The Foreign Service Journal, March 2021

82 MARCH 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL can policy toward Afghanistan during the 1980s and the Gulf War. From 1979 to 1981, he served as the representative of the United States to the European Office of the United Nations (Geneva), with the rank of ambassador. In retirement, Ambassador Helman was involved in the field of telecom- munications and global communica- tions. In 1992 he co-authored, with Steve Ratner, an article, “Saving Failed States, ” published in Foreign Policy magazine. He also became a beloved presence in the lives of his grandchildren and great- grandchildren. He is survived by his children, Deb- bie Rowan and David Helman, siblings Eileen Aboulafia and Paul Helman, 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchil- dren. He was predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Dolly; his daughter, Ruth Hel- man; and his brother, Norman Helman. n William “Bill” M. Howe, 76, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on Nov. 18, 2020, at home in Seattle, Wash. Mr. Howe was born on Jan. 16, 1944, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to William John and Mary Ellen. One of two children, he graduated from Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn. He then attended St. John’s University in New York City and graduated with a degree in economics. After college, Mr. Howe volunteered for the Peace Corps in South India. He then joined the Urban Teacher Corps in Washington, D.C., but decided teaching was not for him. He served for two years in the U.S. Army. Mr. Howe then worked for Catholic Relief Services, beginning in Kuala Lum- pur, where he met his wife, Rosalind. He served with CRS in the Philippines and Cambodia. After CRS, Mr. Howe pursued a suc- cessful career in the banking industry. First working for Rainier Bank, he went on to become president of Sealaska Cor- poration. Mr. Howe had a deep love for Alaska; he worked with many native cor- porations and for a year as deputy state treasurer of Alaska. During his Alaska years, Mr. Howe enjoyed running, skiing, fishing, hunting and mountain climbing. His corporate career lasted from 1976 to 1995. At the age of 50 Mr. Howe joined the Foreign Service, a new career drawing on his fascination with the economics, poli- tics and culture of developing countries. His career with State covered 15 years in high-risk areas including Islamabad, Lahore, Lagos and Colombo. His last assignment was as chief of the consular affairs section in Jakarta. Mr. Howe was a faithful Catholic and, in his retirement, volunteered with his church and Knights of Columbus. A two- time marathon runner and Hash Harrier runner, he also volunteered with the Seattle Marathon. He later enjoyed time reading books on the porch of his cabin on the Skykom- ish River in Washington state and being a grandfather. He battled progressive supranuclear palsy for the last three and a half years. Friends and family say Mr. Howe lived a fantastic life, filled with adventure. Mr. Howe is survived by his spouse, Rosalind; sister Jayne Tompos (and two nephews); children Jennifer (Nick Kok- konis) and David (Shani Prentice-Crain); and three grandchildren, Eva, Dean and Arlington. n Louis Elton “Lou” Kahn, 86, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on Aug. 26, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Mr. Kahn was born on April 10, 1933, to Louis Elkus Kahn and Iva (Washburn) Kahn. He grew up in Napa, Calif., where Vietnam. She said her favorite posting was Beirut, in the late 1940s. She would sometimes sum up her jobs with the Foreign Service with a smile saying, “We worked hard, and we played hard!” In 1984 Ms. Brook retired to Sarasota, Fla., where she volunteered for several arts organizations and her sorority, and played golf and bridge. Friends and family remember her as lively, polite and elegant. She was an accomplished con- tract bridge player, they recall, who could be cutthroat when needed. In 2013 she told a local reporter: “I spent 28 years traveling the world. Wher- ever I went, I found a nice group of people. I always had friends. I think it’s true in life that friends are the most important.” Ms. Brook is remembered fondly by her many nieces and nephews, and is buried at the Brook family plot in Stronghurst, Ill. n Gerald Bernard Helman, 87, a retired Foreign Service officer and former ambassador, died on Oct. 16, 2020, in Alexandria, Va. Mr. Helman was born in Detroit, Mich., in 1932, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He attended the University of Michigan, where he met his future wife, Dolores “Dolly” Hammel. At the university he was editor of the student newspaper, The Michigan Daily . After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, he entered the Foreign Service in 1956. Mr. Helman was posted to Italy, Aus- tria, Barbados, Belgium and Switzerland. He also worked in United Nations politi- cal affairs and at NATO as deputy politi- cal adviser, and later served as deputy under secretary for political affairs. He participated in negotiating the Outer Space Treaty and Camp David Accords, and was involved with Ameri-