families and for helping the Department and Interagency advance toward DEIA goals.

2022: Alison Davis

2021: Fabiula Maughan

2020: Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen

2019: Melissa Brayer-Hess

2018: Patricia Linderman

2017: Kelly Bembry Midura

2016: Leah Evans

2015: Sheila Switzer

2014: Ann La Porta

2013: Bob Castro

2012: Thomas Gallagher

2010: Mari O’Connor

2009: Mette Beecroft

2007: Leslie Dorman

2006: Jean Vance

Ping-Pong Diplomacy

By Audrey Straw, Program Intern

Thank you to Susan Irving, daughter of Franklin Irving, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Asian and Pacific region in 1971, for the donation of a table tennis paddle used by the US Table Tennis Association (USTTA) in April 1971. In 1971, nine players from the US Table Tennis team took a historic trip to China as the first US citizens to visit the People’s Republic of China since the 1949 Chinese revolution, an event that became known as ping-pong diplomacy.1

The American and Chinese Table Tennis teams used ping pong as the first step toward Diplomatic Recognition of China. Ping-pong diplomacy led to improved cultural diplomacy practices, focused on people-to-people understandings.2 The paddle was a diplomatic tool. Once the US Table Tennis team got back onto US soil, they presented this paddle to Deputy Assistant Secretary Irving.

The beginning of Ping-pong diplomacy began at the 1971 World Table Tennis Championship in Japan. USTTA player Glenn Cowan had missed his bus following practice and had then boarded the Chinese team’s bus. Chinese player Zhuang Zedong approached Cowan and offered him a silk cloth with a depiction of the Huangshan Mountains. Zedong and Cowan were photographed exiting the bus together.3

Two days later, the US team received an invitation to play exhibition matches in China against the Chinese team. The US accepted the invitation. The invitation not only included the matches, but also consisted of banquets, entertainment, and tours of culturally significant sights across the countries. The team were honored guests with China.4 The Chinese government had invited the team to possibly shift diplomatic relations with the United States. The US, under President Nixon’s leadership, had welcomed this opportunity. Time magazine called this invitation “The ping heard round the world.”5

On April 10, nine players, four officials, and two spouses walked across the bridge separating British-controlled Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Ten journalists were also invited to cover this historic event.6 Exceptions had to be made for these players to allow them to travel to China. There was a penalty for traveling to Communist-controlled countries, but the US Department of State consular officials

in Japan made an exception for these players in their passports.7

Within China, the games were advertised as “friendship matches.” The Chinese table tennis team was known to be among the best in the world, and the US players noted that the Chinese players, at times, were taking it easy on them out of courtesy towards their guests.8 These games were well-attended by the Chinese public and garnered a lot of attention in the US.

In addition to the paddle, Susan Irving also donated newspaper clippings in association with the paddle. The article was published by the Washington Post on April 19, 1971, and expressed a reciprocal desire to invite the Chinese Table Tennis Team to the US. The article also noted that the trip helped the players to see how similar they are to the Chinese players.

The paddle is finished with light golden-brown wood with a varnish or a finish. The rubber of the paddle is a faded red on either side. There is a scratch at the center bottom of the paddle. On the side of the handle, there is a hairline crack underneath the polished finish. On the back of the handle, there appears to be residue from some sort of mounting method. On the back of the paddle, there is a string and a metal hanger that are connected to the paddle with staples, leaving small holes in it. Affixed to the front is the patch for the USTTA. In addition, a piece of paper is taped to the front of the paddle, which reads, “This was the first step in the diplomatic recognition of China April 18, 1971.”

The paddle is a symbol of the parting of the red curtain that had closed off US diplomacy to China. This trip opened communications between the two countries and eventually led to President Nixon becoming the first president in decades to visit the country. April marks 53 years since this historic event took place.

1. https://diplomacy.state.gov/ping-pong-diplomacy-historic-1971-u-s-table-tennis-tripto-china/

2. Ibid

3. Ibid

4. Ibid

5. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ping-pong-diplomacy-60307544/

6. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/china-ping-pong/

7. https://diplomacy.state.gov/ping-pong-diplomacy-historic-1971-u-s-table-tennis-trip-to-china/ 8. Ibid

9. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ping-pong-diplomacy-60307544/

The officers and trustees of the DACOR Bacon House Foundation acknowledge with gratitude the following memorial contributions:

Janine BROOKNER

Dorothy Black

Colin R. Thompson

James DOBBINS

Hon. William H. Courtney

Constance FREEMAN

Robert J. Kott & Barbara L. Kott

Erland Howard HEGINBOTHAM

Eleanor Elson Heginbotham

David Ingersoll HITCHCOCK Jr

Ruth Ann Kurzbauer

Hon. Frederick IRVING

Barbara J. Irving

Louis E. KAHN

Ruth Carlsen Kahn

Hon. John KORNBLUM

Hon. William H. Courtney

Maj. Gen. Roland LAJOIE

Hon. William H. Courtney

Hon. Alan W. LUKENS

James Dandridge & Margarete Dandridge

Hon. Daniel A. O’DONOHUE

James Dandridge & Margarete Dandridge

Hon. Edward M. ROWELL

James Dandridge & Margarete Dandridge

John SHUMATE

Paula Jakub

Hon. Terence A. TODMAN

James Dandridge & Margarete Dandridge

Hon. Johnny YOUNG

James Dandridge & Margarete Dandridge

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The officers and governors of DACOR note with deep regret the deaths of the following DACOR members and extend sympathy and condolences to members of the families and to colleagues and friends.

Stephen W. BUCK, retired Foreign Service Officer and Arab world specialist, died April 30, 2023, at the age of 82.

Mr. Buck was born May 6, 1940, in Bronxville, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale and master’s degrees in law and diplomacy and internal relations and economics from the Fletcher School at Tufts. He also earned a master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies from Harvard. After hearing President John F. Kennedy speak at his Yale graduation, Mr. Buck was inspired to become a foreign service officer. He entered the Foreign Service in 1963 while completing his graduate work at Harvard.

In 1965, Mr. Buck was posted to Algiers, after which he was sent to Beirut to study Arabic. Between tours in Washington, D.C., he helped to re-open the embassy in Mauritania; served as head of the economic/ commercial section in Kuwait (197579); deputy chief of mission (DCM) in Oman (1979 -1983); DCM in Iraq during the final years of the Iran-Iraq war (1986-1988); minister counselor for political affairs in Canada (1990-1992); office director for North Africa (19921995); and consul general in Saudi Arabia (1996-1999).

After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2002, Mr. Buck made his home in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, where he continued to teach, speak, and write professionally. He edited The Gulf, Energy and Global Security, and authored articles in numerous publications, as well as serving on the editorial board of The Foreign Service Journal for many years. He taught courses on national security and energy economics at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (now

the National Defense University) and discovered his love for teaching in the process.

Mr. Buck liked to say that he was lucky to have two careers: The Foreign Service and mentoring. He became active in the group Boys to Men and several other organizations mentoring and supporting young men and boys, many of whom looked to him as a beloved elder, known fondly as Grandpa.

He founded the Middle East Lunch Group at DACOR, co-founded the Middle East Task Force at River Road Unitarian Church, and founded a men’s support group that has been active for 30 years.

Mr. Buck is survived his wife Hala, his daughter Kathryn Leila, son-inlaw Adam Abel, granddaughter Zayya Noora Buck Abel, and his sister Ruth Ifversen, also a retired Foreign Service Officer, thanks to her brother’s wise counsel.

Kurt Keith KUNZE, retired Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), died December 14, 2023, in Salem, Virginia, at the age of 80.

Mr. Kunze was born March 6, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Elmhurst College in 1965, and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University in 1968. From 1967 to 1977, he was active duty in the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserves before his honorable discharge in 1992.

In 1977, Mr. Kunze joined USAID and served as a regional inspector general in Panama City (1977-1981), Nairobi

(1985-1989), and Cairo (1992-1995). He was USAID’s special agent in charge of central offices, Eastern Europe, and the Near East when he retired in 1997.

After retirement, Mr. Kunze settled in Buchanan, Virginia. Over the next 26 years, he renovated his 19th century home with his wife, cultivating a welcoming space for hosting family and friends. Mr. Kunze’s love of nature, classical music, culinary pursuits— including gardening, foraging, and canning—and the companionship of his dogs defined his retirement years.

Mr. Kunze is survived by his wife, Amparo; three children, Erik, Emily, and Katia; and his brother Donald (Eleanor Smith). He was predeceased by Bessie Church, Hattie Meyers, Otto Kunze, and Muriel Johnson.

Norton H. MEZVINSKY,

distinguished university professor and president of the International Council for Middle East Studies, a think tank, died September 16, 2022, in Manhattan, at the age of 89.

Dr. Mezvinsky was born November 29, 1932, in Ames, Iowa. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa, and a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin in 1960 while working on a sociological study on American Jewish Self-Segregation and completing his postdoctoral studies at Harvard University.

A professor of history at Central Connecticut State for 43 years, Dr. Mezvinsky authored numerous books and articles on the Arab Israeli conflict, Zionism, Judaism, and United States history, Jewish Foundation on Israel (with Israel Shahach) which has been translated into five languages.

Dr. Mezvinsky’s lifelong mission

was bringing peace to the middle east, and he spent his life travelling the world giving lectures, conferences, and seminars, in service to this goal. His understanding of human suffering was unparalleled, as he unconditionally helped those in need to get an education, while inspiring and mentoring hundreds of students to forge major academic careers.

A giant among historians, Dr. Mezvinsky’s commitment to the academic world was enormous and undying. He was a great speaker, lecturer, and debater, who loved bringing scholarly experts with differing points of view together for an open exchange of ideas, discussion, and debate. His sense of excellence was like that of Puddin’ head Wilson

of Mark Twain fame: “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”

Dr. Mezvinsky was predeceased by his father Abraham, mother Fannie and sisters Dorothy and Minna, and he leaves behind his daughter Andrea, grandson Joshua and brother Edward.

The officers and governors of DACOR were saddened to learn of the deaths of the following colleagues and friends.

Edward ALEXANDER, retired Foreign Service and Public Affairs Officer, died October 5, 2023, in Bethesda, Maryland, at the age of 103.

Mr. Alexander was born in New York City in 1920 to survivors of the Armenian genocide. He earned a bachelor’s degree in musicology from Columbia University and a master’s degree from the Columbia School of Journalism. He joined the U.S. Army in World War II, serving in Europe on the staffs of Generals Eisenhower and Bradley in the psychological warfare division. After the war, he worked as public relations director to Sir Laurence Olivier on two Shakespeare films, Henry V and Hamlet.

In 1950, Mr. Alexander joined the Voice of America, organizing broadcasts to Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Tatarstan. He spent 10 years as chief of the Armenian Service with VOA after which he transferred to the Foreign Service and pursued a career in diplomacy, serving in West Berlin, Budapest, Athens, and East Berlin as a public affairs officer. During one tour in Washington, he was appointed deputy director for the Soviet Union and East Europe, traveling throughout the Soviet bloc and supervising American press and cultural activities. He played a key role in the visits of President Kennedy to Berlin in 1963 and President Nixon to Bucharest in 1969.

Following his retirement from

the Foreign Service, Mr. Alexander served on the Board for International Broadcasting, overseeing Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty broadcasts at the State Department in the Freedom of Information Division, and was spokesperson to three international conferences on human rights.

Mr. Alexander wrote three books: The Serpent and the Bees—about the 15-year attempt by the Soviet KGB to recruit him; A Crime of Vengeance about the Berlin trial of the murder of Talaat Pasha, interior minister of the Ottoman Empire; and Opus—a novel about the search by two Armenian diplomats for a stolen Beethoven manuscript.

Mr. Alexander is survived by his wife of 77 years, Rosann; sons Mark (JoAnn Palazzo), Scott (Cathy Davis), Christian (Arlene Saryan); and grandchildren Derek, Maya, Miranda, Garen, and Sean Alexander.

William “Bill” BEECHER, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, who revealed secret Cambodia bombing, died February 9, 2024, in Wilmington, North Carolina, at the age of 90.

Mr. Beecher was born May 27, 1933, in Framingham, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from the Columbia School of Journalism. He worked his way through college and graduate school

and served a short tour in the U.S. Army before embarking on a career in journalism.

Focusing on foreign and domestic policy, national security and defense, Mr. Beecher was a Pulitzer Prizewinning correspondent who reported for the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as serving as the Washington bureau chief for the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Mr. Beecher broke several significant stories during his career, including the story exposing the U.S. secret bombing of Cambodia on the front page of the New York Times on May 9, 1969. His reporting led him on frequent lengthy assignments in the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, including five trips to Vietnam during that war.

Mr. Beecher also served two years at the Pentagon as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (Acting) and ten years as Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. After retiring, he served as an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Maryland. He authored eight novels inspired by his love of national security and defense analysis, as well as a memoir and a cookbook.

Mr. Beecher was preceded in death by his wife, Eileen. He is survived by his four daughters and their spouses:

Debbie Spartin (Peter), Diane Beecher (Mark Morris), Lori Beecher (Marc Burstein), and Nancy Kotz (Ken), and 10 grandchildren.

Maryfaith BLANCHARD

(née Gastel), spouse of retired Foreign Service Officer Philip Blanchard, died December 4, 2023, in Gainesville, Florida, at the age of 78.

Ms. Blanchard was born November 25, 1945, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She worked as a fashion model for department stores and television in Palm Springs, California, and McAllen, Texas. She married her husband Philip in 1966.

Ms. Blanchard accompanied her husband, a specialist with the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (now IRM), on assignments to La Paz (1967-69); Paris (1969-71); Manila (1971-73); Kinshasa (1973-74); Kuwait City (1974-75); Washington, D.C. (1975-80, 1985-87)); Bonn (198083); Cairo (1983-85); London (1987-90); and Albuquerque (1990-92).

Ms. Blanchard and her husband remained in New Mexico after his retirement in 1992, until they moved to the Villages, Florida in 2000. She enjoyed traveling, meeting people, and making new friends wherever she lived.

Ms. Blanchard was predeceased by her parents, Ralph and Irene Gastel, and her brother Dennis. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Philip, sons Ted (Allison), Matthew (Lesli), and John (Dawn), daughter Candace (Jonathon Jimerson), six grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

David “Dave” William CARR,

retired Foreign Service Officer and economist, died December 29, 2023, in Centennial, Colorado, at the age of 87.

Mr. Carr was born March 23, 1936, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. He joined the State Department in 1960.

Mr. Carr’s overseas assignments included Amman (1960-62), Beirut (1962-64, 1967-68), Aden (1964-67), and Jeddah (1968-69). In 1969, he moved to East Chester, New York, and worked for the National Foreign Trade Council in New York City for 9 years. He earned a doctorate from New York University during this time.

In March 1979, Mr. Carr began working for the United States Agency for International Development, where he was posted to Damascus (1979-80), Nouakchott (1980-83), Cairo (198387), and Washington, D.C., where he remained until his retirement in 1993.

After retirement, Mr. Carr moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, then to Fort Collins, Colorado, and finally to Centennial, Colorado, where he enjoyed tennis, collecting stamps, walking, biking, canoeing, and kayaking. Travel was a passion, and he especially loved Kauai, Hawaii.

Mr. Carr was predeceased by his daughter Elizabeth Carr Zariello, and his brother, Robert. He is survived by his spouse, Kate, daughter Cynthia (Mark), son Christopher, and grandchildren Daniel, Rebecca, Ian, and Leila.

Elizabeth

CLARK,

Petersen Spiro

retired Foreign Service Officer, and spouse of Foreign Service Officer Warren Clark, died October 31, 2023, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, at the age of 86.

Ms. Clark was born May 30, 1937, in New York City. She received a bachelor’s degree from Radcliffe College. After graduation, she held positions in public radio in Amherst, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. while also pursuing a career as a serious amateur operatic singer.

In the mid-1970s, she accompanied her first husband, Herbert Spiro, a political scientist, to Cameroon, where he served as ambassador. When she returned to Washington, she was a consultant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. While there, she co-edited Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy (1979), one of the first modern-era treatments on the topic.

Ms. Clark entered the Foreign Service in the political cone as part of its mid-level program in 1980. She had assignments in Reykjavik, Johannesburg, and Oslo. For her reporting in Johannesburg, she was the first FSO to be awarded the National Intelligence Community’s Exceptional Collector National HUMINT Award. She also served as assistant to the under secretary for political affairs. She subsequently directed the newly established State Department Human Rights and Democracy Fund in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. She retired in 2000.

In retirement, Ms. Clark served as an election observer for the National Endowment for Democracy, with missions to Lebanon, Jordan, and Yemen. She was an editorial board member of the Foreign Service Journal, in which she published several articles. She was an active member of the Women’s National Democratic Committee, serving as vice president for political affairs.

Ms. Clark was predeceased by her second husband, Foreign Service Officer Warren Clark, in 2018. She is survived by two sons from her first marriage, Peter and Alexander Spiro; stepchildren Sarah Clark Stuart, Warren Clark, and Hope Clark; and 8 grandchildren.

Frederick Ragnar COOK, retired Foreign Service Officer, died November 24, 2023, in Sarasota, Florida, at the age of 78.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, Mr. Cook

served in the U.S. Army, including a tour as an infantry lieutenant in Vietnam. He received a master’s degree from Syracuse’s Maxwell School of Public Affairs and joined the Foreign Service in 1970.

Mr. Cook’s overseas assignments included Belgium, Burundi, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. Domestically, in addition to the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP), he held management positions in the Bureaus of Consular Affairs and International Organization Affairs, the Foreign Service Institute, and the Foreign Buildings Office. His last three assignments were as minister counselor for management in Mexico, executive director of EAP, and the Department of State’s senior liaison officer to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

After retirement 2006, he returned as a reemployed annuitant, working at the CIA at U.S. embassies in Beijing, Tokyo, and Manila, at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and in support of the president’s participation at Asia-Pacific Economic

Cooperation meeting in Yokohama.

Mr. Cook is survived by his wife of 55 years, Kathleen; two daughters, Sarah and Rachel; and five grandchildren.

John Earl GRAVES, Officer and advisor with the World Bank, died November 29, 2023, in Bethesda, Maryland, at the age of 86.

A native of Westchester County, New York, Mr. Graves spent more than two and a half decades with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), with projects across Latin America, including Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Jamaica, and in various African countries. He put together loans that enabled electric power and agricultural projects. He wrapped up his career serving as a regional financial advisor for Africa.

Over the past 25 years since his retirement from the World Bank, Mr. Graves set up and managed a mutual fund and established a business practice of providing financial advisory services to individual clients

as a Certified Financial Advisor and a Certified Financial Planner, continuing this work until his death.

He is survived by his daughters, Jenny Abrams (Robert) and Andrea Thackeray (Justin), and his five grandchildren, Jessica Abrams Pressly (James), Chris Abrams, Kelly Abrams Bernart (Bill), Sean Thackeray, and Ryan Thackeray. He is also survived by his long-time companion Hanh Phan.

William “Bill” L. HARWOOD,

retired Foreign Service Officer with the United States Information Agency, died Aug. 23, 2023, in South Burlington, Vermont, at the age of 77.

Mr. Harwood was born May 18, 1946, in Burlington, Vermont. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota in 1968. He then served three years in U.S. Army Intelligence and completed a year of Polish language training at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. He earned a doctorate in Polish at the University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign, conducting research at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. In 1977, he joined the Foreign Service, working with the United States Information Agency.

Mr. Harwood’s overseas assignments included Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia, Poland, and Somalia, serving as a press and cultural attaché. Mr. Harwood retired from the Foreign Service in 1998.

In retirement, Mr. Harwood was active in his church, the Rotary Club, and local music groups, in which he sang and played the French horn.

Mr. Harwood is survived by his wife of 22 years, Elaine, a daughter, Laura, and two grandchildren.

Susan Woodley HOPPER, retired office management specialist with the Foreign Service and spouse of retired Foreign Service Officer David Hopper, died September 18, 2023, in Cooperstown, New York, at the age of 82.

Ms. Hopper was born August 25, 1941, in Buffalo, New York. She joined the Foreign Service in 1968.

Ms. Hopper’s overseas assignments included Accra, Zagreb, Bangkok, Stuttgart, and Cairo before she married David Hopper, a Foreign Service Officer. They served together in Abu Dhabi, Krakow, Stockholm, Warsaw, and Beijing. Ms. Hopper also spent time in the Political-Military Bureau and the bureaus of Near Eastern Affairs, East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Diplomatic Security in Washington, D.C. She retired in 2001.

In retirement, Ms. Hopper accompanied her husband on assignment to Melbourne, Chennai, and Ottawa. When Mr. Hopper retired in 2010, they moved to Hamilton, New York, where she actively supported the hospital, library, garden club, and other local causes.

Ms. Hopper is survived by her husband, David, and her daughter Ann, a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

David KAHN,

a journalist and leading historian of codes and code breaking, a preeminent scholar of signals intelligence, revered even among the keepers of the secrets he revealed, died January 23, 2024, in Bronx, New York, at the age of 93.

Dr. David Kahn was born February 7, 1930, in Manhattan. He received a bachelor’s degree in social science from Bucknell University in 1951, after which he went to work for Newsday on Long Island as a reporter. He was working for Newsday in 1960 when two mathematicians employed by the National Security Agency (NSA), William H. Martin and Bernon F. Mitchell, defected to the Soviet Union and laid bare the communicationsgathering activities of the NSA. Amid the clamor surrounding the defection, Dr. Kahn pitched a freelance magazine story to the New York Times explaining the history of cryptology. The article became the germ of his first and bestknown book, The Codebreakers and was an immediate sensation.

Even when the popularity of Dr. Kahn’s book landed him on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” NSA employees were barred from acknowledging the existence of the volume. But over the years, as he continued writing wellreceived books on signals intelligence, and as the NSA’s national security mission became more broadly understood, the two parties reached what was by all accounts a relationship of mutual admiration.

After writing The Codebreakers, Dr. Kahn moved overseas to work on what was then the Paris edition of the New York Herald Tribune. In 1974, while still in Europe, he received a doctorate in modern history from the University of Oxford in England, where his dissertation became the basis for his book Hitler’s Spies: German Military Intelligence in World War II (1978). He later returned to Newsday.

Two decades ago, Dr. Kahn set out to find a permanent home for his papers and his extensive collection of books and artifacts from the field

of intelligence, among them an 1806 letter from Napoleon asking his son to correspond in code, as well as patents for U.S. cipher machines. He chose the NSA’s National Cryptologic Museum. The museum’s library is now home to the David Kahn Collection.

Dr. Kahn is survived by his two sons, Oliver and Michael.

Erick

MURRER, Jr., Foreign Service Officer, died December 27, 2023, in Taos County, New Mexico, at the age of 28.

Mr. Murrer received a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University and a master’s degree from American University. In 2018, he was selected as a Pickering fellow and joined the Foreign Service as an intern, serving in Israel. He recently served in Azerbaijan until December 2023.

Mr. Murrer was preceded in death by his brother, Ethan. He is survived by his husband, parents Erick Sr. and Sherri, and two siblings, Austin and Olivia.

Robert “Bob” Jaffe MUSCAT,

retired Foreign Service Reserve Officer, died January 10, 2024, in Haymarket, Virginia, at the age of 92.

Mr. Muscat was born in New York City. He received a bachelor’s, two master’s degrees in economics and journalism, and a doctorate in economics from Columbia University. In 1952, he served in the U.S. Army. He joined the Foreign Service in 1957.

Mr. Muscat served as a reserve officer in Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, and Washington, D.C. He retired in 1981.

Mr. Muscat was a talented musician who played classical piano.

Mr. Muscat is survived by his wife of 66 years, Juliette; three children, David, Joshua, and Elysabeth; and three grandsons.

André Peter de NESNERA, retired Foreign Service Officer with Voice of America (VOA), died December 25, 2023, at the age of 72.

Mr. de Nesnera was born October 5, 1951, in Paris, France, and emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1954. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Fordham University and a master’s degree in international relations with a specialization in Soviet studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

In 1980, Mr. de Nesnera began working for the VOA in Washington, D.C. as a general assignments editor and reporter. He served as bureau chief in Geneva and was elected president of the United Nations Press Association an unprecedented three terms. He was the first bureau chief in Moscow in 1989 in the waning days of the Gorbachev era and the end of the Soviet Union and later served as editor of the Russia desk in Washington, D.C., followed by an assignment as European correspondent in London.

Returning to Washington, he was ultimately named news director in 2000, a post where he oversaw coverage of 9/11 and its aftermath as well as the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003. His decision to air a news story that included a portion of the last interview with Mullah Mohammed Omar, the head of the Taliban, brought him into conflict with the State Department. He held his ground, resolute in his belief that the principles of the VOA charter governed his decision to run the story. He was awarded the 2002 Tex Harris Award for Constructive Dissent by the American Foreign Service Association and the 2002 Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism by the University of Oregon. In 2004, he was reassigned as VOA’s senior diplomatic correspondent, a position he held until he retired in 2015.

Mr. de Nesnera is survived by his wife of 41 years, Ellen Crosby, his sons Peter (Claudia), Matt (Kristin), and Tim, granddaughter Maeve, and siblings Alex (Susan) and Elizabeth.

Patrick VILLEGOUREIXRITAUD,

retired Foreign Service Officer, died January 6, 2024, in Haymarket, Virginia, at the age of 75.

Mr. Villegoureix-Ritaud was born July 23, 1948, in Bordeaux, France and immigrated to the U.S. in 1971. He received a bachelor’s degree and studied law in France and earned a degree in accounting from the University of Ohio. He served as executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Casablanca before joining the Department of State as a French teacher at the Foreign Service Institute (1979-1981).

Mr. Villegoureix-Ritaud joined the Foreign Service and served as an administrative officer in Niger, Mexico, and Poland. He also served with the Bureau of International Organizations and Bureau of Administration’s Office of Logistics Management in Washington and took a brief hiatus in 1993-1994 to work at Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. He retired in 2015.

In retirement, Mr. VillegoureixRitaud enjoyed cars, skiing, sailing, soccer, American football, golf, tennis, and his dogs.

Mr. Villegoureix-Ritaud is survived by his wife of 53 years, Phyllis; and three children, Katia, Andrew, and Marc.

Lucille WEBSTER, retired Foreign Service member, died December 2, 2023, in Silver Spring, Maryland, at the age of 101.

Ms. Webster was born January 7, 1922, in Arkansas. She attended Cleveland College in Cleveland, Ohio. She joined the Foreign Service in 1954.

Ms. Webster’s overseas assignments included Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, La Paz, Rio de Janeiro, Oslo, and Paris. Photographs that she took while posted in Seoul were included in a book and exhibit entitled Revisit: 1956-57 Korea at the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art Museum. She retired in 1976.

In retirement, Ms. Webster opened an international travel agency and facilitated an exhaustive search and purchase process for a 44-acre regional B’hai faith property in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Ms. Webster was preceded in death by her parents and by siblings Ardelia, Dora, Richard, and Adams Jesse. She is survived by her extended family and friends around the world.

DACOR Bulletin

Obituaries

DACOR welcomes receiving obituaries of foreign affairs professionals, whether DACOR members or otherwise. They are reviewed by Obituaries Editor Frances Burnet, primarily for length; 500 words usually suffices.

The deadline for submissions is the 1st day of the previous month; i.e. for the May issue, please email the obit by April 1st to Christine Skodon at: clskodon@dacorbacon.org

The obituaries that are featured in the DACOR Bulletin are adapted from a variety of sources: information provided by loved ones of the deceased; the Washington Post, New York Times, Foreign Service Journal and other periodicals; ADST's Oral History Collection; historical documents; and others. Please contact DACOR for sources used for a specific obituary.

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