The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

J U N E 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 67 1961. During that assignment, Mr. Henry met his wife, Lee, and saw Tunisia emerge as an independent na- tion. In 1961 he was transferred to Morocco, where he successfully closed out the drought emergency livestock feed program for foundation herds and, with Moroccan counterparts, de- veloped the plan to use PL-480 pro- gram grains as an incentive for live- stock owners to plant and harvest for- age for their livestock. This program required negotiation with and coordi- nation of six ministerial departments. In Nigeria, from 1967 to 1969, Mr. Henry was an animal husbandry in- structor and ranch manager. From 1969 to 1973, he was detailed to the Lake Chad Basin Commission as a member of a three-man team to pre- pare 10 livestock and range manage- ment projects in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. From 1973 to 1974, he was regional livestock project officer for Mali, Mauritania and Sene- gal, based in Dakar. His work required many field trips, often under difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions. Frequently traveling in a Land Rover over sandy trails, he relied on rations when he did not encounter friendly villagers who were happy to share a meal with him. On one occasion, the only way to reach an isolated village was by camel. A survey for the Lake Chad Basin Commission took him completely around the lake. However, the most awesome and terrifying experience was surviving a plane crash unscathed in Mali, when his Cessna ran out of fuel because the pilot was unable to find the airstrip and had to crash-land in a wooded area. The wings were com- pletely sheared off, but all four passen- gers were able to walk away. After retiring from USAID, Mr. Henry worked for the Food and Agri- culture Organization of the United Na- tions in Nouakchott for one year, and as a consultant on an American project for forage seed production and pro- cessing in Portugal. Mr. Henry was a dedicated profes- sional who thoroughly enjoyed helping others. During his extensive travels, he captured on film many memorable shots of the people and scenery. He remained busy and active dur- ing most of his senior years. He was interested in experimenting with drought-resistant grass varieties, and one species he created was listed in the national catalog of plant varieties in Portugal. But he primarily devoted his time to breeding, training and riding purebred Lusitano horses, a passion he and his wife shared. They also enjoyed making new acquaintances and friends at local and international horse shows. Mr. Henry recently accompanied his wife on a trip to France and Switzerland to visit family and friends. During that trip, they saw some of their equine offspring, two of which had reached the ripe old age of 30. Mr. Henry’s last major trip was to Califor- nia for the holidays with his son before his life’s journey came to an end. He is survived by his wife, Leonie (Lee) of Lisbon; two sons, Mark of Grand Terrace, Calif., and Jack of Paris, France; and an adopted daugh- ter from a previous marriage, Vicki Bondon of Kansas City, Mo. David Caryl Holton , 80, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on April 2 in Washington, D.C. Born in London, Ohio, Mr. Holton was an Eagle Scout. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Mr. Holton spent three years in the U.S. Navy before joining the Foreign Service in 1960. He served overseas at posts in Germany, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, Norway and Canada. In Norway he discovered a passion for cross-country skiing that continued for the rest of his life. After retirement, Mr. Holton served for five years with the Fulbright Program. He also served as president of the ski touring section of the Po- tomac Appalachian Trail Club. While with the PATC, he was a volunteer in the construction of Tulip Tree Cabin, a log cabin on the trail. Mr. Holton is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dorothy of Washington, D.C.; three children, John of Balti- more, Md., Ruth Holton Hodson (and her husband, Tim) of Sacramento, Calif., and Stephen (and his wife, Charlotte) of Ossining, N.Y.; and two grandchildren, David and Ben Holton of Ossining. Donations in Mr. Holton’s memory may be sent to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, the Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York NY 10017. Paul Donald McCusker , 89, a re- tired Foreign Service officer, died on Nov. 23, 2010, at his home in Durham, N.C., after a long illness, less than three months after the death of his wife of 62 years, Joan. Mr. McCusker was born on Sept. 23, 1921, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., the third child of Alexander McCusker and Catherine Barron. He achieved early fame at age 13 when he won the title “Boy Champion Speller of the United States” at the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. He went on to the I N M E M O R Y