Author Archive | Ven Suresh

Jeanne Kinney, 85, Foreign Service Officer and wife of the late USAID FSO Bert Tollefson Jr., died on March 28 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Ms. Kinney was born on May 14, 1931, in Chicago, Ill. Her father’s automobile business took the family from Chicago to Milwaukee, Wisc.; and then to Short Hills, N.J.; Gary, Ind.; Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Ill. She graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in Rock Island and St. Ambrose College in Davenport. After retiring, she earned a master’s degree at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Ms. Kinney began her government career in the Illinois State Attorney’s office in Rock Island. From there, at age 23, she went to Washington, D.C., to work for the Foreign Operations Administration, the predecessor of the U.S. Agency for Interna­tional Development. Her overseas assignments during her career with USAID and State included Turkey, Vietnam, Morocco, Iraq and Lebanon. She survived the bombing of the Ameri­can embassy in Beirut on Sept. 20, 1984, and received the State Department’s medal for heroism in Lebanon.

Retiring in Tucson and Phoenix, Ariz., she was active in the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Foreign Service Retirees’ Association and the Arizona Federation of Republican Women (she founded the Lincoln Republican Women’s Club). She also worked on alumni events in Phoenix for St. Ambrose College and Loyola University, and she was recognized for these services by both schools.

Her photographs of the Middle East were on display at the University of Arizona in Tucson’s Middle East Center and her photographs of Catholic churches in Arizona were printed in the Phoenix Diocese calendar for two years.

Ms. Kinney was preceded in death by her husband, Bert M. Tollefson Jr., who died in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Arlene Erickson Mitchell, 82, died on May 17 in North Palm Beach, Fla., surrounded by her family. The daughter of Lenora Olson Erickson and Lewis E. Erickson, a minister, Mrs. Mitchell was born on the family farm in Maryfield, Saskatchewan, Canada, where they raised cattle and grew wheat.

After graduation from Maryfield High School, she moved to Minneapolis, Minn., where she attended business school and worked as a stenographer. Her passion for music and natural ability to play the piano had begun as a child, and continued throughout her life.

In 1966, she joined the U.S. Foreign Service as an executive secretary for the U.S. Agency for International Development. For the next three decades she served in assignments around the world, including postings in Liberia, Ethiopia, Korea, Thailand, Pakistan, Syria, Niger and Egypt. She received the distinguished Meritorious Honor Award from the Department of State for her devotion to duty under extremely hazardous and difficult circumstances in Islamabad.

In 1982, she married the love of her life, Stanley D. Mitchell. She enjoyed fishing trips with her husband, both overseas and with the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. Mrs. Mitchell loved to garden and grew broccoli, hot peppers, tomatoes and flowers. One of her true passions was cooking, and she prepared many gourmet meals for friends and family. She often spent hours poring over recipes to choose the best ingredients and cooking methods.

Throughout her years in the Foreign Service, she loved entertaining and hosting parties, enjoying the company of other expatriates and local community members. Parties often involved piano playing, singing and delicious meals. Friends and family members remember her graciousness, especially when welcoming people into her home. They recall her spunky, adventurous spirit and wry sense of humor that brought laughter and joy to those around her.

Following her retirement from the Foreign Service, Mrs. Mitchell lived in North Palm Beach for nearly 30 years.

John “Jack” Garney of Sun City, Arizona, passed away on October 21, 2017. Born in Minneapolis, MN in 1927 to the late George and Mary Garney, née Boyce, John grew up and attended school in St. Paul, MN. He graduated high school from Cretin (ROTC – Staff Sergeant) and with a B.A. in Political Science from the College of St. Thomas. He met his wife, Amelia “Joy” Wojack, a student at the College of St. Catherine’s in St. Paul, through their passion for politics and bridge.

John did a considerable amount of volunteer work for the early campaigns of Hubert Humphrey (VP 1965-1969) and Eugene McCarthy (D-MN). He enlisted in the Navy under the V-5 program in July 1945, was discharged in 1946, and was commissioned as a Naval Reserve officer after graduation from college. In 1971, he was warded two medals for his Civilian Service in Vietnam.

John was dedicated to his job and to the service of his country. He joined the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) in 1956. When friends asked him about his job, he replied “It’s so rewarding – Just ask when and not what.” He started his USAID career as a Personnel Officer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and from there he was promoted to Executive Officer and assigned to Tanzania, Kenya, Vietnam, Thailand, Washington DC, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Honduras. After retiring with the rank of Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service, John returned to USAID as a contractor working in Honduras, Tanzania, Somalia, Burundi, Czechoslovakia, Pakistan/Afghanistan, Botswana, and Swaziland.

With the exception of living in Taiwan while he was in Vietnam, his wife and six children traveled and lived with him during the first eighteen years and visited him throughout the following twenty-two years. The two youngest children were born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In a 1965 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, John stated that he viewed his career “As a chance to do something humanitarian,” and “It’s certainly a matter of building up and not knocking down.”

John enjoyed his life overseas, not just in his service to his country but also as a consummate traveler. He and his family enjoyed every one of his assignments and took full advantage of the opportunity to explore their new homes as well other countries along the way. John loved to drive and he could drive any car in any country, no matter the conditions. One of his favorite adventures was when he summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1963.

John made many friends throughout his life, keeping in contact with many of them his whole life. He was known for his fierce bridge playing and played at every post and far into his retirement. He loved to play a good game of tennis, golf, and bowling with family and friends. He volunteered for the St. Michael’s Parish SHARE Program, in Annandale, VA, as well as the Sun City, AZ PRIDES (Proud Residents Independently Donating Essential Services). He was on the Board of Directors at the international schools in Tanzania and Thailand. After fully retiring, John pursued his genealogy by traveling to Canada and the Midwest for his research. He would also jump in his car and travel the US to visit family and friends. He was a man who couldn’t sit still.

In 2006, he moved to Sun City, Arizona, where he spent his last eleven years at Royal Oaks retirement community (RO) where he was very well taken care of by his loving companion, Dorothy Warner, a good friend of the Garney family since the early Ethiopian years. His final years were spent in RO’s Friendship House (a skilled memory unit) and the Care Center where in both locations, he received the utmost compassionate care from all the RO staff. He is survived by his six children, Debbie Ciminski of Naples, FL; Lynn Garney of San Francisco, CA; Celia Wolter of Alexandria, VA; Geoffrey Garney (Virginia) of Alexandria, VA; Tennessee Garney (Kyung Mi) of Yorktown, VA; Suzanne Garney (Dan Kane) of Santa Fe, NM; and his four grandchildren Jesse, Monica, Claire, and Georgia. He is remembered by numerous relatives and dear friends all over the world. He is preceded in death by his sister Elizabeth, his brother Thomas, and his wife Joy Garney.

Thomas James Mehen, 81, of McLean, VA passed away in his home on November 10, 2017. Tom was born and raised in Charleston, WV, and served in the US Navy after finishing Charleston Catholic high school. He received a BA and MBA from Cornell University and an MSC from the London School of Economics.

He served as an Economist at the US Agency for International Development and the Department of State for over 40 years, where he worked extensively in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his early seventies, he finished his career in public service as an Americorps volunteer in Guam.

He was a voracious reader, a world traveler, an ardent sports fan, and a loving father. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elizabeth Mehen, his sister Caroline, his sons Thomas, George, and Michael, and his grandchildren Zoey, Amelia, and Connor.

Diane Skelly Ponasik passed away on November 17, 2017, after a short illness, in Washington, DC. Diane was born in San Francisco on April 9, 1939.

Diane graduated from William and Mary College in 1961. After working a short time as a travel agent in New York City, she became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. Her Peace Corps Activities motivated her to pursue graduate studies, earning a PhD in anthropology from the State University of New York in Binghamton. She continued her interest in international development as a democracy officer with USAID from 1977 to 20002. In retirement Diane was a docent at the Freer-Sackler gallery in Washington, DC, specializing in Islamic art and she was an officer with the Tangier American Legation Institute for American Studies (TALIM). She also wrote the novel, Tangier.

Diane is survived by her husband, Gerald; daughter Amal Disparte (Dante Disparte); brothers Jack and Edward, and grandchildren Andalus, Messina, and Nero

Frederick “Rick” Machmer died November 18, 2017 in his home in Alexandria, Virginia. He was 77. The cause of death was complications from pancreatic cancer, resulting in heart failure.

Dr. Machmer was born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania and subsequently spent his younger years in Akron, Ohio until he enrolled in Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio as an undergraduate student. After earning his degree at Mount Union, he attended Cornell University where he received a Doctorate in International Law. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Nigeria and Liberia,

Machmer was a Senior Foreign Service Officer with the rank of Minister Counselor, who served as USAID Mission Director in seven overseas posts in his 35-year career, including Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Nepal, and Tbilisi, Georgia. In addition to his role as USAID Director, he served as Director of the USAID/Washington Office of Middle East Affairs, an office which included Iraq in its portfolio. At that time, he was also named acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Asia/Near East Bureau. His work as Senior Foreign Service Officer included extensive roles in the Middle East – as Head of the 1994 U.S. Government Delegation to the regional Middle East Peace Conference in Cairo, Egypt; as USAID Disaster Resistance Team (DART) leader for Afghanistan (2001); and as Senior Development Advisor, Senior Deputy Civilian Representative, and Chief of the Office of Stabilization, Regional Command-East, Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan (2009-2010). He also led USAID disaster response efforts in Ethiopia and Georgia in 2000.

Dr. Machmer earned numerous awards during his career, including the 2001 State Department Group Meritorious Honor Award “For outstanding sustained effort to prevent a human catastrophe in Ethiopia,” the 1992 Presidential Meritorious Honor Award from George H.W. Bush, a USAID Distinguished Honor Award (1988), and, in 1985, a USAID Superior Honor Award.

Dr. Machmer spent the nearly 25 years in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. He is survived by his beloved Golden Labrador Retriever, Jessie, who has a new home with a caring family in the neighborhood. Surviving relatives are cousins Joan Altmayer (Parma, Ohio), Mike McDonnell (Mashpee, MA), and Pat (McDonnell) Long (Dade City, Florida). Most notably, Dr. Machmer will be greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues throughout the world and his neighborhood family.

John Ronald (J.R.) Morgan, 73, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, at his home in Islamabad, Pakistan.   John, a native of Sale Creek, TN, is survived by his wife, Virginija Morgan and his daughter, Johnna Beth Morgan.   He was born on August 14, 1944, to the late Eschol and Gladys Morgan, and was preceded in his death by his brother Fred L. Morgan.

John Morgan joined USAID in 1985, as the energy officer at the USAID Mission in Pakistan. Afterward, he served in various positions in the USAID E&E Bureau and missions in Lthuania, Bulgaria, Egypt, the Central Asian Republics and again in Pakistan. Prior to USAID, he worked for NASA and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

John was a kind person, patient, willing to share his knowledge and experience with colleagues, and provided a calm voice even during times of unusual pressure. He will be missed greatly by those who had the honor and privilege of knowing him.

The family requests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society or other charitable organization of your choice in lieu of flowers.

Dr. Clarence Cornelius Gray III Clarence Gray, professor, international agronomist and a retired principal officer with the Rockefeller Foundation died peacefully November 5, 2017. He was surrounded by his loving wife of 59 years, Shirley, daughter, Michele and sons Clarence (IV) and Sean.

He was born in Ridge Springs, SC, July 23, 1917, but his early years were spent in Virginia and in New York where he graduated from Hempstead High School. Virginia State College, now University, played a very important role in his life. In 1939, as a 22 year old freshman, he ran out of money and received a campus job that enabled him to remain in school. With the help of supportive staff he lived at the college year round. It became his home where he remained for three and a half years. During the course of his studies, he achieved honor roll each term. He made scholastic scientific honor societies, was in the student council and graduated Second in the class of 1943. Years later, after WWII and graduate school (MS, PhD, Michigan State University), he returned to the college as a faculty member. Within a few years, he was a hard charging young professor of Agronomy. At the Centennial Commencement in 1982, he was awarded Doctor of Laws degree.

In 1958, after marrying Shirley Brown, Warsaw, Virginia, he took a leave of absence from his alma mater and accepted a two year appointment to Nepal as a Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency International Development. Two years of service with USAID grew into nearly thirteen years. He received assignments in four countries and one Department of State assignment as Officer in Charge of Ceylon-Nepal affairs. In addition, he was sent to the School for Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins University, for intensive study in economic development. He worked for 40 plus years with international assistance agencies in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, to help solve food and income problems of people in developing nations and with low income farmers in the Southeastern United States. Between 1958 -63, he was an Agronomy Advisor, Government of Nepal where he helped develop an agricultural research and extension system. 1964 – 65 he was visiting professor of agricultural Extension, Alexandria University, Egypt. He established the first baccalaureate curriculum in agricultural extension which is credited for modernizing farming in the Nile Delta. In 1966, his work with the Government of Jordan resulted in an irrigation system and agricultural service center in the Jordan Valley. From 1967 – 70, as Chief of the USAID, Agriculture Inputs Division , New Delhi, India he helped drive India’s Green Revolution to avert possible famines in the 1960s. In 1970, while on USAID assignment to India, he was recruited by the Rockefeller Foundation (RF) to supervise their programs in Asia and to be their representative on the Board of Trustees of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Las Banos, PhillippinesHe was on the Board of Trustees of IRRI for 12 years with the last six as Chairman. He was subsequently appointed by RF to develop a crop gene bank for the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, China. Today, it is one of the largest facilities for the preservation of crop seeds and genetic materials in the world.

Upon retiring from the RF in 1983, he joined the faculty of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA where he received the designation of Professor Emeritus International Studies. He continued his involvement in international activities as President of CCG Associates, an international agricultural research and development consultancy firm. He received numerous awards and honors for his accomplishments. In 1979, he received a Doctor of Laws degree from Morehouse College. In 1990, he received the Joseph C. Wilson ($10,000) award for outstanding contributions to the alleviation of hunger and poverty in low income, food deficit nations of the world. In 1991, he was the first recipient of the W. Averell Harriman International Service award.

He was a retired officer and veteran of WWII and the Korean War with active service in the US and Japan and reserve duty in France and Turkey. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha college fraternity, the society of Sigma Xi national science honorary, Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society of Agriculture, The Washington chapter of Guardsmen and a “Distinguished Archon” of northern Virginia Beta Nu chapter of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. He was a resident of Fairfax City for 34 years.

William Haven North passed away on December 12.  He was 91.  He retired from USAID in 1989 at the rank of Career Minister after 38 years of US government service, including two years in the U.S. Army.

Haven North was born in Summit, New Jersey on August 17, 1926.  He graduated from Summit High School and was drafted into the U.S Army in 1944.  He served the infantry in Europe, primarily Germany, for two years and played the trombone in the Seventh Army Band. He graduated from Wesleyan University, majoring in history, in 1949 and received his Masters in European History from Columbia University in 1951.  Haven North and Jeanne Foote married in 1950.

Haven North began his civilian government career in 1952 as a Foreign Service Officer in the Technical Cooperation Agency—created to implement “Point Four” of President Truman’s inaugural address.  Within six months, he was assigned to Ethiopia where he served for five years in the program office and as a research assistant supporting the Ministry of Education.  In 1957, he returned to Washington to the Europe Bureau, supporting Marshall Plan projects and planning long-term assistance for newly independent African states.  From 1961 to 1965, he served as the Assistant Director for Program in USAID’s new mission to Nigeria, the largest technical assistance program in the world at that time.

After a year of mid-career training at Harvard, he returned to Washington as the Office Director for Central and West Africa and the coordinator of relief operations during the Nigerian civil war.  In 1970, he was sworn in as the Mission Director to Ghana, where he served for five and half years.

He was the Deputy Assistant Administrator, and Acting Assistant Administrator, in the Africa Bureau from 1976 to 1982, under three presidential administrations.  During this period, the New Directions policy led to the expansion of USAID’s presence in the region.  After leaving the Africa Bureau, Haven North laid the groundwork for creating the African Development Foundation.  From 1983 to 1989, he created and led USAID’s Center for Development Information & Evaluation, and served as the chair of the OECD/Development Assistance Committee’s Expert Group on Evaluation for four years. He retired in January 1989.

After leaving USAID, Haven North worked as a consultant to the World Bank, UNDP, the IFC, the IDB, USAID, the OECD/DAC and the Global Environmental Facility.  He led evaluations and advised on capacity development, technical assistance, HIV/AIDS, post-apartheid strategies for South Africa, and USAID’s program in Iraq.

He also interviewed retired USAID officers about their careers to create a library of over 100 oral histories, and he worked for the U.S. Institute of Peace in recording oral histories of U.S. civilians and military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Haven and Jeanne North were married for almost 65 years.  They shared a love of international development and social justice and were active in their church.   With retirement from USAID, he devoted more of his time to the Bethesda United Methodist Church and especially to the community outreach programs and the Community Ministry (now, Interfaith Works).

Haven North is survived by his sister Louise Grey; daughter Jeannette Thannikary and her husband Cy; sons W. Ashby North and Charles North and Charles’s wife Sharon; and granddaughters Aarica North, and her husband Liam Voth, and Sarah North.

A memorial service will be held on January 6 2017, at 2:00, at the Bethesda United Methodist Church, 8300 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.  In lieu of flowers, the family recommends donations to the Bethesda United Methodist Church (washmorefeet.org), Interfaith Works (iworksmc.org), the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (adst.org) and the UAA’s USAID History Project (ashakow@comcast.net).

Cards to the family can be sent to Charles North at 1605 Wrightson Drive, McLean, VA 22101.

After a long illness, Dick Brown passed away on the morning of January 1.

Dick Brown was long recognized for his lifelong commitment to advancing political and economic development around the world.

Dick graduated from Woodstock School in 1958. He received his BA in Political Science from Muskingum College., Ohio. After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps, working in poultry development in Uttar Pradesh, India. He returned to the US to earn a MA degree in Asian Studies and a Doctorate in International Relations from the American University in Washington D.C. Upon receiving his degree, he returned to the Peace Corps in India to direct training programs in poultry development, farm management, applied nutrition and livestock development.

After the Peace Corps, he joined the United Nations Development Program working in Korea, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. In 1980, Dick joined USAID, where he served with distinction for 20 years, with postings in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Egypt. In 2000, his work for USAID was recognized with its Distinguished Career Service Award, and in 2002 he was awarded Presidential Distinguished Rank, the highest US Government Award.

After retiring from USAID in 2000, Dick became Vice-President of Winrock International, an NGO specializing in rural development, renewable energy, and environment.

A memorial service will be held later in the year.