The Foreign Service Journal, May 2010

David, of Bloomington. Memorial con- tributions may be sent to the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Washington, D.C.) or to OxfamAmer- ica (New York, N.Y.). Wanda E. Kurland , 80, wife of re- tired USAID Foreign Service officer Bert Kurland, died on Jan. 5 in Fort Myers, Fla., of acute renal failure. Mrs. Kurland was born in Cokton, W. Va., on March 14, 1929. She at- tended school in Washington, D.C., and was employed by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following her marriage to Bert Kur- land in 1949, Mrs. Kurland resided in Deland and Daytona Beach, Fla., and in Beaufort, N.C. She accompanied her husband on overseas postings to Manila, Bangkok, Saigon, Dhaka, Accra and the Sinai, as well as on his military postings to Germany. An avid bridge player, Mrs. Kurland was also an expert in craft designs using seashells. Her main interests, however, were centered on her family. Mrs. Kurland is survived by her hus- band of 51 years, Bert, five children, six grandchildren and six great-grandchil- dren. Maria A. (“Mary”) Landau , 83, wife of Ambassador George W. Lan- dau, died on Jan. 10 in Miami, Fla. Mrs. Landau was born into a farm- ing family on the banks of the Danube River in Kling, Upper Austria. Al- though her studies at the Bergheim- Linz Teachers’ College were inter- rupted by WorldWar II, she learned to speak English proficiently and, after the war, obtained an administrative position at the U.S. Detailed Interrogation Cen- ter in Gmunden, Austria. There she met her husband, then a U.S. military intelligence officer. She came to the United States on a plane of war brides, and the couple married in New York City in 1947. Mrs. Landau and her husband lived in New York and northern New Jersey for several years, while he worked in private business. The couple moved to Cali, Colombia, in 1955, where he con- tinued to work in the private sector, and Mrs. Landau quickly learned Spanish. These language skills were to serve her well after her husband joined the Foreign Service in 1957, and the cou- ple was posted to Montevideo. As she liked to tell it, Mrs. Landau quickly mastered the role of a diplomatic spouse from a series of remarkable mentors, including VirginiaWoodward, Marvin Patterson and Andree Sparks. In 1962, the Landaus were transferred to Madrid, and then to Kingston, Canada. In 1966, they returned to Washington, D.C., for six years. In 1972, the couple returned to South America, where Mr. Landau served as ambassador to Paraguay (1972-1977), Chile (1977-1982) and Venezuela (1982-1985). Mrs. Landau was a gracious and conscientious host- ess of the old school, and enjoyed re- decorating and entertaining at her embassy residences. She took great pride and pleasure in representing the United States, and was known for her elegance and charm. After Mr. Landau retired from the Foreign Service in 1985, the couple re- turned to New York City. There Mr. Landau served as president of the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas, retiring in 1993. The couple then moved to Coconut Grove, Fla., where they lived happily, swim- ming and playing cards every day. Mrs. Landau is survived by her hus- band of 62 years; her two sons, Robert of Anchorage, Alaska, and Christopher of Chevy Chase, Md., and their wives, Linda and Caroline; and four grand- children. Memorials may be made in her name to the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, 601 SW 8th Avenue, Miami FL 33130. Mr. James O’Donald Mays , 91, a retired FSO with the U.S. Information Agency, died on Jan. 20 in Burley, Eng- land. Born on June 15, 1918, in Perkins, Ga., the son of Floyd L. and Kathleen Lutes Mays, Mr. Mays attended the Louisville Academy in Louisville, Ga. An avid reader with a particular love of history and geography, he worked his way through college at the University of Georgia’s School of Journalism. In 1939, the summer before graduation, he explored five southern states, cycling almost 2,000 miles. His first job was as city editor of the Cobb County Times in Marietta, Ga. At the outbreak of World War II in 1941, he joined the U.S. Army Trans- portation Corps, which was posted to England and became responsible for the buildup for the Normandy invasion. There he met his wife, Mary Roberts, whomhemarried onDec. 1, 1945. Re- turning to the U.S., Mr. Mays began publishing Blairsville’s Union County Citizen , soon becoming editor of Rural Georgia , a magazine that promoted rural electrification. In 1956, he entered government service as an information officer for the U.S. Air Force in England and Ger- many. He then joined the Foreign M A Y 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 71 I N M E M O R Y