The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 65 IN MEMORY n Donald K. Bandler, 69, a retired Foreign Service officer and former ambas- sador, died on Feb. 24 in Bethesda, Md., of complications from early-onset Alzheim- er’s disease. Mr. Bandler was born April 19, 1947, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Fred and Estelle Bandler. He grew up in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., with his two younger sisters, Beth and Amy. He graduated fromKenyon College with a B.A. in political science with honors, and also earned a J.D. fromGeorge Wash- ington University and anM.A. in liberal arts from St. John’s College. Mr. Bandler took the Foreign Service exam in 1974 at the U.S. consulate in Kaduna, Nigeria, while teaching at Gov- ernment Teachers’ College in Bida with his newwife, Jane Goldwin Bandler. He joined the Foreign Service in 1976. Mr. Bandler was attending night law school at George Washington University, and the State Department allowed him to complete his degree before being posted overseas. After serving in the Bureau of African Affairs (1976-1978), he was detailed to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to direct the ‘Face to Face’ program (1978-1979). He then did congressional liaison work (1979-1980), and had the exciting experi- ence of traveling withMohammed Ali on a diplomatic mission tomany African coun- tries to encourage them to joinWashing- ton in boycotting the 1980 Olympics. In 1980 Mr. Bandler was posted to Yaoundé as a political officer. He returned toWashington in 1982 to serve as special assistant on the Policy Planning Staff, and went on to the Office of European Security and Political Affairs in the Bureau of European Affairs in 1983, where he served as the coordinator for the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. From 1985 to 1989, Mr. Bandler served as the head of political-military affairs in Paris. Besides the fascinating work, the thrill of becoming fluent in French and spending every vacation visiting all corners of the beautiful country, his third child, Jeffrey, was born in Paris in 1987. From 1989 to 1993 the Bandler family was posted in Bonn, where Mr. Bandler was minister-counselor for political and legal affairs. He participated in the diplomacy leading to German unification and led the U.S. effort to negotiate a new legal basis for the presence of U.S. forces in Germany. It was a fascinating time to be in Germany, close to the action as the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. Mr. Bandler participated in the Senior Seminar in 1993. He spoke fondly of the many experiences he had during that year reacquainting himself with America and its diversity. From 1994 to 1995 he was director of Israel and Arab-Israel affairs at State and had an active role inMiddle East peace process negotiations that yielded bilateral andmultilateral agreements. Mr. Bandler was deputy chief of mission (DCM) and then chargé d’affaires in Paris from 1995 to 1997, serving under Ambas- sador Pamela Harriman, who sadly passed away during his second year as DCM. From 1997 to January 1999, Mr. Bandler was special assistant to the president and senior director on the National Security Council, responsible for U.S. relations with Europe and Canada. From January to May 1999, he was special assistant to the president and counselor to the National Security Advisor for the 42-nation NATO Summit, the largest gathering of world leaders ever held inWashington, D.C. Mr. Bandler was appointed U.S. ambas- sador to Cyprus from 1999 to 2002. During his tenure, Ambassador Bandler fell in love with Cyprus and traveled to all corners of the country to photograph its beauty. He held an exhibit of his photos in Cyprus and also published them in book form. Amb. Bandler retired from the Foreign Service in 2002 and spent the next six years working as a consultant with several international firms, including Kissinger- McLarty Associates inWashington, D.C. In 2008 he did a six-month stint at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, as a diplomat-in-residence. He donated his collection of Cypriot pho- tographs to the Fisher Museumof Art at USC, where they were exhibited (“Donald Bandler: A Roving Eye on Cyprus”) while he was in residence. He also had an exhibit at Waverly Gal- lery in Bethesda, Md., in 2010, and won several prizes for his photography from Montgomery County. In retirement, Amb. Bandler partici- pated in the Boys toMen national organi- zation, mentoring boys who needed role models and encouragement. He was an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs and the American Academy of Diplomacy. After receiving a diagnosis of early- onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, Amb. Bandler became an active advocate with the Alzheimer’s Association. He continued to travel, taking a trip around the world (Hawaii, Japan, Malaysia, China, India, Russia and Portugal) with his wife in 2010. He visitedMachu Picchu in 2011. Amb. Bandler received the State Department’s Superior Honor Award on four occasions, and was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1998. Amb. Bandler was very proud of his family. He is survived by his loving wife, Jane Goldwin Bandler; his daughter Lara Hogan (and her husband, Chad) of Los Angeles; his daughter Jillian Parekh (and her husband, Neel) of New York City; and his son Jeffrey of Los Angeles; his grand- sons, Jasper, Nikhil and Zion; and his sisters, Beth and Amy and their families.