Author Archive | Ven Suresh

Robert Halligan, of Brandermill Woods, Midlothian, Va., died on November 11, 2018, just a few days after voting in the most recent elections. As an ardent believer in the privilege and responsibility of citizenship and a devoted Democrat, he wouldn’t have missed it.

Bob was born in Huntington, N.Y. on December 1, 1934, graduated from Huntington High School in 1952. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict in Japan and the Philippines, he returned home and graduated from C.W. Post University. He then attended the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University before joining USAID. He attended the school again, becoming a Princeton Fellow in Public and International Affairs.

Bob’s various positions with USAID took him around the world and he and his family lived in Nigeria, Thailand three different times, Vietnam and the Philippines. At the time of his retirement from the federal government as a Senior Foreign Service Officer in 1989, he was the Head of Personnel for the Agency.

Bob then worked for the National Rural Electrification Cooperative Association, heading their international program before fully retiring in 1995. The family then moved from the D.C. suburbs to the waters of Chincoteague Island, where he continued to remain engaged by working the polls, staying active in local Democratic races, volunteering at the Chincoteague Island Refuge and serving in many capacities at the Chincoteague Library. He was a voracious reader, avid lover of birds, wine, fine food, and he lived for a good “zinger.”

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 58 years, Delina; his daughter, Chris Halligan; and son-in-law, Mike Epstein of Baltimore; his daughter, Bettina Halligan Hinckle; and son-in-law, Frank Hinckle of Richmond; four grandchildren, Brooke and Abby Epstein, Ethan and Blair Hinckle; wonderful nieces and a nephew and their families; his sister-in-law, Mimi Taylor; and incredible friends the world over. The family is especially grateful to those who cared for him at The Haven at Brandermill Woods. His was a life worth living and he will be missed terribly.*

Ulrich F. W. “Rick” Ernst, age 73, died on February 21, 2018, with his wife Dianne Tsitsos, family, and friends at his side. The cause was prostate cancer. He was born in Bückow, Germany, the son of Wilhelm Ernst and Edith (née Leptien) Ernst, and grew up in the Haselhorst section of Berlin. He studied economics at the Freie Universität, Berlin and at the Christian-Albrechts Universität Institute for World Economy, Kiel, Germany. He came to the US in 1966, receiving his Ph.D. in economics at Indiana University in 1973.

Rick was employed by Abt Associates in Cambridge, MA, and by The Urban Institute in Washington, DC, where he worked on environmental and transportation economics. He had always dreamed of applying economic analysis to international development and first had that opportunity when he went to work for Development Sciences, Inc., back in Massachusetts. DSI sent him to Morocco as Chief of Party on a USAID energy project. Rick and Dianne later joined USAID where Rick served as a Mission Economist in Sri Lanka and ROCAP in Guatemala. He loved the analytical aspects of economics most, however, and after a time returned to the private sector, working for Abt Associates again, in Bethesda, MD doing international work, and then for DAI in Bethesda, where he served as Chief Economist, as well as undertaking short-term assignments overseas.

A Rand Corporation colleague once referred to him as an “economist’s economist.” His work spanned the developing world. After long-term USAID postings in Morocco, Central America, and Sri Lanka, he found some of his most interesting assignments in Ukraine, Moldova, Ghana, Armenia, and Palestine. After retirement from DAI, he continued consulting, almost to the time of his death. His last work was developing a structural model to predict the local content of major investments in the LNG sector in Tanzania. To advance that effort, he was teaching himself to program in Python, even as he knew he was approaching the end of his life. Work on that model is being carried on by colleagues at DAI.

Throughout his career, he had the rare ability to use sophisticated mathematical and econometric tools in practical ways, making them understandable and useful to decision-makers in the US government overseas and in foreign governments. He loved mentoring young professionals in the countries where he worked and helped their careers whenever possible. In the process, he made enduring friendships.

Besides his commitment to his work, he was an avid and skilled amateur nature photographer, an enthusiastic (though less skilled) wood worker, and aspired to playing the bagpipes and clarinet. He and Dianne were advocates of liberal causes, serving together on the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee which Rick co-chaired. He rebuilt his ties to Germany, returning each summer to explore a different part of his re-unified homeland with a group of his former schoolmates.

In addition to his wife Dianne Tsitsos, Rick is survived by his nephew Rainer Weidlich of Berlin; sisters-in-law Mary Tsitsos of Mattapoisett and Katherine Tsitsos of Aegina, Greece; nephew Bill Tsitsos of Baltimore, MD, and many friends in the US, Germany, Ukraine, and elsewhere in Europe and Asia.

A memorial gathering was held at his home on March 3. Edward Bachman, a dear friend who married Rick and Dianne in 1980, also presided over his memorial.

MacAlan “Mac” Thompson, a quiet hero to Hmong and other post-war Indochinese refugees, died Monday at his home in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district. He died after a lengthy battle against cancer. Thompson was 77.

After graduation from Oregon State College in 1963, Thompson served in the US Army, including a tour at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. He then joined, and worked extensively with, the US Agency for International Development. His main assignments came on many key projects during the war in Laos, beside both US and Thai officials and military officers.

Like many Americans in the “secret” war against North Vietnam inside Laos, Thompson worked closely with Hmong, both villagers and soldiers of the army of Gen Vang Pao, the major thorn in the side of North Vietnamese trying to obtain supply lines to the main war in South Vietnam.

The fall of Vientiane to the Pathet Lao on Dec 2, 1975, opened a new “career” for Thompson, after he evacuated to Thailand. Working with a tiny group of “young Turk” veterans, he began lobbying and working on behalf of the Indochinese refugees – Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, but particularly Hmong – in order to move them to the United States. Opposition inside the US government to any large intake of war refugees ran all the way to the White House and then-president Jimmy Carter. But Thompson and his group worked for several years to meet, overcome and on occasion bypass anti-refugee regulations and sentiment.By far his greatest success was convincing the US establishment to accept tens of thousands of Hmong and beat back heavy, often racist pressure to keep the former hilltribe people out of America on grounds they supposedly could never adapt to the climate or US culture. Thompson and his small group were right, his opponents right to the top of government, wrong.

After the refugee crisis ended, Thompson dedicated his work to helping the recovery of Laos, chiefly through the Thai-Lao-Cambodian Brotherhood, a tightly knit network of veterans from the conflict. In his last internet communication before his death, Thompson sent out an email detailing the success of many Hmong-Americans elected to high political positions in the US mid-term voting in November.

CWT Hagelman III (Bill) passed away on December 28, 2018 following an almost three year battle with cancer.  After serving with the Peace Corps in Zaire and getting his Master’s at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, Bill worked for and with USAID for more than 30 years.  Sometimes he was a contractor, sometimes a Foreign Service Officer and finally sometimes a Civil Servant.   In these various employment venues, he served as Project Design Officer in Burundi, as well as Food for Peace Officer in Angola, Mozambique, South Sudan and in various other African countries.  Finally, Bill worked in various positions in USAID/Washington both in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance and the Bureau for Africa.

While much of his work focused on food security, Bill always worked not only to synchronize multiple USAID funding streams but also with USAID partners to develop and implement programs that would have the best, most viable impact possible despite the dynamic nature of USAID’s work.

Bill retired from USAID in 2016 and moved to his beloved Galveston, Texas where he enjoyed spending time with his family, hanging out at the beach and creating a home he loved.  He hosted a wide array of family and friends but also continued to travel to spend even more time with friends and family all over the United States and the world.   We will all miss him.

Vara Lee “Sam” LaFoy died November 13, 2018, after a brief battle with melanoma.  Sam was born in Fort Rucker, Alabama on August 20, 1943 to Jack and Vara C. LaFoy.  She started school in Paris, France where she gained fluency in the French language.  She attended the University of Madrid for her first year of college and then graduated with honors two years later from Wichita State.

After college, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she joined the Office of Public Safety in USAID’s predecessor agency.  From there, she moved to the Foreign Service, working as a secretary with USAID/Vietnam.  After Vietnam, she transitioned into the Career Foreign Service. serving as a Food for Peace Officer with USAID in Senegal, Haiti, Paraguay as well as many other African countries, particularly, while she was assigned to the Regional West Africa Office in the Ivory Coast.

After retirement she settled into what she considered “a perfect life in Fayetteville, Arkansas.”  She studied classical guitar, as well as Ancient Greek language, Greek literature and many eclectic classes at the University of Arkansas.  While she was studying at the University, she also provided accommodations to exchange students.  Always believing that education never ends, she was a stalwart member of her book club.  A truly wonderful human being, she will be dearly missed by family and friends.

Thomas Joseph Nickle II, age 79, of Wilmington, passed away on Sunday, January 13, 2019, at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice.

Tom was born in Brooklyn, NY, on August 24, 1939, to Kathleen and Thomas Joseph I. Nickle. He was a graduate of LaSalle College, Philadelphia, PA and served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve from 1961-1969.

His career as a Foreign Service Officer began in 1965, working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He was first stationed in Laos where he met his wife, Phan, and then spent his career with USAID living overseas with his family in Niger, Egypt, DR Congo (then Zaire), Burkina Faso and Jordan. After moving back to the US in 1988, Tom retired from USAID in 1990 and moved to North Carolina with his family.

Tom had a keen eye for photography since his youth and had amassed a collection of photographs from his life and travels. He also enjoyed travelling, camping and driving cross country. He was a lifelong kayaker and brought his kayaks with him overseas, with every move. When living in Egypt, he obtained permission to kayak the Suez Canal and became the captain of the smallest vessel to go through the Suez Canal.

He was preceded in death by his parents and older sister, Patricia.

He is survived by his wife Phan, daughter Seng and husband Eric, daughter Julie and husband Matt, son Tom III and wife Elizabeth, and his Klepper kayak.

Scott Spangler passed away on January 17, 2019 at a hospice in Scottsdale, Arizona.  The cause of death was glioblastoma.  He was 80 years old.

Scott Michael Spangler was born on August 4, 1938 in Toledo, Ohio.  He was the son of Walter Spangler and Martha (Hirscher) Spangler.   He received an engineering degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1961, where he was president of Lambda Chi Alpha, and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1963.

Scott met Jean Schmonsees in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1962 and they were married on June 10, 1963.

Following his graduation from Harvard Business School, Scott served as an MIT/Ford Foundation Fellow in the newly independent states of Ghana and Uganda, where he worked on fiscal and economic policy issues.  Scott and Jean’s first child, their daughter Karen, was born in Kampala in 1965.

Upon his return to the United States, Scott held executive positions at Cooper Industries and the White Motor Corporation in Ohio.  He held a number of executive leadership positions for companies in Houston, and Phoenix.  He founded the venture capital company First Phoenix Capital in 1984.

In 1990, Scott accepted a position in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, serving as acting administrator for Africa and later acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.  Following his service in government, Scott served as chairman of Chemonics International, a Washington-based consulting firm that provides technical assistance to developing countries.

Scott served as vice-chairman of Save the Children USA, and on the boards of Africare, Population Action International, World Resources Institute, United World Colleges, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation and the Valley of the Sun YMCA.

Scott was a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, the World Presidents’ Organization, and the Chief Executives Organization.

In addition to his wife Jean, Scott is survived by his daughter Karen and her husband Matthew Yeo, by his son Scott Spangler Jr., and by his son Drew and Drew’s wife Beanie.  He is also survived by his five beloved grandchildren: Simon and Ellie Yeo, and Sydney, Georgia, and Riley Spangler.  He is further survived by his younger brothers, Steve and Jim Spangler, and their families.

Former USAID Health Officer Alan Foose passed away on December 23, 2018, in Mbabane, Swaziland. Alan and his wife Jan Rockcliffe-King have lived there for the past nine years, having previously lived after Alan’s retirement in South Africa near Kruger Park.

Alan first worked outside of the US when he joined the Private Health Association of Lesotho, a small NGO comprised of previously independent rural clinics, where he was the Director for almost five years. He then joined USAID as a health officer, with his first posting in Liberia, followed by assignments in Swaziland, Bangladesh and South Africa. After retirement from USAID, Alan frequently worked as a consultant to USAID/Mozambique and USAID/South Africa. Over the years, his areas of focus included maternal and child health, population/family planning, and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Wherever Alan lived, he embraced the local people and surroundings, including owning a share of a traditional boat and traveling the rivers and bays of Bangladesh, finding remote beaches in Liberia, and bird watching, hiking and visiting game reserves in southern Africa. He truly enjoyed the adventures that came from living overseas.

Alan is survived by his wife, Jan, and by his children Andrew (Andy) Foose, now living in Mbabane; David Foose, living in Arlington VA; Allison Myeza, living in South Africa; nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. Alan will be remembered above all as a kind, caring, and quietly witty  person who was always willing to help those in need.

A U.S.memorial service is planned for late April/early May

Stafford King Mousky, 85, a former Foreign Service officer with USAID, died n Dec. 6, 2017, in New York City after along battle with Parkinson’s disease. Mr. Mousky was born in St. Cloud, Minn., on Oct. 11, 1932, the son of Carl andEstelle Mousky. His father was a government official for the state of Minnesota, and his mother was a schoolteacher.He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in St. Paul, Minn., and later graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Hamline University. He went on to serve in the U.S. Navy for four years, spending two years on aircraft carriers in the Pacific.

Mr. Mousky joined USAID in 1960, serving as a development specialist until 1977. He served on the Bolivia desk in Washington, D.C., before moving to Peru in 1965. He later served as chief of the Development and Planning Division of the Latin America Bureau of USAID and as the senior USAID economic and social adviser to the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations, where he served under permanent representatives George H.W. Bush, John Scali, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, William Scranton and Andrew Young. In 1977 he was seconded to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as chief of the Office of the Executive Director, and later became chief of the Governing Council for the U.N. Liaison and External Relations Branch. Mr. Mousky concluded his UNFPA career as senior adviser for the Secretariat of the International Conference on Population and Development, witnessing the adoption of the Programme of Action at ICPD in Cairo.

Following his retirement from the United Nations in 1994, Mr. Mousky served as a member of the governing board of the Association of Former International Civil Servants, a senior adviser to the International Organization for Migration, a board member of the U.S. Committee for UNFPA and a member of the DPI/NGO Executive Committee, serving as a mentor to countless colleagues.

Mr. Mousky is survived by his wife, Laurence Mousky (née Melhem); his son, Marc Mousky; and his sister, Carol McCall.

William (Bill) Trayfors passed away on February 14, 2019. He was 80 year old.

A native Washingtonian, Bill graduated from Montgomery Blair High School, the University of Maryland and UC-Berkeley.

Bill was a Foreign Service Officer with USAID for over 30 years. As one of the Agency’s first trained population officers, Mr. Trayfors served with USAID missions in Pakistan, Nepal, Morocco, and South-East Asia. For eight years, he served as the Deputy Director for the Bureau of Africa, covering the 48 sub-Saharan nations. The innovative programs he implemented had a ground-breaking impact on world public health, education and community development.

In retirement, Bill continued to serve in international public health as a consultant for USAID. He co-founded and was chairman of the The Washington Decision Support Group, a technology and information management consulting firm.

Bill loved the ocean, ham radios, blue grass music, all dogs and a few cats. He was a passionate sailor, licensed sea captain and master ham radio operator who guided sailors around the globe. He was an exceptional photographer, a brilliant musician and singer, and a tireless humanitarian. He was devoted to his family and a mentor to many.

Mr. Trayfors was preceded in death by his sister Jane Trayfors Johnson (Ronald), his parents Nicholas G. and Dorothy, his son, William, and his beloved dog Max. He is survived by his wife, Sandra, and his five children, Steven (Greta), Nicholas (Corinna), Cristina (Derek Penn), Maya Craig (David), and James Jolly (Pippa); one niece, Tracy Dean (Jim); nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild and two great-nephews.