Author Archive | Ven Suresh

On Thursday afternoon, May 25th, Gary Bryan Alphonse Bisson of Winchester, Virginia died peacefully from complications of pancreatic cancer at his home on the campus of Shenandoah Valley’s Westminister-Canterbury.  Gary was born in Gorham, New Hampshire on June 28, 1936, the younger of two sons born to Antonio (Tony) Bisson and his wife, Alice (Philippon).  He attended local schools, graduated from the University of New Hampshire and earned two law degrees from George Washington University, an LLB (now referred to as a JD) and an LLM in Government Contracting.

For more than 50 years, Gary worked for the Federal Government or with organizations serving U.S. interests here and abroad, beginning with a part-time job at the Library of Congress’s Central Reading Desk during law school.  He then became the Smithsonian Institution’s first in-house attorney with responsibilities for legislation and contracting.  When the Office of General Counsel was inaugurated in 1964, he was named one of two Assistant General Counsels.  Gary’s tenure during the 1960s coincided with a decade of extensive growth for the Institution.  He drafted legislation creating the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Air & Space Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, a major expansion of the National Zoo, and several other unique facilities for what is America’s most iconic museum group. Following were almost seven years with his family in Asia as Assistant General Counsel in Taipei and Bangkok for CIA’s proprietary corporation, Air America, and its affiliated entities, traveling almost constantly to negotiate and administer the company’s military and civilian contracts in Vietnam and neighboring countries.  As the last of the lawyers in the field, he was instrumental in closing down the entire Southeast Asian operation following the fall of Saigon.  His vast collection of records, files and memorabilia is available among the CAT/Air America archives at the University of Texas @ Dallas’s History of Aviation Collection in the Eugene McDermott Library.

Gary’s Federal service concluded with 20 years of assignments within the General Counsel’s office of the Agency for International Development (USAID).  International postings included Kenya, Swaziland, and Indonesia, all as the Regional Legal Advisor to USAID’s area Mission Directors and staff offices, contracting for and administering Federal grants, cooperative agreements and claims resolutions.  In addition to foreign assignments, he also traveled extensively on temporary assignments, often to remote locations where our U.S. presence was minimal.  When asked recently about projects which had been particularly memorable, he cited drafting the preparatory Executive Order and then serving as attorney for the Sinai Procurement Task Force working under Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s mandate to establish a permanent peacekeeping community in the Sinai Desert following the 1973 Yom Kippur War.  That community became a separate government unit and was one of the critical steps leading to the Camp David Accords.  Another unusual effort was as principal negotiator and USAID representative for the government’s delegation working with industry representatives to negotiate a funding agreement for a U.S.-South Pacific Tuna Treaty governing international maritime fishing law.  Also among his most significant accomplishments was drafting/negotiating a series of economic agreements which established the first U.S. assistance programs in Cambodia, Mongolia, Mozambique and Fiji.  In 1994, he retired from USAID as a member of the Senior Foreign Service.  Upon completion of his U.S. Government career, Gary’s passports reflected residence in or professional travel to 37 different countries as small as the Seychelles and Fiji to as large as South Africa and Egypt.

In 1994, Gary then began a private law practice in Arlington, VA, specializing in development law, always in the field of government contracts, advising corporate and academic clients contracted, usually by USAID, to implement foreign assistance programs, primarily in Asia and Africa.  He retired from private practice in 2006.   For almost 10 years, Gary served as Corporate Secretary and most recently as Vice Chair on the Board for Medical Care Development, Inc., an international health care non-profit based in Augusta, ME.  He was a 50+ year member of the Virginia Bar Association and, during Federal Service, he held a District of Columbia Bar Association membership.  He had also served for some years on the Board of Directors of USAID’s Lafayette Federal Credit Union (Kensington, MD).  Gary was an active member of the Air America Association, DACOR, Inc. (Diplomats & Consular Officers Retired), UAA (USAID Alumni Association), and AFIO (Association of Former Intelligence Officers).  Since he and his wife moved to Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury from Arlington in 2010, Gary has chaired the committee which publishes an annual History project, has served on the Residents’ Association Nominating Committee and has corralled SVWC’s golfers for their weekly rounds at nearby Rock Harbor Golf Course.  And he was an enthusiastic participant with SVWC friends in weekly poker and pool groups, too.

Gary Bisson was a humble man, admired by his colleagues for his professional integrity and good counsel, a steadfast and loyal friend who was full of patience and wit.  He cherished his wife of almost 57 years, Ellen (Knowles), and was a loving father and grandfather to Mark (Arlington, VA), Todd and Dante (both of Los Angeles).  Older brother, Barry, predeceased him in May 2016.  He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Marie, nieces Gigi and Mimi and nephew Tony, all of California, along with his many Bisson and Philippon relatives throughout New England.  In addition to being devoted to his family, Gary was a proud member of the Red Sox Nation his entire life.  Go Sox!

A remembrance celebration service is being planned for later in the summer.  The family suggests that gifts in Gary’s memory would be deeply appreciated by George Washington University Law School/Government Procurement Law Program (2000 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052).

Sidney Schmukler died peacefully at home in McLean, Virginia on May 24, 2017 at the age of 97. Sidney had a distinguished career as an economist and Foreign Service Officer.

He was born on June 30, 1919 to Banit and Bessie Virnik Schmukler in New York City. He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn and earned his BA in economics at Brooklyn College. He received his MA and PhD (1947) in economics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943-1946, rising to the rank of Captain in the Supply Corps, stationed in Persia.

After three years as a professor of economics at the University of Connecticut and Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa), Sidney joined the Department of State as a civil servant in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and subsequently the Bureau for Economic and Business Affairs, specializing in East and Southeast Asian development. He joined the Foreign Service in 1961, when the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was established, serving as the Deputy Director of the USAID Mission and First Economic Secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Peru and then as Associate Coordinator of the Alliance for Progess at USAID. In 1968, Sidney was detailed to the new InterAmerican Development Bank, where he held the position of Deputy Manager of the Operations Department for South America. He retired from that position in 1984 and went on to lend his knowledge and skill to a non-governmental organization, Esquel, that pursued development in Latin America as well as to other non-profit and civic organizations.

Sidney lived a life of meaning and purpose. He was devoted to his family and dedicated to making the world a better place. He often spoke of being inspired by his Army service to be involved in work that would improve the lives of those on distant continents. He valued learning and read and traveled widely. He was generous, beloved by his family and friends and admired by his co-workers.

Sidney is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Clarine (nee Shapiro) daughter, Joan Schmukler Atherton; son, Laurence Schmukler (Mariana Pardo) and son, Philip Harris (Erica Dunn). Together with his wife Clarine, Sidney was a founding member of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia.*

John Cole Cool, who passed away on April 6, 2017, was born in 1936 Ohio, the son of Mary Louise (nee Cole) a high school teacher and social worker and William Leslie Irvin Cool an engineer. He was raised in the small steel town of Beaver in western Pennsylvania.

Cool was an American diplomat, anthropologist, international development agent, philanthropist, and a naval officer, with a career spanning 55 years, 4 continents, 10 countries and had a meaningful positive impact on a great swath of the world’s population. He served in the U.S. Navy at the end of WW II, the Department of the Interior in Samoa, the State Department (USAID) in Laos, Nepal, and India, the Ford Foundation in India, Pakistan and the Philippines, the Agricultural Development Council and Winrock International in Nepal and Thailand and the Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan.

Early in 1961, John accepted an assignment in the Kingdom of Nepal as USOM’s (soon to become USAID) Chief of Village Development. In this role, he was deeply committed to building participatory development by combining democratic institutions with the traditional Nepali Panchayat system of governance. He worked at the national level with His Majesty’s Government to plan and establish a broad program of self-help development through more than 3700 elected village councils (panchayats) and 75 district councils. While doing this, he also managed the U.S. assistance program in agriculture, forestry, health and population in Nepal and he took a strong interest in and mentored the very first Peace Corps Volunteers in Nepal, guiding their training in cross-cultural understanding and befriending them. Many remained close friends throughout his lifetime.

In 1964, John was appointed Deputy Director of the USAID Mission to Nepal and from 1965 until 1967 he was de facto responsible for overall management of the USAID program. His impact and legacy in Nepal is measurable and felt to this day.

In 1968, John accepted an assignment as the Assistant Director for the USAID Mission to India. Based in New Delhi, he was responsible for U.S. assistance to the Government of India in Population, Labor and Area Development programs. He worked closely with state and national officials to plan and finance rural works and area development activities, introduce spatial planning concepts and settlement strategies, develop infrastructure investment strategies designed to shape settlement patterns and promote human scale urban growth.

In 1970, John left USAID to some degree due to the increasingly political pressures the Nixon administration was introducing into U.S. foreign aid programs worldwide. The Ford Foundation offered him a job immediately and asked him to stay in India where he had built deep respect and friendships within key networks of Indian officials as well as at USAID and at NGOs.

John Cole Cool outlived many of his contemporaries, but his loss is deeply felt by a worldwide network of colleagues and friends in international development whom he inspired and mentored.

He is survived and deeply mourned by Catharine, his wife of 65 years and loving, devoted partner throughout all his overseas assignments and adventures, by his son Jonathan and daughter-in-law Erika, of Great Falls, VA, by his daughter, Jennifer, son, Christopher, daughter-in-law Marita, and grandchildren Kaitlyn and Cameron, of Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Jerry L. Weaver, age 77, of Newark, OH died Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at his residence. His birth was registered, 9 March 1939 in Columbus, Ohio.

Weaver’s adoptive parents, Lee and Martha Weaver, precede in him death. A lifelong agnostic, Weaver had a deep admiration for Islam and Judaism and had many close friends in both communities.

A 1957 Newark High School graduate, he was a three-year class officer, along with his football teammate, Jim Tyrer. While in high school, Weaver joined the 737th Battalion of the Ohio National Guard where he served three years.

Weaver attended Ohio University, where he earned B.A. and M.A. degrees followed by a PhD in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh. During his academic career, he taught at the University of Texas at Austin, California State University Long Beach and UCLA. He published more than 50 books, monographs and articles. His 1976 book “Health Care and the Underserved” was named “Book of the Year” by the American Nurses Association.

In 1977 Weaver accepted what was supposed to be a one-year assignment as Social Science Analyst with the U.S. State Department. He resigned from UCLA in 1978 and joined the U.S. Foreign Service and was assigned to the USAID Mission to Sudan. He became Refugee Affairs Counselor in 1982.

In 1985, Vice President George Bush presented Weaver with the State Departments’ “Superior Honors” award for designing and leading “Operation Moses”, the clandestine movement of more than 10,000 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan to Israel.

Weaver returned in 1988 to Licking County and began his third career, raising cattle on his “Blue Nile Farm.” He served more than 16 years as a Licking County Parks Commissioner until he resigned in April 2011 after a heated rejection of the unwillingness of the County Commissioners to fund adequately the Park’s budget.

James “Wes” Tribble passed away on June 13th.  He was in every sense a citizen.  Graduated from the University of Texas, Wes joined the Marines and served in Vietnam with the rank of Major.  Following that, Wes joined USAID, serving in Vientiane, Nairobi and Cairo. A highlight with USAID was his direction of the Commodity Import Program in Egypt – a world-class effort with a world-class team and leadership.  His family was always with him – Wes always present at his kids’ sports.  He also served on school boards – an all round good citizen.

Wes retired in 1981 but kept his hand in on foreign assistance.  Wes founded the American Manufacturers Export Group (AMEG), a successful international consulting and technical services company.  It has had contracts with WHO, IITA, Population Council, USAID/Egypt, US Treasury and US Army.   Wes was a member of AFSA, the National Eagle Scout Association, the American Legion, the Marine Corps League and Masons.

Missed, but hardly forgotten.

Janet Ballantyne, a retired foreign service officer at the Agency for International Development (USAID), died of a respiratory condition at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland on August 30 after a months-long illness. She was 78 years old and lived for many years in Chevy Chase West.

Born in North Hempstead, New York, she spent her early years in Kettering, Ohio. She received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1961, a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University in 1962, and a PhD in international development from Cornell’s School of Business in 1976.

Dr. Ballantyne spent 33 years with USAID, serving at Washington headquarters and in six country and regional programs—Peru, Nepal, Morocco, Nicaragua, Russia, and the Central Asian Republics. She was deputy mission director in Nepal and Morocco and mission director in Nicaragua, Russia, and the Central Asian Republics. In Washington, she served first as an economist in the Bureau for Latin America, and later as deputy assistant administrator in four bureaus. Following her last overseas tour, as USAID’s principal representative in Moscow, she served two years as USAID Professor at the National War College in Washington. Her final assignment was as counselor to the agency. She was frequently asked which of these assignments she liked the most, a question she could never answer, because she loved them all.

She was predeceased by her husband Robert P. Murphy, a former Peace Corps volunteer and USAID contractor who she met in Nepal.

Dr. Ballantyne retired from USAID in 2002 with the rank of career minister and joined the firm Abt Associates at its Bethesda location where she served as group vice president of its international programs. In 2007, she returned to USAID at the request of a new administrator and served as senior deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean for five years before retiring a second time in 2012.

In 2016 she was recognized by USAID’s administrator for a lifetime of service to the agency and the American people and extraordinary commitment to global development.

Since retiring, Dr. Ballantyne continued to work in development. She was a recurring consultant for Arizona State University, and did shorter consulting jobs for a number of private firms and at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She served on the board of the Institute for Sustainable Communities, a nonprofit organization based in Vermont, and in Bethesda was an active member of the congregation at Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Ballantyne is survived by her son John Ernesto Murphy-Ballantyne, her daughter-in-law Marisol Murphy-Ballantyne, and their daughter, Janet’s greatly loved granddaughter Stela, as well as her brother John Ballantyne, his wife Darly and nieces and nephews. She also leaves her beloved aging Lhasa Apso, Marley, who will be rehomed with a friend until he joins her.

A memorial service will be held on September 24, 2017 at Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Pets-DC.

Patricio Maldonado Lince was born on the 8^th of December, 1941 in Quito, Ecuador.  He passed away on August 21^st, 2017.  Patricio was one of five brothers and sisters.  He is survived by Anicia – his wife of 53 years, his son Patricio and his wife Maria Belen, his son Juan Carlos and his wife Susana, and his daughter Anicia (Nena) as well as his sisters Elena and Maria Paulina and four grandchildren.

Patricio joined USAID/Ecuador in 1964 as an FSN Private Sector Officer working on the program to develop the National Productivity Center.  In the early 1970s, USAID Mission Director Peter Cody moved him into the Program Office.  Patricio and Peter had a very close relationship, and Patricio saw him as an important mentor for his career.

By the late 1970s, Patricio was essentially the USAID/Ecuador Program Officer and remained as such throughout the 1980s and 1990s, until his retirement in 2002. He was considered one of USAID’s most senior and effective Foreign Service National employees, working across many different sectors and programs Throughout his USAID career, he played a key role in implementing projects with the private sector and civil society organizations, managed participant training and the small projects fund, and helped groups expand non-traditional exports.

According to former USAID Mission Director, John Sanbrailo, “Patricio was the heart and soul of USAID/Ecuador for more than 30 years and his spirit lives on in those Ecuadorians and Americans who have joined arms to advance the country’s development and integration.”

Subsequently, he worked for the Ecuadorian government’s Northern Border Development program funded by USAID and other donors to stabilize this conflictive region and aid the large number of Colombian displaced persons who were streaming into Ecuador.  He then served as a consultant for the Pan American Development Foundation. Patricio later joined Casals & Associates as project director for anti-corruption projects throughout Latin America.

Patricio had a very strong character and was a very caring person who set a wonderful example for others.  He loved both his family and his work.  He enjoyed tennis and music. He was very passionate about bull-fighting and was President of the Plaza de Toros in Quito.

We will miss our friend, colleague and confidant. Thank you Patricio for being an important part of our lives.

LeRoy Kermit Knutson of Springfield, Virginia, passed away on Monday, August 28, 2017, at age 80. He was born in Illinois and grew up in Midland, Michigan. Lee received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.

He was selected by the International Voluntary Service, the precursor to the Peace Corps, to serve two years in Liberia, Africa. His job was to build what the tribal leaders decided would improve the quality of life of the villagers. Upon returning to the US, he enrolled in graduate school and earned a Master’s Degree in International Development.

Lee wanted to find ways to help people consider what they needed to live a healthier lifestyle and then, by working with them, help them to achieve their goals. His dream came true when was hired by the Agency for International Development (AID) to go to the Philippines where he lived and worked for the better part of ten years. He then returned to the United States to work for the State Department: American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA).

Lee had a passion for his retirement property in West Virginia which bordered the Monongahela National Forest. He designed and (along with many friends and family members) built a cabin and a “summer kitchen” fashioned after the kind he had seen in the villages in Liberia. Many wonderful visits were spent at this retreat.

He is survived by his wife, Linda Pierce Knutson, of 23 years. He is also survived by his brother, Carl O. (Linda) Knutson, M.D.; his former wife and the mother of his children, Barbara J. Knutson; his three children: Ann Knutson (Keith) Parrish of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; David Knutson (Kathy Melanson) of Arlington, Virginia; John (Jennifer) Knutson and their children (Kyle and Tyler Knutson) of Bristow, Virginia; his two step-children: Christopher (Leeza) Pierce and their children (Sasha and Anya Pierce) of Carmel Valley, California; and Lisa Pierce (Thomas) Harnisch and their children (Grace and Eleanor Harnisch) of New City, New York.

On Thursday, August 31, 2017, Bernice Goldstein, age 90, of Washington, DC passed away. Bernice’s distinguished career in international service spanned postings as a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer in Hamburg, Germany and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, preceded by relief work with the American Friends Service Committee in Mexico and Germany in the 1940’s. She later served with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in support of Latin America programs.

She was a proud graduate of Philadelphia High School for Girls and the University of Pennsylvania, with subsequent studies at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. She also was a longtime volunteer at The John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts and resident of the Watergate Apartments.

Our good friend and colleague, Tony Funicello, passed away October 8th in Orlando, FL after a long struggle with cancer. He was 76.

Tony was born in Utica, NY.   After graduating from college, he joined the Peace Corps in 1965 and was assigned to Ethiopia for two years. Following that, he worked for USAID in Senegal, Sudan, Ethiopia, Thailand, Vietnam, Panama and Bolivia, where he made many friends who will miss his ready smile and good humor.

He retired in 1989. Tony’s second career was with Track Masters where he was Chief Racecar Instructor for racing aficionados.

Tony is survived by his wife, Lisa.

May he rest in peace.