The Foreign Service Journal, March 2010

versity’s School of Advanced Interna- tional Studies in Washington, D.C. During World War II, she joined the U.S. Navy WAVES and served as an officer from 1944 to 1946. On June 12, 1948, she married FSO Hermann Frederick Eilts in Tehran. For the fol- lowing 30 years, Mr. and Mrs. Eilts represented the United States around the world: in Iran, Yemen, Saudi Ara- bia (twice), Iraq, England, Libya and Egypt, in addition to tours inWashing- ton, D.C. When Mr. Eilts retired from the Foreign Service in 1979, Mrs. Eilt’s service on behalf of the country was also noted by then-U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who stated: “Her quiet, gracious warmth, her fluency in Arabic and profound interest in the Middle East earned her the respect, admiration and confidence of peoples whose cultures are far different from our own. She exemplified the finest qualities of the American woman who serves abroad.” After retirement, the couple settled in Wellesley, Mass., joining the Boston University community. Mrs. Eilts was preceded in death by her husband, her brother, Donald Brew, and her parents. She is survived by her sons, ConradM. Eilts of Bahrain and Frederick L. Eilts of Benton, Kan., and their families. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Helen Brew and Hermann Eilts scholarship fund at Wellesley Col- lege in Wellesley, Mass. Terence Flannery , a retired For- eign Commercial Service officer, passed away on Oct. 28 in Paris, France, after a short illness. Mr. Flannery was born in Balti- more, Md., and raised in Virginia. He attendedWashington and Lee Univer- sity in Lexington, Va., and the Univer- sity of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif. Prior to his Foreign Service carrier, Mr. Flannery served in the Air Force and then worked in the private sector for Link, a flight simulator company in Binghamton, N.Y. This company transferred him to Paris, where he set- tled in 1967, subsequently working for a French engineering firm for several years. In 1984, Mr. Flannery joined the Foreign Commercial Service. His first overseas posting was Paris, where he served from 1984 to 1988. His next tours were in Algiers, London and Brussels. He retired from the Foreign Commercial Service at the end of 1997, and returned to Paris. After retirement from the Foreign Service, Mr. Flannery resumed a car- rier in the private sector, working first for a consulting firm, APCO, in Paris, and then on different projects for The Wall Street Journal Europe Future Leadership Institute in Brussels. He is survived by his wife, Laurence Flannery of Paris. James Wiley Habron Sr. , 76, a re- tired Senior Foreign Service officer with USAID, died on Dec. 16 at his home in Pleasantville, N.J. Mr. Habron was born and raised in Pleasantville. He served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 63rd Army Band, reaching the rank of sergeant first class. Following military service, he attended Howard University, grad- uating in 1958 with a degree in civil en- gineering. At Howard, Mr. Habron was a member of the cross-country, track and football teams, winning championships in the quarter mile and pole vault. He was later selected as captain of the track team. He was also a member of the national service fra- ternity, Alpha Phi Omega. At Howard, he met fellow student Thelma Juanita Ray of East Orange, N.J. In 1959, the couple married, teaming up for a 50-year journey that criss-crossed the globe. Immediately after college graduation, Mr. Habron joined the New Jersey Highway De- partment as a location and design en- gineer, receiving a promotion to senior engineer in 1964. Looking for new challenges, he joined the U.S. Agency for International Development the fol- lowing year. His first assignment was as a highway engineering adviser in Saigon during the height of the Viet- nam War. Next came postings for Mr. Habron and his family to Thailand, where he worked on rural and urban develop- ment projects, and to Nicara- gua, where he worked to rebuild the country after the 1972 earthquake. He volunteered to stay behind after his family was evacuated to ensure that others also reached safety, and was on one of the last flights out of Managua as the capital city fell to the rebels. He later returned to assist with aid efforts under difficult circumstances. In Grenada, he helped rebuild the international airport; as USAID chief in Sierra Leone, he oversaw the distri- bution of food aid; and in El Salvador, he was instrumental in rehabilitating the country’s water system. Mr. Habron was selected for ad- vanced training at the University of Pittsburgh, receiving a master of pub- lic works degree, and in 1980 was de- tailed to the National War College. He was promoted to the Senior Foreign 72 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 1 0 I N M E M O R Y