The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2016 59 Activism Through Volunteer Work BY JACK R . B I NNS T here is indeed life after the Foreign Service, and it can be very fulfilling. Moreover, it may continue for an extended period, as in my case. Of course, other persons’ trajectories may not be as favorable as mine, or as that of my friend and col- league, Ray Seitz. When he retired from the Service and became a Lehman Brothers director, Ray observed: “I can continue to wear all my pinstripe suits: no change of wardrobe required!” My wife, Martha, and I returned to our home in Washington, D.C., fromMadrid in early 1986, ready to start new lives while remaining in our comfort zone, near friends and colleagues. My original plan had been to do consulting work and start a Spanish antiques business on the side. To that end, I had established a relationship with a Madrid dealer and brought back a container- load of goods at my expense. But within two months I discovered my profit margins would be small, and the work would take a lot more time and effort than I was prepared to expend. Antiques were just not my bag! Consulting work offered a more rewarding way to make a living. Among other gigs, at the behest of the Diplomatic Security Bureau I headed a small team that designed and conducted emergency planning exercises at embassies and larger consular posts. For nearly five years, my team visited and conducted exer- cises throughout Latin America and Europe—as well as Syria, for reasons I no longer recall. For her part, my wife became a travel agent, then moved on to the National Planning Association—a nonpartisan think-tank that brings together business, labor and academia—as a meeting planner. We both were having a great time, but eventually got itchy feet. The Southwest beckoned! After much research, we moved to Tucson, Arizona, in October 1990. We found a beautiful house and settled in. In addition to