The Foreign Service Journal, March 2004

Clark H. Billings , 68, retired FSO, died Dec. 18 at his home in Hickory, N.C., from malignant meso- thelioma caused by asbestos. Mr. Billings was born Dec. 25, 1934, in Bent County, Colo. After a five-year tour in the U.S. Navy at sea and in London, he joined the predecessor agency of USAID in 1961. During his 29-year career with USAID, Mr. Billings served 22 years overseas in Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Vietnam, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Most of his work was in the program office, but he also served tours in the USAID/W training office, in the liaison office for ASEAN inManila and in the communi- ty development office in Manila. He retired in 1990. Mr. Billings was evacuated from Saigon on April 29, 1975, by heli- copter from the embassy rooftop. He was involved several times in relief efforts when natural disasters struck, and received several honor awards. Following retirement, Mr. Billings worked as a consultant to the USAID regional office for the South Pacific and with USAID/Jamaica, before returning to Washington to work for three years in the USAID/W Bureau for Europe and the New Indepen- dent States. Mr. Billings is survived by three daughters, Tamara Guerrero of Fred- ericksburg, Va., Christine Billings of Burke, Va., and Trang Billings Esta- gassy of Seattle, Wash.; a brother, James Ross Billings of Tucson, Ariz.; a sister, Nancy Gerlock of Cannon City, Colo.; and two grandchildren. Ellis V. Glynn , 83, retired FSO, died Oct. 10, 2003, at his home in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he had resided for 23 years. Mr. Glynn was born in Long Island, N.Y., on Feb. 18, 1920, the only child of James Edward and Nellie (Scannell) Glynn. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and was trained as a naval aviator and machinist mate. Assigned to the Pacific Theater aboard the USS Bataan , Ellis flew with the 47th Torpedo Bomber Squadron, where he earned the Navy- Marine Corps Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart. In 1946, after recovering from wounds, Mr. Glynn was selected as the chauffeur for a U.S. delegate to the United Nations, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. While serving as Mrs. Roosevelt’s chauffeur, he met Doro- thy Jean Mackey of Erie, Pa., then a secretary for the U.S. delegation to the U.N. They were married in March 1948. Mr. Glynn joined the Department of State in 1948. During his 32-year career as a Foreign Service officer, he only accepted one assignment to the United States, serving less than two years in Washington, D.C. His over- seas assignments included Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Israel, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, Chile, Panama, Belgium and Colombia. He retired to Colorado in 1980. In Colorado, Mr. Glynn continued his public service through countless hours of volunteer work. He assisted at Meals on Wheels, the Olympic Training Center and Penrose Hospital. He also honed his skills in his lifelong hobbies of trout fishing and gourmet cooking. Dorothy Mackey, his wife of 34 years, succumbed to cancer in 1984. Three sons survive: Steven Glynn of Simi Valley, Calif., and Douglas Glynn of Denver, Colo., both born in Sri Lanka; and Mark Glynn of Huntsville, Ala., born while Mr. Glynn and his family were assigned to Montevideo. His 10 grandchil- dren will also miss Mr. Glynn. A memorial service was held Oct. 15 in Colorado Springs. Frank P. Kelly , 66, retired FSO, died Dec. 19 of cancer in Martins- burg, W. Va. Born Aug. 5, 1937, in Jersey City, N.J., Mr. Kelly graduated from Jersey City State College and served in the U.S. Army (101st Airborne) from 1961 through 1964. He joined the Foreign Service in 1964, serving as a consular officer in Bordeaux, Paris, Beirut, Okinawa and Santo Domingo. Mr. Kelly retired in 1986. Following retirement he engaged in consulting work and was a full-time grandfather. Mr. Kelly is survived by his former wife Joan Kelly of Silver Spring, Md.; his daughter Teresa Frazier and grandson Michael Frazier of Martins- burg, W. Va.; two brothers, Bill Kelly, a retired FSO, of Sevierville, Tenn., and Michael Kelly of Whitehouse 64 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 4 I N M EMORY