The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

the Greek-American community of Southern California. Learning Greek was the condition imposed by his father-in-law-to-be; fortunately, it was one that Amb. Ross, with his aptitude for languages, could readily fulfill. In addition to Greek, he spoke French, German and Spanish. Amb. Ross entered the Foreign Service in 1940, serving successively in Mexico City, Quito, Athens, Noumea, Beirut, Cairo and Conakry, as well as in Washington, D.C. He attended the National War College in 1956-57 and served as deputy director of the Office of West African and Malagasy Affairs in 1962-1963. He was appointed ambassador to the Central African Republic in 1963, ambassador to Haiti in 1967 and ambassador to Tanzania in 1969. In 1972 he was named deputy assistant secretary of State for African affairs. During his service, Amb. Ross earned a reputation for professional excellence and sound judgment. Family members and colleagues recall him as a genuine patriot, one who understood that great power should be accompanied by great tact in America’s relations with the world. His ambassadorial appointments required him to deal with two of the most notorious dictators of his time — President (later Emperor) Bokassa of the Central African Republic and President “Papa Doc” Duvalier of Haiti. After Amb. Ross’ retirement in 1974, the Department of State con- tinued to rely on him; he was recalled as a senior inspector to conduct a number of sensitive investigations into the operations of overseas posts. In this capacity, he carried out mis- sions to Iran (in 1974, the last inspec- tion before the hostage crisis), Colom- bia (1974), Brazil (1975), Nicaragua (1976), Chad (1979), France (1980), Mexico (1982), Bolivia (1983 and 1986) and Guatemala (1984). Eschewing a second career in busi- ness or consulting, Amb. Ross devot- ed himself to promoting international understanding, the well-being of re- tired diplomats and the education of students aspiring to careers in inter- national affairs. He was a member of the Executive Board of Sister Cities International, participated in the pro- grams of the Washington Institute for Foreign Affairs and, from 1983 to 1988, served as chairman of the com- mittee on Education of the American Foreign Service Association. He was a dedicated life member of Diplo- matic and Consular Officers, Retired, serving two terms as its president from 1989 to 1991 and thereafter as a member and honorary member of its Board of Governors. He was also an energetic member of DACOR’s Edu- cation Committee. For his many contributions after retirement, Amb. Ross received the Foreign Service Cup in 1986. In 2006, DACOR and the DACOR Bacon House Foundation honored him posthumously with a special Award for Exceptional Contributions. In retirement, Amb. Ross and his wife of 64 years, the late Antigone Andrea Ross, traveled extensively to five of the six continents; in particular to Greece and Italy to renew special ties of family and friendship, as well as to the countries where his son Christopher was assigned in his own diplomatic career. Amb. Ross’ wife died in 2004. Two sisters, Grace Jurewitz and June Drummond, also predeceased him. Survivors include one sister, Shirley Hogan of South Gate, Calif.; two sons, retired Ambassador Christopher W.S. Ross of Washington, D.C., and Geoffrey Faulkner Ross of Honolulu, Hawaii; a grandson, Anthony Gordon Ross; a former daughter-in-law, Carol Canning Ross of Washington, D.C.; a granddaughter, Margaret Schneider Ross of Washington, D.C.; and num- erous nephews, nieces and grand- nephews and grandnieces on the West Coast. Memorial contributions may be made in Amb. Ross’ name to the DACOR Bacon House Foundation, 1801 F Street NW, Washington DC 20006. Walter J. Sherwin , 74, a retired FSO with USAID, died in Bethesda, Md., on Jan. 18 of brain cancer. Born in Paderborn, Germany, Mr. Sherwin came to the United States in October 1939, barely escaping Nazi persecution. He grew up in Sheboy- gan, Wis., and was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he obtained a master’s degree in political science. He was a Fulbright scholar in Germany and, during a trip to Paris, met his wife-to-be, Kitty, at the Paris Museum of Modern Art. After working as a magazine writer for Scholastic Inc. in New York, Mr. Sherwin joined the Foreign Service in 1959. From 1965 to 1971, he served with USAID in Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Senegal. After spending the following seven years in Washington, in 1978, he went back overseas for five years, working in Niger and Guinea. After his retirement in 1986, Mr. Sherwin was a consultant for several years working on USAID projects. He also volunteered for reading to the blind and dyslexic. At the time of his death, he was trying to launch a pro- ject to provide textbooks on tape in local languages for the blind in Africa. Mr. Sherwin is survived by his wife of 49 years, Kitty Sherwin; his chil- dren, Jennifer Sherwin of Durham, N.C., and Mark Sherwin of Santa 66 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 6 I N M E M O R Y u u