84 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL He was also fascinated with birds, from the hoopoes of India and hadedas of Southern Africa to the cardinals and Carolina wrens of their suburban Virginia backyard (where he even enjoyed the struggle to keep the birdseed away from the squirrels). Music was another thread throughout Mr. Rogers’ life: He played clarinet in the high school band, sang with the glee club in college and with choirs, choruses, and barbershop quartets in the ensuing decades, and even played a crapshooter in a community production of “Guys and Dolls” in Mexico City. Amb. Rogers was predeceased by his wife, Kent, in 2017; brother, John (and spouse Barbara); and sister, Carolyn (and spouse George). He is survived by his children, Kryston (and spouse Tim) Fischer, Halsey (and spouse Aromie Noe), Julia (and spouse Smiley Nelson), and John (and spouse Gigi Garcia-Rogers); seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. n Mona Burchell Rowland, 93, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on May 12, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. Born in Indiana, Pa., Ms. Rowland was the daughter of Ralph Shearer Rowland and Star Wilson Rowland. She grew up in Indiana, Pa., Washington, D.C., and Annandale, Va., and graduated from Fairfax High School in 1949 and Lynchburg College in 1953. After a year on the staff of an educational journal in Washington, D.C., she joined her parents in Bangkok, where she began her Foreign Service career with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). Ms. Rowland served in Thailand, Italy, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Laos, and Pakistan, in addition to assignments in Washington, D.C. In Laos, she played an important role in evacuating Americans before the Communist takeover in 1975 and was among the last to leave that year. It took another year to get her car out: Apparently, a Laotian general coveted the yellow Camaro, and when it finally arrived in the United States, it had been stripped and had bulletproof panels added. Ms. Rowland’s last overseas assignment was as an executive officer in Pakistan. Her last assignment before retirement was in the USIA budget office in Washington, D.C. After retiring in 1983, she lived and birdwatched with her beloved cats in Reston, Va. Her home reflected her talent for collecting beautiful and interesting things, including toys and folk art from all over the world. She contributed to her parents’ passion for genealogy by serving as the typist for their book, Kellenbergers and Shearers. She moved to Riderwood in Silver Spring, Md., in her final years. Ms. Rowland was predeceased by brother Ralph Wilson Rowland and sister Mary Joyce Burks. Friends and family members remember her smart wit and big smiles. Memories can be shared at https://bit.ly/ Rowland-obit. n William Seth Shepard, 90, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on August 21, 2025. Born on June 7, 1935, in Boston, Mass., and raised in Franklin, N.H., Mr. Shepard graduated from the Tilton School in 1953; Wesleyan University, where he was president of Sigma Chi and graduated cum laude, in 1957; and Harvard Law School in 1961. A Fulbright Scholar, he taught in France before attending law school. Afterward, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he taught international law. In 1964 Mr. Shepard entered the U.S. Foreign Service. His first overseas assignment was to Saigon, where he served as aide to Ambassadors Henry Cabot Lodge and Ellsworth Bunker (1966-1967). He returned to Washington, D.C., in 1967 to serve as a staff officer in the Executive Secretariat. Sent to Budapest in 1970, he served as consul and political officer, helping negotiate the first U.S.-Hungarian Consular Convention in more than 30 years in 1972. In 1973 he returned to Saigon, serving as an arms control negotiator with the International Control Commission. Back in Washington, Mr. Shepard served as Hungarian and Baltic affairs desk officer until 1975, and then as desk officer for Singapore and Malaysian affairs until 1977. In 1978 he went to Athens as deputy political counselor, and in 1983 he was assigned to Bordeaux as consul general at the American Consulate General until 1985. Following his diplomatic career, Mr. Shepard worked as director of congressional affairs at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, where he facilitated the ratification of the landmark INF Treaty in 1988. As a congressional fellow and national security adviser to Senator Robert Dole, he advised on foreign policy and wrote arms control proposals. In 1990, at the request of the Republican Party, Mr. Shepard became Republican candidate for Governor of Maryland. A moderate by temperament and style, he surprised many with his strong showing across party lines and left a strong mark on state politics.
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