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Richard N. Blue, who had an illustrious and wide-ranging international career in the Senior Foreign Service and numerous other roles in international development, died at 86 on June 22, 2022, at home in Vero Beach Florida with his wife, Susan Holloran, his son Daniel, and grandsons Finn and Enzo Blue by his side.

Blue had his first international career exposure in Germany with the Army Signal Corps during the Korean conflict. His international interests continued over a lifetime, in academia and in the U.S. Agency for International Development and beyond. He lived in India and Thailand, worked throughout South and Southeast Asia, and later in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, representing the best of U.S. assistance efforts, creating positive relationships wherever he went. His home base was Washington, DC and the Blue Ridge in Loudoun County Virginia.

Richard Blue earned his PhD at Claremont Graduate University and began his career as a Professor of Political Science, South Asian Studies at the University of Minnesota.  He was, above all, a teacher, an exceptional mentor, colleague, friend and inspiration to many whose lives he touched, professionally and personally.

A natural, charismatic leader, voracious reader, lover of classical music and student of history, he was always curious and interested in people and their personal histories and connected easily with everyone with engaging conversation.  His genuineness, kindness, open heartedness and respect for others amplified a formidable intellect and shone through all his personal relationships.

In 1975, Blue was recruited to lead a faculty supporting USAID officers’ professional development.  Subsequently, he led an Agency-wide impact evaluation initiative, the Impact Evaluation Series, worked on Capitol Hill drafting content and strategy for revision of the Foreign Assistance Act, directed the Office of Egypt Affairs and served in other leadership roles.

After his retirement from USAID he joined The Asia Foundation where he served as Representative for Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. In recognition of his work in Thailand he was appointed by the King of Thailand as an “Officer of the Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand,” a highly unusual honor. He returned to Washington and helped grow a global management consulting firm, and worked with others in the field, traveling extensively in Eastern and Central Europe. His stories are legend.

In 2013, Richard shifted his focus to preserving the legacy of his brother, James Blue, another story-teller and an innovative, award winning film maker who died at age 49, leaving an impressive body of work now archived at the University of Oregon. Richard created, with his son Daniel, The James Blue Alliance, to preserve, restore and promulgate his brother’s films including The March, The Olive Trees of Justice (re mastered and released in 2022), and Who Killed Fourth Ward?  At the time of his death, Richard was working to develop and fund a teaching syllabus for his brother’s films, including many made for the USIA in the 1960s and 70s, to be part of the curriculum at various grade levels in schools throughout the country and the world.  A memorial fund to honor Richard will be set up to promote this work.

Richard Blue was the son of Harry and Pauline Blue of Portland Oregon.  He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Susan Holloran, daughter Michelle Blue Benedict, son Daniel (Jodi) Blue, and his grandchildren Sarah Benedict, Todd Benedict, Finnigan Hawley-Blue, Rio Blue, and Enzo Blue.  A gathering in memory of Richard will be held in the afternoon of September 24, 2022 at Susan and Richard’s home in Bluemont, Virginia.  If you would like to attend please contact Susan Holloran at richardnblue36@gmail.com.

Jack Heller of Washington, D.C. died on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at the age of 90.  He was the beloved husband of the late Naomi Birnbaum Heller, devoted father of Michael (Deborah Cahn), Dan (Eli Penberthy) and Rafael (Michal Avni) Heller, and loving grandfather of Ellie and Jonah Heller, Joelle Dong-Heller and Hannah Heller and Eitan and Gilad Avni-Heller.  Graveside funeral services will be held on Sunday, July 10, 2022, 10 a.m., at Judean Memorial Gardens, Olney, MD.  Arrangements have been entrusted to Torchinsky Hebrew Funeral Home, 202-541-1001.

Jack Heller served at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1962 to 1972 in various positions, including Director of Programs and Policies for Latin America, Legal Advisor and Director of Operations, USAID/Brazil, and Senior Tax and Fiscal Advisor for Latin America.

Impacts on developing countries of the impending food security crisis exacerbated by climate change, the war in the Ukraine and supply chain issues

Mike Michener

Mike Michener currently serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, where he oversees the strategic direction and implementation of USAID’s work on agriculture-led growth and the bureau’s efforts to engage and build partnerships with the private sector and research community in support of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative.

Prior to working at USAID, Mr. Michener most recently served as Vice President for Product Policy and Innovation with the United States Council for International Business in Washington D.C., and just prior to that as Director of Multilateral Relations for CropLife International in Brussels, Belgium. Mike represented these trade associations before a range of international organizations – including the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Previously, Mr. Michener served with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, first as Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service and then as Minister Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome. Mr. Michener has also worked for the U.S. Department of State in several roles, including senior governance advisor and strategic planner for stability operations, civil-military affairs specialist, and senior advisor for democracy and human rights programs in Iraq. Mike also worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an Asylum Officer and USAID as a Democracy Advisor in Bosnia and Kosovo. Mr. Michener began his career with the United States Army, serving in Europe as a military intelligence specialist.

Originally from Iowa, Mr. Michener has a master’s degree in public administration from Bowie State University. Mr. Michener earned a bachelor’s degree in East European studies from the University of Maryland by taking night school classes while serving on active duty in Munich, Germany. He speaks fluent Romanian and several other languages.

Paul Dorosh

Director of Development Strategy and Governance Division

Paul A. Dorosh has been the Division Director of IFPRI’s Development Strategy and Governance Division since April, 2011. His previous positions include IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader of the Ethiopia Strategy Support Program in Addis Ababa (2008-2010), Senior Economist at the World Bank (2003-2008), senior research fellow with IFPRI in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1997-2001) and Associate Professor at Cornell University (1994-97). He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the Food Research Institute, Stanford University and a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University, and has published research on agricultural markets, food policy, international trade, economy-wide modeling and the rural-urban transformation.

Dina Esposito 

Vice President of Technical Leadership, Mercy Corps

Dina Esposito oversees Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit, which houses a large team of global subject matter experts who provide strategy, leadership, technical knowledge for program design and implementation and program support to country teams in some 40 countries around the world, ensuring Mercy Corps’ initiatives are strategic, informed, and sustainable.

Before joining Mercy Corps in 2017, she was the Director of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, (now part of the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance), where she oversaw the Agency’s $2.8 billion relief and development food assistance portfolio. She has worked for nongovernmental organizations in Ethiopia and Kenya and filled a variety of other positions at the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development working on refugee assistance, conflict and post conflict reconstruction priorities.

(Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian and development organization working in fragile and conflict affected places.  It aims to build more inclusive, resilient communities through it four program pillars of improved food security, water security, economic opportunity, and peace/good governance.  It has a staff of more than 5,000 in 40 countries around the world.)

In the early afternoon of January 8, 2021, Donald Boyd Jr. passed away as a result of complications related to COVID-19.  Don, known as Donny to his Massachusetts relatives, was born in Fitchburg, MA on August 10, 1942, but he found his calling in 1965 when he joined the Peace Corps and headed to Northeast Brazil.  Following their graduation from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where Don graduated cum laude with senior honors, Don and his then wife Wendy Hall Bourgeois volunteered their service in the area of community development and health.  However, Don’s commitment to the Peace Corps was ended prematurely by the births of his twin daughters Tania Boyd Blow and Diana Boyd De Nitto.

Once back state side, Don completed his master’s degree in political science at the University of Wisconsin as a Ford and National Defense Foreign Language Fellow, and then took a position at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, NY.  From 1970 to 1976, Don taught classes in local, state, national government and Latin American history.  This time was punctuated in 1972 by the birth of Don’s only son, Donald Nicoll Boyd.  His birth was celebrate in typical 70s fashion with the purchase of a gold Buick station wagon.

From 1977 to 2004 Don heeded his calling — he entered the Foreign Service and joined the Agency for International Development (US AID).  Between 1978 and 2004 Don worked in the eastern Caribbean, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru and Washington D.C. During this time he rose to the ranks of Director and Deputy Mission Director in Peru, and Director, Office of Central American Affairs in Washington, D.C.  A highpoint in his career was a 1999 Presidential Meritorious Service Award for “sustained superior accomplishment in the conduct of the foreign policy of the United States Government.”

In 1985, Don married Liliana Dutriz Boyd whom he met while serving in El Salvador.  While state side in Alexandria, Virginia in 1989, they welcomed the birth of their daughter Chelsea Boyd Lumsden.  Later in Lima, Peru in 1995, Don, Liliana, and Chelsea greeted the birth of Bonnie Boyd.  Don and Bonnie had a special bond and loyalty.  They would affectionately call to each other, “cuckoo” and enjoyed passing weekends together.

In retirement Don worked in mediation, but his real joy was his garden (he never met a pepper, lettuce seed, or bulb he didn’t want to buy), and certainly his grandchildren.  Don is survived by his grandchildren:  Kirsti and Sarah Blow of Queensbury, NY; Aidan and Mia Boyd of Williamsville, NY; Marcella and Emerson De Nitto of Wolfeboro, NH, and Julian Lumsden of Newnan, GA.  Don’s children include Don Boyd and his wife Ann, Tania Blow and her husband Dave, Diana De Nitto and her husband Mark, Chelsea Lumsden and her husband Shawn, and Bonnie Boyd.   Don is also survived by his brother Richard Boyd and his wife Rosie of Key West Florida.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Donald Boyd, Jr, please visit our floral store.

Frank D. Correl died Sunday January 10, 2021, at Suburban Hospital, Bethesda MD.

Frank was born on January 3, 1929, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In August 1939, he and his sister left for England on the Kindertransport, where he lived during the War. He arrived in the United States in November 1943 and joined his parents in Highland Park, NJ.

He was awarded a B.A. in Business from Rider College and an M.A. in History from Columbia University. He joined the US Department of Commerce in 1952, and served in the US Army. In 1959, he became a foreign service officer with the US Agency for International Development, serving over 42 years specializing in Asia and Africa, including as Mission Director in Lesotho and Sri Lanka. He was an avid and lifelong philatelist from age six. He loved to travel, and was a veritable encyclopedia of history, visiting or living in some 80 countries, and inspired this same love in those around him.

A longtime resident of Chevy Chase, MD, he served on the Village Council of the Village of Martin’s Additions and was always active in his neighborhood and his community. He is survived by his loving family — his wife of 40 years Hanne Correl of Chevy Chase, MD, and two sons from his first marriage, Theodore Correl of Seattle, WA, and Stephen Correl of Portland, OR, his wife Dr. Gaye Harris, and their sons Hailas and Julius — and by his first spouse Marilyn Mauch, of Portland, OR. A service will be planned at a later time.  To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.

Daisy Portee Withers passed away peacefully on January 17, 2021. 

Born in Camden, South Carolina, on June 24, 1924, Daisy was raised on a farm outside nearby Lugoff township before accompanying her family to High Point, North Carolina.  At age twelve, she entered Mather Academy, a private boarding school in Camden devoted to providing its African American student body with a high quality education.  Upon graduating, she studied at West Virginia State College in Institute, West Virginia.  During World War II, Daisy moved to Washington to make her own personal contribution to the war effort by working in the Departments of Agriculture and Defense.  In 1953, she earned a Masters Degree in education at North Carolina A & T University in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In 1947, Daisy married John L. Withers of Greensboro and, for 25 years beginning in 1958, shared his life as a Foreign Service Officer in the U. S. Agency for International Development.  They had two sons, John II and Gregory.  Their assignments carried the family to Asia (Laos, Thailand, Burma, and Korea), to Africa (Ethiopia and Kenya), and finally to India.  Dr. Withers was one of the first black officers in USAID and was the Mission Director in Ethiopia and India.  John retired in 1982 and the couple lived the rest of their lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.  He passed away in October, 2007.  (Their son, John L. Withers II, also served as U.S. Ambassador to Albania.)

Throughout her long life, Daisy remained a committed teacher, working not only in a variety of international schools abroad, but wherever there were community needs.  (In Laos, for example, she taught English to a group of orange-robed Buddhist priests.)  In 1960, when political turmoil forced the American community in Laos to evacuate to Bangkok, Thailand, the U. S. Ambassador appointed Daisy Principal of the hastily-established school for the evacuated children.  Under trying circumstances, she managed to ensure that the uprooted students’ education continued uninterrupted.  The Ambassador gave her a special award in recognition of her success.  Years later, in 1983, she won the coveted Agnes Meyer Teaching Award for her outstanding work at the Gateway Alternative School in Montgomery County, Maryland. She was further selected as one of the finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics in 1984.

Daisy’s generous nature and effervescent personality won her friends all across the world.  As her sons, John and Greg, wrote of her:  “Our mother lived life as well as anyone we know.  There was always a freshness in her spirit and a joyousness in her soul.  She loved everyone.  We know that she has gone to a sweeter rest than we can imagine. We are graced to have her as our mother.”

Her ashes will finally be interred next to her husband, John, at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Arthur Danart, 81, passed away at his home in Austin, Texas on January 4. He is remembered by his friends and former colleagues as an unfailingly cheerful raconteur, as a thoughtful and considerate manager, and as a pioneer in the development of innovative ways to deliver health and family planning services to low-income populations.

After graduating from college, Art joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Colombia for two years. Following his Peace Corps service, Art joined Westinghouse Heath Systems, leaving that firm with a colleague to launch a startup company that helped develop approaches that provided physicians with unbiased drug prescribing information. More relevant to the longer term, Art became very interested in a novel concept that was just gaining traction in the development community—the use of social marketing techniques to expand the availability of health and family planning products and services to low-income populations in developing countries.

USAID, meanwhile, had become similarly interested in the potential of social marketing, but did not have personnel with the technical knowledge, a personal belief in the potential of the approach, or the organizational skills needed to design, test, and implement social marketing programs.  USAID recruited Art in 1976 to fill that role. Over the next several years, Art was the Agency’s leading advocate for social marketing. He created (with his colleague Jack Thomas, deceased) a design template for AID Missions, and travelled to over a dozen Missions to help develop and launch social marketing programs. By the time Art moved on to his first Foreign Service assignment—to Peru—social marketing programs based on Art’s model were up and operating in over a dozen countries. From these early efforts over 40 countries have nationwide social marketing programs providing millions of low-income women and men access to health services.

Following his service in Peru, Art was assigned to REDSO/Nairobi, where he enthusiastically helped Missions develop and implement new programs to provide services to underserved populations, with a special focus on efforts to combat the raging HIV/AIDS pandemic and to extend the availability of family planning services in the region.

By the time Art took up his assignment as AID Representative in Mexico in 1992, he had established himself as one of the Agency’s most effective and consequential Health & Population officers. Mexico posed different challenges. USAID’s program included dozens of cooperative ventures covering population, HIV prevention, environment, energy, narcotics education, support for the judiciary, and a range of government-to-government initiatives to support the newly approved North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The management of the portfolio was made more complicated by the Mexican Government’s sensitivity to US involvement in their country’s affairs. Art successfully negotiated this challenging environment and gained the respect and affection of Mexican counterparts who recognized his authenticity and respect for Mexican priorities. USAID acknowledged the importance and effectiveness of Art’s work by upgrading the status of the AID Representative’s Office to a USAID Mission in 1998.

Art and his beloved wife of 52 years, Karen, retired to Austin, Texas in 1998.  Art is survived by Karen, their son Josh, and his brother Victor.

William T. Dentzer, Jr., age 91, whose life of faith, love, service, integrity, and humility inspired many, died of non-Covid pneumonia while surrounded by family on Jan. 25, 2021. During his professional career he was president of the National Student Association (1951-2); a force in the creation of the U.S. foreign aid program in the 1960s; USAID Mission Director to Peru; Deputy Ambassador to the Organization of American States; New York State Superintendent of Banks; and founding chairman and CEO of the Depository Trust Co. (now Depository Trust & Clearing Corp.), the entity created to address the paperwork crisis that paralyzed Wall Street in the 1960s.

In his own words: “After John F. Kennedy’s election in 1960, I asked one of his White House Special Assistants, a former NSA officer, to arrange my transfer from CIA to the task force that created the Agency for International Development (AID), America’s program of foreign assistance to underdeveloped nations. I soon became Special Assistant to the first head of AID, and thereafter Special Assistant to the U.S. Coordinator of the Alliance for Progress, the program initiated by President Kennedy to foster economic development in Latin America.

My work for the Alliance was interrupted by my appointment as Executive Secretary of a committee appointed by President Kennedy and chaired by retired General Lucius Clay. Clay may be best known as the Military Commander in Germany who in 1948 persuaded President Truman to mount the Berlin airlift after Russia blocked land routes to that city. President Kennedy hoped the conservative Clay Committee, which included former World Bank President Eugene Black and Robert Lovett, a former Deputy Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, would increase Congressional support for AID appropriations. After the committee reported, I followed up as coordinator of AID’s annual budget presentation to Congress.

In 1965, my family and I moved to Lima, Peru, where I served as Director of the AID Mission to that nation. After three years there and fearful that I would become a lame duck awaiting firing if Nixon was elected President, I engineered a return to Washington. There I was named Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States, the multi-governmental organization based in Washington and created in 1948 to foster cooperation among member states in the Americas.”

A longtime resident of Larchmont, NY, he also led several New York state and local commissions, including a 1982 panel that recommended increasing the inadequate salaries of state judges. He is survived by Celia, his wife of 68 years; a sister, Ann Azer; sons James (Holly) and William T. III; daughters Susan (Charles Alston) and Emily (Scott Rodi); and 8 grandchildren.  A full obituary and other details are at https://jjffh.com.

Archie Columbus Hogan, Jr., 83, of Brenham, Texas, passed away October 13, 2020 peacefully at home with his children.

Archie was born February 20, 1937 in Brenham, Texas, the eldest child of Archie Columbus Hogan, Sr. and Ruby Ruth (Meredith) Hogan. Archie graduated from A.R. Pickard High School in 1954 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Prairie View A&M University in 1959. He planned to work as a high school teacher but months after college graduation, was drafted into the US Army. He was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky and Schofield Barracks Oahu, Hawaii, serving for two years before receiving an honorable discharge and earning the Army Good Conduct Medal. He began graduate studies in agricultural economics at the University of Hawaii.

In 1963, Archie joined the US Peace Corps as one of its first African American volunteers and served in Cali, Colombia. His Peace Corps cohort, known as Columbia Group 6, formed a tightly knit group that remained in close contact until his last days. Archie finished his graduate work at Southern Illinois University, earning a Masters of Science in Agricultural Economics and Industries.

He joined the US Agency for International Development in 1965 and his first assignment took him to Vietnam, where he coordinated wartime development projects. He also pursued economic development graduate training at Oregon State University. Archie had a long, distinguished career with USAID, participating in international development initiatives throughout west and central Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. He was a commissioned Foreign Service Officer and served as the Senior Business Specialist for the USAID Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

No matter where he traveled in the world, though, Archie was a proud Texan and son of Brenham. A lifelong member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, he believed in his Lord and savior Jesus Christ and embraced a life of service to others. He retired in 1995 after 33 years of government service and pursued varying jobs and interests before returning to his hometown.

Archie was a loving son, brother, uncle, godfather and cousin. He married and divorced twice. Archie became a father late in life, a role to which he was devoted. He adored Sara and Archie, and was present at every science fair, recital, Cub Scout activity, and graduation. His love of travel was passed on to his children, who he took on countless cross-country road trips and adventures abroad. Archie enjoyed a hot cup of coffee, Texas BBQ and chili, fixing cars, and most of all, meeting new people. He possessed the gift of connection and could strike up a conversation and laugh with anyone.

A voracious reader and lover of politics, international spy thrillers, and American history, Archie at his busiest would read up to four novels in a week. He was an avid bird watcher and all of the neighborhood animals knew to stop by his backyard for the treats he left out daily. He loved to play chess and often carried a chessboard with him in case he would meet new opponent, who would often then become a friend. Archie loved life. And it was a remarkable, colorful, and full life that he lived.

He is survived by his beloved children Sara Ruth (Francis DeMichele) Hogan of Manhattan Beach, CA and Archie Columbus Hogan, III of Washington, DC, niece Sheila RuthRandolph of Fort Worth, TX, nephew Roland Nicholas Brown (Zawarki Dugar-Brown) of Houston, TX, cousin Darlene Burelson of Oxford, NC, and a multitude of loving family members and friends. Archie is preceded in death by his parents and sisters Marilyn Joyce (Randolph) Hogan and Darlyne (Brown) Hogan. We know that he is overjoyed to be reunited with his heavenly family. Those who he left behind, though, will miss him beyond measure.

Marilyn Elizabeth Wilkey Merritt, PhD, passed away February 4, 2021 in Arlington, VA, after a brief illness. Marilyn was a devoted partner to Gary, her husband of 60 years; a selfless mother to her children Brienne (Andy) and Seth (Michelle) a loving “Mere-Mom” to Macy, Cole, Wyatt, Maureen and Henry; a beloved sister to Debbie (Larry), Cathy (Rick), Heather (Rick), Bill (Laurie); a kind and encouraging Aunt to many nieces and nephews. She was a faithful friend and correspondent and touched the lives of many, including students and neighbors whose lives she brightened with genuine care and sparkling conversation.

Born on Winter Solstice, 1941, Marilyn was raised in South-East Missouri, and went on to travel the world with her family, including living and working in India, Kenya, Niger and Senegal, and working in other countries too. Although frugal, cautious and analytical, she thrilled to the call of adventure and romance.

She earned a PhD in Linguistic Anthropology in 1976 — proud student of Henry Hoenigsvald, Dell Hymes and Erving Goffman at Univ. of Pennsylvania. Her work has been cited often in the fields of discourse analysis and education, especially articles on “service encounters” and on describing the many contexts and uses of the term “OK” in American English. She taught at The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Catholic University, and Univ. of Maryland. She served as a docent at numerous museums, including the DACOR Bacon House, and the National Museum of Kenya. She leaves behind a legacy of many students who have gone on to their own successful careers in academia and other fields. She was a vigorous participant in professional societies, including AAAS, American Anthropology Association, Center for Applied Linguistics. Marilyn relished conference and symposium gatherings, meeting new and old friends, and sparking ideas.

Education was a passion, and not just for her own children. Equality of access was important — one of her refrains was “every child is gifted”. Marilyn truly loved language in all its forms, from poetry to newspaper comics to the innocent words of children. She acquired skills in French, German, Hindustani, Swahili, and Wolof. She wrote and recited many poems at poetry gatherings, and loved to encourage others by buying and subscribing to poetry publications, and was proud of publishing a small book of poems with her sister Cathy.

She reveled in the beauties of nature, catching sunrises, picking wildflowers for the table, taking children on a hike in the woods. She invariably found museums and gardens wherever she traveled, and was known occasionally to visit a gift shop on the way out. She delighted in handcrafts and supported the work of artisans and artists around the world. Creativity was a spiritual practice for her – she journaled, sketched, painted the beauty she saw and felt. She believed in the power of art to heal, to lift us out of ourselves, and to unite us.

Her memory was prodigious, for numbers, for birthdays, and anniversaries of loved ones. Marilyn would eagerly invite any who wish to join us in contributing to a worthy cause of choice, in celebrating your personal memories of her. Gary, Brie, and Seth are planning a memorial for her later this Spring to celebrate her life with colleagues, neighbors, and friends. Be Safe, All!