The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2011

A F S A N E W S J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 1 1 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 51 in service to our nation. I proudly join SecretaryClinton in saluting those lost and in thanking themembers of our diplomatic service for their selfless contributions to America and the world. Signed, Barack Obama.” Explaining the background of the AFSAmemorial plaques, Johnsonempha- sized that family members are an integral part of theForeignService. Intheyear 2000, in cooperation with the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide, AFSA established a plaque recognizing Foreign Service family members who have died abroad. “Every year, on Foreign Affairs Day, a wreath is also placed at that plaque, locat- ed on the other side of this lobby, to rec- ognize the sacrificesmade by familymem- bers who accompany their spouse or par- ents overseas. Today, we proudly honor all those represented on these hallowed walls,” Johnson said. Johnson endedher remarks by adding, “As we solemnly honor Eugene Sullivan, today, nearly 40 years later, we also remember anothermember of the Foreign Service family, Sharon Clark, who died of cerebral malaria on Dec. 26, 2010, while serving in Abuja, Nigeria.” A Sense of Mission Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg then took the podium: “Fromall that I’ve learned in hearing this remarkable story, Gene Sulli- van’s life was shaped by a pow- erful sense of mission. During tours of duty of Seoul, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok and Addis Ababa, Gene lived his dreamof helping the poor and the pow- erless. That commitment ex- tended tohis private life, aswell. Gene gave generously to many charities and orphanages. “Gene’s friends and family describe him as a man full of intellectual curiosity with a love of travel, newcuisines, andnewlanguages, especially languages. He spoke 13 of them, includ- ing two Chinese dialects. “They also talkaboutwhat a lovinghus- bandand father hewas, andwe’rehonored that so many of his members of his fami- ly are here with us today. And I want to pay tribute to you for being here. Thank you so much.” T his month’s combined July-August edition provides us with the opportunity to celebrate a classicAmerican success story. Ralph J. Bunche, who was born on Aug. 7, 1904, in Detroit, establishedhimself as a luminary inmultiple disciplines: academia, diplomacy and civil rights. Ralph Bunche was a self-made man. He lost his parents at an early age, and his grandmother, awoman ofmodestmeans, raised him in Los Angeles. Despite the disadvantages of his early years, Bunche distinguished himself academically through primary and secondary school. Attending UCLA on a basketball scholarship, he studied polit- ical science, and graduated as valedictorian in 1927. He continued his studies atHarvardon an academic scholarship, earning a Ph.D. in1934. He thenbecame a professor atHowardUniversity, where he had a storied academic career. DuringWorldWar II, Bunche’s work on colonialism in Africa brought him to the Office of Strategic Services and then the State Department. He advised the U.S. delegations involved in estab- lishing theUnitedNations, and alsodraftedportions of theUnited Nations Charter. He served the U.N. for decades in various posi- tions, including as under secretary for political affairs, and attained worldwide fame as aMiddleEastmediator. Hewon the 1950Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the 1949 Arab-Israeli armistice. Mr. Buncheused the famehe acquiredon the international stage in his advocacy for civil rights in the United States. He marched with theRev.MartinLutherKing Jr. inAlabama andWashington, D.C., and served on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for 22 years. Ralph Bunche died in 1971, leaving an enduring legacy at each of the institutions he served. Parks, scholarships, buildings and the StateDepartment’s libraryhave all beennamedafter him, testimony to a passion for service that was best summedupbyU.N. Secretary General U Thant in his eulogy: “RalphBunchewas a practical optimistwhobelieved thatwhat- evermight gowrong inmatters of peace or justice, it was never too late to try again. His love of humanity and his belief inmankind’s ultimate goodness carriedhimthroughmany a crisiswhichwould have broken a lesser man.” “This Month in Diplomatic History” is a periodic column on U.S. diplomatic history. Authors are members of the Friends of the USDC, a support group for the U.S. Diplomacy Center. Greg Naarden is an FSOwho has served in Frankfurt, Dushanbe and Kabul. He is currently assigned to Washington, where he is trying to track down artifacts for the U.S. Diplomacy Center. If you’re interested in the Friends of the USDC, feel free to contact him a t NaardenGL2@state.gov. Plaque Ceremony • Continued from page 35 THIS MONTH IN DIPLOMATIC HISTORY: Ralph J. Bunche: Nobel Peace Prize Winner BY GREG NAARDEN Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg offers words of con- dolence to the Sullivan on Foreign Affairs Day, May 6. DONNA AYERST