The Foreign Service Journal, March 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2017 75 to Germany for his second assignment, Düsseldorf (1978-1980). There the couple welcomed the birth of their daughter, Katrin, in 1980 before moving to their next post, Vienna (1980-1984). Seoul was Mr. Chittick’s next post (1984-1986). This was followed by a two- year assignment in Washington, D.C., and in 1988 the family returned again to Mexico, this time Guadalajara, until 1990. After a one-year assignment in Wash- ington, D.C., Mr. Chittick was posted to Frankfurt (1991-1995), his final assign- ment. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1995. Mr. Chittick was honored with several awards and medals for his distinguished service with the State Department and in the U.S. Army, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel. In retirement, Mr. Chittick did not slow down much. For the next 18 years he taught high school and, later, college his- tory. Though he had many skills, one of his greatest traits was his generosity and will- ingness to share knowledge with others. Among his many hobbies was target pistol shooting, collecting old guns and reading spy, terrorism and science fiction novels. Mr. Chittick is survived by his wife, Gabriele, of Plano; his son, Béla (and his partner, Sara); his daughter, Katrin Powell (and her husband, Erin); his sister, Ginger (and her husband, Louis); and a cousin, Susan Schroeder. n Colette Gaudron Gordon, 86, the wife of retired USAID FSO Charles Gor- don, died on Nov. 8, 2016, in Chapel Hill, N.C., of lung cancer. Mrs. Gordon was born on July 30, 1930, in Reims, France. Her father, Guy Gaudron, was an archaeologist who, at the time of his death, was director of the Provincial Museums of France and an officer of the Légion d’Honneur. Her mother, Madeleine Brunel Gaudron, was the daughter of Auguste Brunel, an officer of the Légion d’Honneur. The Gaudron family spent summers at the Château de Courcelles in Aubréville, Meuse, and winters in Paris. In 1936, they were obliged to sell the family mansion in Paris, the Hôtel d’Aumont—now the Administrative Tribunal of the City of Paris—when a member of the family died intestate. After her marriage to FSO Charles Gordon at the Château de Courcelles, Mrs. Gordon accompanied her husband to Bangui, Central African Republic, where he was USAID attaché. The couple then served in Tunisia, Vietnam, Manila (Asian Development Bank), Côte d’Ivoire, Botswana, Burundi, Somalia and Uganda, as well as Washington, D.C. Mrs. Gordon was well known for her artistic skills and interest in indigenous arts in the countries to which they were assigned. In addition to her own collection of drawings and ceramics, her children share family paintings and drawings by Picasso, Henri Lebasque, Jean Launois and other post-Impressionist French artists, as well as American artist Ian Mar- shall’s water colors of marine subjects and African landscapes. Following Mr. Gordon’s retirement in 1990, the couple settled in Chapel Hill, N.C. They made frequent visits to Paris, where they had an apartment, until 2012, whenMrs. Gordon became too ill to travel. Colette Gordon is survived by her husband, Charles, of Chapel Hill, and their two children, Ian and Louise. n Charles Wakefield (Wakie) Martin, 61, a retired Foreign Service officer and the spouse of retired FSO Paula Sue Thiede, died at his home in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 11, 2016. Mr. Martin had been diagnosed with brain cancer during his last overseas posting, in Belgrade, in August 2013. Mr. Martin joined the Foreign Service as a management officer in 1996, after accompanying his FSO wife for six years to postings in Panama and Venezuela. On their return to Washington, D.C., he worked as a civil servant in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. The couple served together in Poland, Pakistan, Italy (twice), Albania and Serbia, choosing postings that would allow them to remain together and always exploring cultural treasures, history and museums. Mr. Martin took advantage of their time in Rome to learn even more about his avocation for studying and drinking good wines, usually together with fine food and preferably in the company of friends. Dur- ing their travels, he and Mrs. Martin fre- quently took cooking courses and enjoyed cooking and entertaining at home, sharing the contents of their wine cellar. As a management officer, Mr. Martin welcomed the challenge of stretching resources, directing them to do the most good for the most people in support of foreign policy objectives. He was delighted when his staff came up with ideas better than his own, and worked hard to mentor local staff colleagues and entry-level FSOs on his teams. He maintained a good sense of humor and great patience. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Martin satisfied his passion for justice, equality and fairness through his work with the Texas State Employees Union and in the numerous political campaigns in which the couple volunteered. Mr. Martin also loved art, reading, jazz and classical music, the theater, opera and learning about culture and history. In addition to his wife, Paula Sue Thiede, and their cats, Vila and Macchiato, Mr. Martin is survived by his mother, Jane