The Foreign Service Journal, January 2004

Mr. Owen loved his family very much, and will be remembered for his supportiveness at different stages in their lives, his lessons in practical, frugal living, his love of games, his love of reading and intellectual debate, his humor, and for his many stories about family history. Surviving are his wife of 61 years, Mary Hance Owen, his sons and their wives; Jim and Jan of Bangor, Maine; John and Lisa of St. Petersburg, Fla.; Jeff and Chris of Marshall, N.C.; and daughter Mary Ellen McNaughton of Grand Rapids, Mich.; seven grand- children; his cousins and lifelong friends, Ann and Tom Hedges of Moorestown, N.J., and Carol Badgley of Eleuthra, Bermuda. Last year, the Owens moved to the Navesink House in Red Bank, where they found a wel- coming community for folks their age. Mrs. Owen is grateful for the support she has been given, and will continue to reside there, close to her family’s roots, among new friends, and enjoy- ing the river view from her apartment. A memorial service will take place at a later date. Those wishing to remember Mr. Owen may make con- tributions in lieu of flowers to the American Foreign Service Protective Association or to DACOR, or to an environmental organization of their choice. Robert J. Ryan Sr. , 89, retired FSO and former ambassador, died on Sept. 17 at his home in Daytona Beach, Fla. Ambassador Ryan was born in Hatfield, Mass. He attended the Uni- versity of Massachusetts and obtained an LL.B. from the Columbus University School of Law in Washington, D.C. He also attended the National War College in Washington in 1958-59. Early in his working life Mr. Ryan was a sports reporter for two Mass- achusetts newspapers and administra- tive assistant in a fruit and produce company in Hartford, Conn. In 1937, he accepted a clerk-secretary position with the Passport Office and then advanced to increasingly responsible positions in the State Department, including assistant chief of the divisions of departmental and Foreign Service personnel, chief of personnel opera- tions and executive director of the Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian and African Affairs. In 1955, he was appointed as a Senior Foreign Service officer. His assignments included counselor for administration in Paris and, concur- rently, executive officer of the U.S. Mission to NATO, ambassador to Niger and deputy assistant secretary of State for administration. He joined the United Nations Secretariat in New York in 1969, serving first as director of administrative manage- ment services and later as assistant secretary general for general services, a position which encompassed a broad range of administrative respon- sibilities including the logistics of U.N. peacekeeping operations. After retiring from the U.N. in 1977, Amb. Ryan resided in Volusia County, Fla. He remained active in foreign affairs until his death, particu- larly working to build grassroots sup- port for U.S. foreign affairs programs and for the United Nations. His many activities in the Daytona Beach area included a strong role in the local chap- ter of the United Nations Association; service as a consultant on international affairs to local high schools, colleges and universities; membership on the boards of Bethune-Cookman College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Uni- versity; and frequent speeches to com- munity organizations. He also wrote columns for the Daytona Beach News- Journal , appeared frequently on radio and television programs, both locally and elsewhere in the United States, and served on the board of DACOR. These activities earned him awards from AFSA, DACOR and the United Nations Association. On March 7, 2003, AFSA present- ed Amb. Ryan with its National Alum- ni Service Award in recognition of his tireless efforts to build a solid domes- tic constituency for the U.S. Foreign Service and for American diplomacy, his role as a longtime board member of the Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida and his invalu- able advice and assistance to AFSA’s public outreach efforts. Survivors include his wife, Mary; two sons, both retired Foreign Service officers, Robert Jr. of Daytona Beach and Thomas of Redding, Calif.; four grandchildren and two great grand- children. Robert R. Schott , 82, retired FSO, died of an aneurysm on Oct. 19 while vacationing in Sweden. A native of Oregon, Mr. Schott graduated from the University of Oregon in 1943. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1944, and joined the U.S. diplomatic service in 1945. His first posting was to Basra, Iraq. He later served in Tehran and Solnika. After Persian language train- ing, he was assigned as consul in Meshed and political officer in Tehran. In 1960, he was named offi- cer in charge of Greek affairs, a post he held until he was transferred to Nicosia, Cyprus, as political counselor in 1964. Several turbulent events, 76 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 4 I N M E M O R Y