Author Archive | Ven Suresh

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.

Blaine C. Richardson died November 17, 2018 at the age of 83.  He was a retiree  of Agency for International Development.  He continued to work after his retirement until the time of his death for FEMA and Adjusters International.

Graham passed away on March 9 at Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida after a struggle with cancer/lymphoma and related issues. Graham is survived by his spouse, Ellen Thompson, his children Isabel and Nicholas, and his grandsons, Theo and Christopher.

Graham was born in New York in 1939.  He earned his BA from Union College and a MBA from Syracuse University.  He joined the U.S. Navy in 1961, achieving the rank of Second Lieutenant and certification as a Master Salvage Diver.  In 1967, Graham was selected as a Management Intern with USAID, but then joined the Union California Bank as a Overseas Loan Officer.

Graham returned to the Agency in 1971 as a Foreign Service Officer.  He served as a Supervisory Project Development Officer with the Africa Bureau in Washington, the USAID Mission in Dacca, Bangladesh, the USAID regional office (REDSO/WCA) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and the USAID Mission in New Delhi, India, contributing to the development and implementation of dozens of USAID development projects throughout those countries.  Graham and family returned to Washington in 1989 where he served as Senior Career Development Officer, before retiring in 1994 and moving to St. Petersburg, Florida where he concentrated on his investment portfolio. During this time, he also explored resources like UK Investment Advice and Tools, which provided insights and guidance on navigating the evolving landscape of digital investments.

Graham was a devoted member of the Science of Spirituality in Lisle, Illinois, an interfaith meditation group, which will have memorial in his honor later this spring.

Graham will be forever remembered for his deep love of family and his gentle collegiality, as well as his skill in investing and playing basketball and tennis which he remarkably continued throughout his struggle with cancer.

Donations to Partners in Heath, pih.org, in Graham’s name are welcome.

On Friday, March 8, 2019, James Allen “Jim” Wedberg of Bethesda, MD passed away with his loving wife, Malla at his side. Jim was a Korean War Veteran and retired 20-year USAID Foreign Service Officer, serving overseas in Vietnam, Tanzania, Afghanistan (where he met his wife Malla), Mauritania and in Washington, DC as a country program development officer for Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon and the Central African Empire. In addition to Malla, Jim is survived by step-daughter and son-in-law, Mashal and David Hartman, sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and (Ret.) Colonel Larry Zittrain, nieces and nephews, Laurie Jones, Scott Zittrain, Greg Zittrain, Jennie Tippit and their families.

Jim Moody passed away on Friday, March 22, 2019 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland at the age of 83 with his wife, Janice, at his side.

Jim was born in Richlands, Virginia on September 2, 1935. He graduated from Anglo American High School, Athens, Greece, in 1953. He earned a B.A. from Haverford College in 1957, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1967 and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley in1973.

Jim devoted his entire professional life to the causes of world peace and economic justice. He became the CARE representative in Yugoslavia in 1959. After two years in Yugoslavia, he was assigned by CARE to Iran to lead a special feeding program assisting hospitals and schools and to direct periodic earthquake relief. Jim became one of the first members of the Peace Corps where he served in Iran, and Pakistan. He set up the Peace Corps’ first programs in Pakistan and Bangladesh—the first two Peace Corps programs in continental Asia. He subsequently became the loan officer for the USAID capital development program for Southeast Asia.

After earning his Masters and PhD, Jim became associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. In 1976, Jim entered politics running successfully to become a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. As a member of the Assembly, Jim was instrumental in stopping the planned construction of a freeway along the shore of Lake Michigan preserving Milwaukee’s beautiful lakefront for future generations. He considered this one of the most significant and satisfying achievements of his lifetime.

In 1982, Jim was elected to the US Congress from Wisconsin’s 5th congressional district. He served five terms through 1992. In Congress he was elected to the House Ways & Means Committee and then assigned to the International Trade and Health/Medicare subcommittees. Among the bills he sponsored was the first ever legislation for single-payer universal health care in the United States. He also sponsored bills in wilderness preservation and pro-competition truck hauling and legislation to prevent federal start-up employment incentives from being used for strike breaking. While in Congress, he co-founded the organization that became the National Security Archive Project that continues today as a major force for transparency in federal government actions, especially overseas. Also, based on his experience in Bangladesh, Jim co-founded the Congressional support coalition for International Family Planning. Jim also served as a Congressional observer to the Strategic Arms Limitation negotiations between the United States and Soviet Union.

Jim’s campaign for the Democratic nomination to for the Unites States Senate in 1992 was unsuccessful and he retired from, but never lost interest in, politics and international affairs. He remained an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served as an independent election observer in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Following his political career, Jim worked for the International Fund for Agricultural Development from 1995 to1998 after which he became president of InterAction, an association of international development and relief organizations. From 2000 until his retirement he worked as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Oppenheimer. He also served as an adjunct professor for the University of Maryland, College Park, Md., and resident scholar for American University.

Jim married Janice Boettcher in 1992 and they had two wonderful children; Brad now age 25 and Sarah age 23. Jim is also survived by his brother, Mark Moody and by his sister, Margaret Huston. Jim was predeceased by his brother, Michael Moody.

The family is holding a private memorial. Memorial donations can be made to Relief International at http://www. ri.org.

Gordon Wallace Murchie, 86, foreign service officer and wine industry advocate, was born October 2, 1932 in San Diego, CA. He leaves wife of 63 years Anita Murchie, their children Scott Murchie and Tia Murchie-Beyma, son-in-law Eric Murchie-Beyma, and grandchildren Madeline and Megan Murchie-Beyma.

In Murchie’s 35 years with USIA and USAID, he lived in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thai��land, and Costa Rica; and served throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. He received Superior Service Awards from both agencies and the Order of the White Elephant from the Royal Thai Government.

During his 39-year post-retirement career, he and wife Anita joined delegations to the People’s Republic of China, South Africa, and Australia. Murchie served in positions including Exec. Director, National Wine Coalition and Virginia Wineries Association; and President, Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association. He helped create the Congressional Wine Caucus and Mount Vernon’s wine festival series. He was humbled by such honors as American Wine Society Award of Merit, Commemorative Bronze Bust of George Washington bestowed by Mount Vernon, and Virginia Wineries Association’s establishment of the Gordon Murchie Lifetime Achievement Award.

Peter Melia Kimm, whose innovative work on affordable housing in the developing world continues to have an impact, died peacefully at home in Potomac, Md. on Saturday, March 30. He was 89. He began his 30 year career guiding the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Housing and Urban Development in 1966. His relentless pursuit of mission revolutionized the construction of sustainable housing for poor urban families in the developing world.

Peter Kimm was born in Brooklyn, NY on Dec. 15, 1929. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean war, 1951-1953, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant. He led a combat construction platoon, receiving multiple awards.  He married Grace Anderson in 1954, and they settled in their native Brooklyn. Peter began a rigorous course of study at The Cooper Union in New York City at night while working construction during the day. He received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree in 1958, and became a Licensed Professional Engineer. He then supervised construction of buildings, roads and highway bridges.

In response to President John F. Kennedy’s call to “ask what you can do for your country,” he and his brother launched their families (including four children under seven) on an odyssey of public service — first with a Peace Corps-type organization in Paterson, NJ and then to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he learned Spanish. The Kimms engaged with Ivan Illich, Margaret Mead, Philip and Daniel Berrigan, and others working with a volunteer organization in the U.S. and Mexico. 1963-65, Kimm worked in Washington, DC for the American Institute for Free Labor Development, AIFLD,  supporting Trade Union worker housing in Latin America.

Kimm joined USAID in 1966. After  leading the  USAID Housing Guaranty Program, Peter  went on to be Director for the USAID Environmental Center (1993-97) and Director of the USAID US-Asia Environmental Partnership (1998-2002). After retiring from USAID in  2002, he founded the International Housing Coalition, and served on its board into 2019. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan recognized Peter with the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive Award, the most prestigious recognition that can be given to a member of the U.S. Senior Executive Service. He was the first from USAID to receive the award.  In June 1996, at the U.N. Habitat II Conference in Istanbul, Assistant Secretary General Wally N’Dow praised Kimm for contributing “more over the past 30 years towards the housing needs of poor people than anyone else in the world.” In October 1996 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Peter Kimm received the HABITAT Scroll of Honor Award, for 30 years of “outstanding service assisting developing nations worldwide respond to housing needs of low-income families and to meet the challenges of rapid urbanization,” recognizing his work in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Peter Kimm received The Cooper Union Gano Dunn Award in 1985 for outstanding public service, and the President’s Citation in 1998 for contributions to his profession. He was one of the 150 alumni chosen for the Hall of Fame at the 150th anniversary of the Cooper Union in 2009.

Peter Kimm was devoted to his grandchildren, especially after the death of his oldest son Peter Jr. in a car accident in 1995. He attended sports practices and games of children and grandchildren. Peter and Grace Kimm’s children and grandchildren all live nearby. Holidays and the many birthdays bring the family together often. A lifelong athlete he enjoyed basketball, tennis and cycling, forming close friendships with those he played with. He was part of a group of retired friends that bicycled weekly together for more than a decade, engaging in lively political conversation during breaks. This later evolved into a “New Yorker” reading group, meeting monthly.

Peter Kimm is survived by his wife of 65 years, Grace Kimm; his son Christopher Kimm of Reston, SVP Americas Operations of Equinix; daughter Mary Kimm of Potomac, Publisher of Connection Newspapers; daughter-in-law Virginia Fowler of Potomac; brother, Victor Kimm of McLean; and their families, including 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Stokes Munroe Tolbert passed away March 12, 2019, in Tucson, AZ. He was born September 4, 1923, in Columbus, GA, the youngest of five sons of Wheeler H. Tolbert and Love McDuffie Tolbert. Stokes attended Emory University until joining the U.S. Navy during World War II.

After the war, the GI Bill allowed him to complete his BA at Yale University. In 1945, he married Jean Wolsted. He then earned a PhD in Economics at Harvard University, and he and Jean eventually had four children. His PhD research took him and his young family to New Delhi, India, to work on the newly independent country’s early economic development plans.

After brief stints at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Standard Oil Co., he went back to economic development, spending most of his professional career working as an economist for the World Bank, based in Washington, D.C. With the Bank, he held posts in Bangkok, Thailand, and back in New Delhi. He took a leave to serve as Director of the US Agency for International Development Mission in Indonesia from 1967-1969, and then returned to the World Bank to become Director of the Tourism Projects Department and then the Industrial Development and Finance Department. Before retiring in 1986, he co-wrote a book with Warren Baum, Investing in Development: Lessons of World Bank Experience, published by Oxford University Press, and translated into many languages.

His work at the World Bank ignited a love of travel and fostered a sense of international community. After retirement and Jean’s death, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he met and married his second wife, Elizabeth Thompson, in 1993. He became active with many community organizations, including Tucson Committee on Foreign Relations, Tucson Museum of Art, and Opera Guild of Southern Arizona. He is survived by his children, Leslie (m. Paul St. John), Kim (m. Alex Klimas), Paige (m. Jim Mulholland) and Stephen (m. Jean Pecar), his grandchildren, Lindsay, Alex, Stephen, Jennifer, Quinn, and Kyle, and his great-grandchildren, Zachary and Caitlin. Stokes led a life of adventure and generosity of spirit.

He shared his enthusiasm for living fully, peppering it with wry wit. His particular lifelong passion for justice and equity was evident in his career aiding low-income countries and his support of many progressive national and international organizations. After working to ensure that others had the right to die with dignity, he himself departed on his own terms with grace and strength in hospice care, surrounded by family from around the country. Donations in his honor can be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center at https://www.splcenter.org.

On April 10, 2019, Douglas Taylor Kline passed away peacefully at home in Great Falls, VA surrounded by his loving family. Born on September 4, 1950, to the late Virginia and Alvin Kline in Grand Rapids, MI, Doug graduated from Michigan State University and Columbia University with degrees in economics and Latin American affairs.

Doug was a treasured colleague at the U.S. Agency for International Development, including service in Bolivia, Liberia and Kenya, and later at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC, from which he retired in 2012. He was a dedicated, enthusiastic and cherished volunteer, especially for Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia.

His true joy was his family: he is survived by his wife of 35 years, Barbara Kline, daughters, Katie Kline (Dave) and Emy Kline (Yoni); three siblings, and many nieces and nephews; all of whom will greatly miss his warmth, selflessness and generosity.

A celebration of life will be held Friday, April 19 at 11 a.m. at the Atrium at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Brain Injury Services, where Doug made a difference those who loved him will never forget.