THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2024 89 He served occasionally as an Italianlanguage interpreter at the highest levels of government, and he published numerous booklets and articles on international trade and the agricultural economy of foreign countries. Following his retirement in 1994, Mr. Sabatini devoted much of his time to promoting and celebrating Italian culture and language. Besides writing many human-interest articles in both English and ltalian, in 2002 he published Promise of Fidelity, a new translation and adaptation of Alessandro Manzoni’s novel I Promessi Sposi, to critical acclaim in the U.S. and abroad. He also served as president of the Italian Heritage Lodge of the Sons of Italy, president of the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society, treasurer of the Italian Cultural Society of Washington, D.C., and as a member of the parish council of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. Mr. Sabatini is survived by his wife, Belinda Ekiko; stepson Tanyi-Tong Terrell; sons Beppe and Sean Sabatini; daughter Maria Sabatini; and many other relatives in the U.S. and Italy. n Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Swope, 79, a retired Foreign Service officer, passed away on March 9, 2024, of congestive lung failure. Ms. Swope was born on March 11, 1944, at Columbia Hospital in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Arlington and Herndon, Va. She earned a B.A. from Mary Baldwin College and an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort McNair and the Senior Seminar of the U.S. Department of State. A woman ahead of her time, Ms. Swope joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1967, looking for a career that allowed her to travel and to serve her country. She served with dedication and distinction in Portugal, Spain, Mexico, France, and Egypt. She was twice appointed to serve as consul general (Cairo and Guadalajara) and also worked in Washington, D.C., as director of consular training at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S.-Mexico border coordinator, and deputy director of management operations. In the Consular Affairs Division of the the State Department’s Office of Legal Advisor, she worked with state and local law enforcement on U.S. treaty obligations when foreign nationals are arrested in the U.S. Ms. Swope was especially committed to consular work and assisting Americans as they worked and traveled overseas. Over the years, she was the recipient of many State Department awards and was an active member of Executive Women at State and the Mentor Program. She believed one of her most important roles was assisting new generations of State Department staff moving forward in their careers. Ms. Swope will long be remembered as a friend and mentor to innumerable junior personnel and individuals interested in diplomatic careers. In retirement, she continued to serve as a mentor to many and was a member of Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired (DACOR) and the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW), for whom she managed the jewelry section of its annual book fair. Ms. Swope was predeceased by her parents, Ralph R. Swope and Elizabeth Anderson Swope, and one brother, Ralph R. Swope Jr. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Patrick F. Kennedy—a retired member of the Foreign Service and a former under secretary of State for management— whom she married on Jan. 31, 1981, in the Bethlehem Chapel at the Washington National Cathedral. She is also survived by her brother John W. Swope. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ms. Swope’s name may be made to the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide, Suite 214, 4001 9th Street North, Arlington VA 22203. n Cornelius Calnan “Neal” Walsh, 74, a retired Foreign Service officer, passed away on May 18, 2023, in Fredericksburg, Va. Born in rural Connecticut on Sept. 18, 1948, Mr. Walsh possessed a love of books that propelled him into the world of history and international relations. He graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Russian studies and a fluency in the language acquired during his studies in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Mr. Walsh joined the Foreign Service in 1972. His career path took him from the United States Information Agency to public diplomacy, where he melded diplomacy with his Irish ebullience into a career and life for which he seemed born. On every continent, Mr. Walsh took it as his personal responsibility to shake every hand and speak to every person at any time about foreign policy and democracy. When welcoming incoming officers, he would assure them that they had “the best job in the world.” Mr. Walsh served in Warsaw, Lubumbashi, Krakow, Gaborone, Yaoundé, Bonn, Geneva, and in the office of the Secretary in Washington, D.C. After retirement he took positions with the Reemployed Annuitant Program (formerly known as WAE), serving in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Australia.
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