The Foreign Service Journal, April 2004

APRIL 2004 • AFSA NEWS 5 A FOND FAREWELL Harry Sizer Retires from AFSA F ormer Foreign Service officer Harry Sizer, who worked for the last nine years as anAFSAgrievance attorney, is leaving AFSA for a second retirement. Witha lawdegree fromYaleUniversity and vast Foreign Service experience, he was a tremendous asset toAFSAandwill be sore- lymissed. He assistedhundreds of Foreign Service clients, always a source of comfort and moral support to them through the never-easy grievance process. In tribute to his service, those who worked most closely with him had this to say: Harry’s counsel, assistance andguidance were invaluable tome. The department’s grievance staff made a number of proce- dural errors and it would have been far more difficult topreparemy submission to the Foreign Service Grievance Board had it not been for Harry’s excellent support. — A Foreign Service Client We’ll all missHarry Sizer in a hundred ways. His quiet demeanor conceals a tena- cious spirit that refuses to let injustice pre- vail or to allow vital issues to be overtaken by the press of everyday business. His unique ability to lenda sympathetic ear and do his very best for every single one of the diverse clients who have stepped through his office door will be difficult to replicate. Wewishhima longandpeaceful retirement to enjoy what we hope will be an ever- increasing tribe of grandchildren. — James Yorke, Labor Management Specialist Harry has been a valuable asset to the AFSAmembers. His experience as anattor- ney and a Foreign Service officer enabled himto givemembers excellent advice and counsel. He has dedicated two careers to serving theForeignServiceandwewishhim the very best in retirement. —Susan Reardon, AFSA Executive Director Harry brought an insider’s knowledge of the system to his work. Hemarried the skills of a therapistwithhis legal knowledge andhis ForeignService experience. At one of our staff meetings, Harry made a pro- found comment: “What my clients really want,”he said, “is anapology.” Sinceapolo- gies were not forthcoming, Harry worked hard to get his clients redress through the grievance systemandhewas uncommon- ly successful. —Louise Crane, AFSA State Vice President It was my great pleasure to work with Harry the past nine years. He assisted lit- erallyhundreds of ForeignService employ- ees with grievances, disciplinary cases and security investigations and saved many careers bypersuading the grievance staff or Foreign ServiceGrievance Board to throw out a prejudicial evaluation or overturn a low ranking or selection out. Harry was always willing tomeet with new clients on amoment’s notice. Hewas extremely gen- erous with his time, providing both legal andmoral support. Harry never relented inhis efforts to get ridof themandatory 5- percent low ranking at the State Depart- ment, as he saw time and time again the arbitrary and unfair nature of this quota system. —Sharon Papp, AFSA General Counsel HavingHarry in the officewhen I start- ed fresh from law school was a great gift. He was an invaluable resource for me as a sounding board for legal advice and guid- ance. Harry has a keen sense of fairness, professionalism and collegiality, as well as a sharp sense of humor. It was an honor to work with him. —Zlatana Badrich, Labor Management Attorney My husband and I knew Harry from our posting to Muscat in 1977-1978. Harry was the deputy chief of mission, and his supportive, gentle management style at a difficult desert post was deeply appreciated. Hemade sure that everyone in the embassy felt included and received a fair shake. He’s done the same thing at AFSA as an attorney for his Foreign Service clients. —Christine Warren, Labor Management Office Manager ▫ Language training supervisors at the School of Language Studies of the Foreign Service Institute nominate all candidates and a committee of AFSA staff and boardmembers selects the win- ners. Former Foreign Service officerMatilda W. Sinclaire established the Sinclaire Language Award through a bequest to the American Foreign Service Association in 1982, to “promote and reward superior achievement by career officers of the Foreign Service of the United States while studying one of the ‘hard’ languages under the auspices of the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State.” Sinclaire languages are those that have proven relatively difficult for native English speakers to learn and that nor- mally require eight months or more of intensive study, either through formal training or field experience. Over $150,000 has been awarded to members of the Foreign Service in the past 22 years for their achievement of out- standing language skills. ▫ Sinclaire • Continued from page 1 Winners: Language: Anthony W. Baird Georgian Laura Brown Bosnian Anne S. Coleman Tagalog Frank Collins Latvian Cherrie S. Daniels Hebrew Henry S. Ensher Hebrew Kenneth Fairfax Polish Julia Jacoby Hebrew Timothy E. Liston Lithuanian Richard Rorvig Polish Landon Ray Lee Taylor Latvian Thomas K. Yazdgerdi Greek