The Foreign Service Journal, June 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2014 49 AFSA NEWS On May 1, the United States Agency for International Development held a service to honor the life of Antoinette “Toni” Beaumont Tomasek, a former Peace Corps Volun- teer and USAID Foreign Ser- vice officer who died last year while serving her country in Haiti. Held in the main lobby of the Ronald Reagan Building, the memorial was attended by 13 of Toni’s family mem- bers and her friends and former colleagues, as well as AFSA President Robert Silverman and Acting Director General of the U.S. Foreign Service Hans Klemm. USAID Coun- selor Susan Reichle opened with a tribute to Toni and her work, honoring her as a “wonderful embodi- ment of what USAID is all about” and challenging the audience to emulate her. After Maria Marigliano sang the national anthem, Adam Tomasek, Toni’s husband of 12 years, rose to speak stoically of her life and how her “enduring smile” will be remembered by all. USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah also spoke, recalling Toni’s warmth and inspiring character and concluding that she would always be remembered by the “whole U.S. Foreign Service family.” A tile bearing her name USAID Honors Antoinette “Toni”Tomasek was then added to the memorial wall of fallen offi- cers by Adam and Toni’s two children, Alexandre and Ame- lie. The Beaumont-Tomasek family was then presented with two memorial tribute wreaths and the condolences of a long line of bereaved guests. Toni received a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and a master’s degree in sociology from American University. She served as a community health specialist with an exper- tise in water, sanitation and cross-cultural education, and was fluent in Spanish, Indonesian, French, Guarani and, as her husband put it, “the universal lan- guage of compassion.” Her professional career took her across Latin Amer- ica, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, garnering her a wealth of experience and making her a highly respected member of USAID at the young age of 41. Toni joined the Foreign Service in 2009, completing her first tour as a develop- ment leadership initiative officer in Indonesia, where she helped to establish an innovative program that offered grants to local orga- nizations working to prevent and treat tuberculosis. Arriving in Haiti last May to begin her second tour, she quickly established herself as a valuable member of the mission, and was soon consumed with helping the Haitian people—especially children—to live better lives. Tragically, on June 26 of last year, Toni was involved in a car accident and passed away three days later from complications of the crash. –Bret Matera, Editorial Intern Above, Marilyn Beaumont and Adam Tomasek help the Tomasek children to place the memorial tile for their mother on USAID’s wall of fallen officers. At left, USAID Counselor Susan Reichle opens the USAID memorial for Ms. Tomasek on May 1 at the Ronald Reagan Building. USAID USAID