The Foreign Service Journal, May 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2016 77 University while on assignment inWash- ington, D.C. Before joining the U.S. Infor- mation Agency, she worked as a teacher for several years. Mrs. Kreisher’s Foreign Service career began in 1949, when she was offered a grant to serve as director of courses at the U.S.-Brazilian Bi-national Center in Porto Alegre. In 1953, she transferred to the U.S.-Mexican equivalent inMexico City; and in 1960 was assigned to Caracas. She developed in-service education for teach- ers through seminars and workshops, at no expense to participants. During the 1960s she served as assis- tant cultural affairs officer and English language teaching officer in Ankara, where she met her husband, FSONoel Kreisher. Forced to resign from the Service after marrying, she continued to work as a contractor in Seoul. Sadly, Noel passed away in 1972. Mrs. Kreisher rejoined the Foreign Service with the U.S. Information Agen- cy’s language division in 1974 and was assigned toWarsaw just before Solidarity burst forth in the Gdansk shipyard, trig- gering political change across Central and Eastern Europe. Serving until 1979, she wrote one report after another, laboring to keep the strong English-language teaching program alive there. She returned fromPoland to begin a seven-year tour as head of the English- language teaching division in USIA’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs inWashington, D.C. Her final overseas assignment was Rome. She mastered Italian and received a USIAMeritorious Honor Award for her work in retraining a generation of Italian English teachers. In 1992 her alma mater, Thunderbird, honoredMrs. Kreisher as one of its “origi- nals,” having risen to the highest levels of management in her profession. In its February 1999 issue, ESL , the magazine for teachers of English as a Second Language included her as one of two dozen Ameri- can pioneers in the field. Colleagues and friends recall Mrs. Kreisher as a pioneering English-language teaching officer, who set the standard for her profession with immense personal grace and compassion for her associates, foreign and American alike. n Robert F. Krill , 84, a retired Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Information Agency, died on Feb. 26 in Lovettsville, Va. Mr. Krill was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1956, and also received a diploma in English law and Georgian literature from the University of London. In 1956, he began his career with the Army Times Publishing Co., inWashing- ton, D.C., and London. He joined the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 1958 as a programofficer in the Economic Development Institute. Mr. Krill entered the Foreign Service in 1960 and was assigned to Indonesia. He was transferred to Laos in 1961 and served there for four years as a press officer. He was posted to Italy in 1965 as an assistant cultural affairs officer, focusing on youth and academic affairs. In 1968, at USIA, Mr. Krill was a career development officer and became the dep- uty program coordinator in the Office of the Assistant Director for European Affairs in 1969. He served as country director for Italy, Spain, Portugal andMalta until 1970, when he was appointed as a special assis- tant in the Office of the Associate Director for Research and Assessment. From 1974 to 1977, Mr. Krill directed the Media Research Division in the Office of the Associate Director for Research and Evaluation. In 1977, he was sent to Nigeria as press officer, with the rank of counselor. Based at the U.S. embassy in France from 1980 to 1985, he was the information officer in the Africa Regional Service Bureau. His last overseas assignment was as counselor for press and cultural affairs in Tunisia from 1986 to 1990. InWashington, D.C., he served as director of the Press Division of the Euro- pean Affairs office from 1985 to 1990. In that year, he was detailed to the Depart- ment of Defense as the international visitor exchange officer for public affairs. A year later, he was detailed to the White House as the USIA representative in the Presiden- tial Advance Office. After retiring in 1991, Mr. Krill joined the Meridian House International Center, then became a consultant on global busi- ness access. He served as president of the Iowa Peace Institute from 1992 to 1994. He worked as the director of business development at the Westar Group from 1997 to 2003, and taught public diplomacy statecraft at the Foreign Service Institute from 2003 to 2005. A DACORmember for many years, Mr. Krill was elected to the Board of Governors and Trustees. He ably led the Program Committee during several years marked by a steady increase in the frequency of lectures and receptions at DACOR Bacon house. From 1995 to 1997, he was director of corporate relations at the American Foreign Service Association. Mr. Krill is survived by his wife of 53 years, Danielle Menager Krill; a daughter, Elizabeth Bava; and grandsons Christo- pher andMichael. n David Levintow , 89, a retired For- eign Service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development, died Feb. 18 at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Cen- ter, in Lyme, N.H., of complications from a bone marrow disease.