The Foreign Service Journal, April 2007

80 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 7 the time. Though supported by most senior officers of the department, many of his ideas died on Secretary Henry Kissinger’s desk. He persisted, however, and the papers he drafted helped define the functions of the new office of human rights, since upgraded to the assistant secretary level. Following retirement from the Foreign Service, Mr. Sirkin worked as a consultant with the Policy Planning Staff from 1974 to 1981. He wrote more on human rights in foreign poli- cy, and also developed papers for vari- ous seminars as a consultant to the Aspen Institute. Additional consulting projects in- cluded work as a “futurist” on issues related to sharing earth images from space and global warming. Mr. Sirkin drafted and edited a report for the National Academy of Sciences, “Re- source Sensing from Space,” and edit- ed a volume on the same subject for the World Bank. One of his last assignments involved writing and edit- ing a history of the State Department’s Senior Seminar. Except for overseas assignments, Mr. Sirkin resided in Bethesda, Md., with his family for 50 years. He was a member of Adas Israel congregation in Washington, D.C. He enjoyed clas- sical music, skiing (which he did until age 86) and fast-walking. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Helen Winsor Sirkin, of Bethes- da, Md.; two sons, David of Santa Monica, Calif., and Samuel of Port- land, Ore.; two daughters, Susannah Sirkin of Boston, Mass., and Leah Sirkin, Inverness, Calif.; and six grand- children. Gordon Winkler , 82, a retired FSO with the U.S. Information Agen- cy, died on Dec. 15 in Santa Barbara, Calif., of complications of cancer and other illness. Born in Chicago, Mr. Winkler attended schools there and in Los Angeles. During World War II, he served in Europe as a bombardier in the Army Air Force. After the war he attended Dartmouth, graduating in 1948 with a degree in English. He then returned to Chicago and worked as a reporter for City News and, later, the Chicago Tribune . In 1949, Mr. Winkler married Margaret Mayer. From 1952 to 1962 he worked in pub- lic relations. Perpetually restless, Mr. Winkler took President Kennedy’s “ask not” speech seriously, and joined the U.S. Information Agency in 1963. Over the course of 25 years as a Foreign Service officer, he served in Addis Ababa, Accra, Tehran and Washington, D.C. He ended his diplomatic career in 1988, with the rank of minister-coun- selor, after serving as chief inspector of USIA and dean of the School of Area Studies at the Foreign Service Insti- tute. In 1988, the Winklers moved to Santa Fe, N.M., where they lived for 15 years. There, he was active in the Council on International Relations, writing its newsletter and serving as president for several years. He was an avid hiker, and led treks all over Santa Fe. He also volunteered at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, where he was known as the “Madam of the Cat House.” The high altitude eventually proved too difficult, and the Winklers moved to Santa Barbara, Calif. Be- sides world travel, Mr. Winkler enjoy- ed woodworking. He is survived by wife, Margaret (Peggy) Winkler, of Santa Barbara, Calif.; three sons and their families, Richard and Selby of New York, N.Y., Andrew and Dorothy, and their daughter Beky, of Denver, Colo., and Bill of New York City and Los Angeles, Calif. Contributions in memory of Gordon Winkler may be sent to: The Santa Fe Council on International Relations, 227 East Palace Avenue, Suite D, Santa Fe, NM 87501 or to The Santa Fe Animal Shelter, 100 Caja Del Rio, Santa Fe, NM 87507. Diana Woollons , 80, wife of retired FSO Sidney L. Woollons, died on Dec. 24 in Morgan Hall, Calif. Born Diana Jozef Theresia Maria Wauters in Courtrai, Belgium, on March 18, 1926, Mrs. Woollons lived as a teenager under Nazi occupation, while several of her family members were sent to work camps in Germany. From 1945 to 1947, she was a local employee of the American consulate general in Antwerp. In 1947 she mar- ried Sidney L. Woollons, who had already embarked on a career in the Foreign Service, eventually rising to the level of consul general. Mrs. Woollons lived in Belgium, Austria, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Barbados and Washington, D.C. She and her husband settled in Morgan Hill, Calif., following his retirement from the Service in 1977. There, Mrs. Woollons was active in the Women’s Gold Club in Gilroy and at the Santa Theresa Gold Club. Mrs. Woollons is survived by her husband and her daughters and their spouses, Christine Woollons of San Jose, Calif., Sandy and Brad Laue of Morgan Hill, Calif., and Suzan and Jeff Blackden, also of Morgan Hill. I N M E M O R Y Send your “In Memory” submission to: Foreign Service Journal Attn: Susan Maitra, 2101 E Street NW, Washington DC 20037, or e-mail it to FSJedit@afsa.org, or fax it to (202) 338-8244. No photos, please.