The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2023

88 JULY-AUGUST 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL IN MEMORY n Scott Wilmer Cullum, 53, a Foreign Service specialist, passed away on April 17, 2023, after an illness. Mr. Cullum was born in Bel Air, Md., to Roland “Neil” and Mattie Vencill Cul- lum. He grew up in Harford County, Md. In 1999 he met Mary “Kelly” Niewen- hous when the two were working as man- agers at a restaurant in Bel Air. After she joined the Peace Corps, Mr. Cullum fol- lowed her to Kazakhstan—an adventure that sparked his interest in joining the Foreign Service. This desire was further solidified after the events of 9/11. The couple were married in 2001 and then moved to the Washington, D.C., area, where Mr. Cullum worked in the information technology sector as a contractor on projects with a variety of organizations, including the World Bank. In 2005, shortly after obtaining his master’s degree in information security from University of Maryland University College, Mr. Cullum joined the Depart- ment of State as a Foreign Service spe- cialist in information technology. Over the course of his 18-year career, he served in Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Azerbaijan, and Jordan, in addition to several offices in Washington, D.C., with the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM). He began a doctor- ate in cybersecurity management from Nova Southeastern University in Florida and was also selected to be part of IRM’s Executive Development Program from 2015 to 2017, when he attended the National Defense University. Curious about the world, Mr. Cul- lum loved to explore with his family and especially enjoyed sampling the food wherever he went. Always one to make the best of any situation, he was known as a pizza chef for friends and colleagues at several posts where there was no pizza to be found. Whether fishing off the coast of West Africa, spending time with friends in First Park in Ashgabat, riding his dirt bike along Havana’s Malecón esplanade, searching for waterfalls across Azer- baijan, or watching the sun set over the Dead Sea, he lived life to the fullest. Mr. Cullum gave of his time gener- ously to help colleagues and loved serving his country. He cherished most his time spent with family, watching his children, nieces, and nephews grow up. He is survived by his wife, Mary “Kelly” Niewenhous Cullum (an FSO); children Sierra and Rory Cullum; mother Mattie Cullum; brothers Greg Cullum (and wife Carol), Brian Cullum (and wife Dimitra), and David Cullum (and wife Alexandra); and numerous nieces, neph- ews, and cousins. n Maureen A. Howard, 78, a former Foreign Service officer, passed away on Jan. 5, 2023, in Tacoma, Wash., after a yearlong battle with cancer. Ms. Howard was born in Cloquet, Minn., to George and Mary Matter. The family moved to Longview, Wash., when she was a young child. She earned a B.A. in biology from Fort Wright College in 1966, a B.A. in educa- tion from Eastern Washington University in 1968, an M.A. in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., in 1977, and also completed her doctoral coursework in theology there in 1982. Over the course of her career, Ms. How- ard served as a public diplomacy officer in the Foreign Service from 1995 to 2003 and was also an educator. But she was best known for her work as an affordable hous- ing advocate, spending more than 40 years as a champion for the unhoused. She began her work in housing as director of the Martin Luther King Ecu- menical Center in Tacoma, where she built a program that, by the time she left the role in 1992, provided direct support to 600 homeless men, women, and children. She was a founding member and presi- dent of the Washington State Coalition for the Homeless, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Washington State; and, up until the time of her passing, she was the driving force behind the Tacoma Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness. Ms. Howard won many awards, including the Margret Sevey Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washing- ton State Housing Finance Commission in October 2022 and the Social Justice Award fromThe Conversation 253 in January 2023. Those who knew her described her as a person who got things done and a fearless yet gracious leader in challenging oppression and bureaucracy. She was passionate about singing, travel, and family. She also enjoyed trac- ing her genealogy, which she shared by creating family heritage photo books to welcome babies, congratulate newly- weds, and celebrate family members who had passed. Ms. Howard is preceded in death by her parents, brother Mark, sister Loretta Jeanne, brother Anthony Matter, and nephew Gordan King. She is survived by husband Jeremy Kunz; daughter Elisabeth Howard (and husband David Langmack); several grandchildren; and siblings George (and wife Donna) Matter, Kurt (and wife Joanie) Matter, Margaret (and husband Robert) King, Kathleen (and husband Timothy) Gallagher, James (and wife Susan) Matter, and Mary Jo (and husband Marcus) Thompson, as well as her former husband, Rogers Howard. n James G. Lowenstein, 95, a retired Foreign Service officer and former