The Foreign Service Journal, September 2007

Appreciation: Robert Clements, 1918-2007 AFSA would like to pay tribute to Robert Clements, who passed away in May at the age of 89. In 1947, along with cofounderM. Juanita Guess, Clements established the first global insurance agency. Clements&Company, nowClements International, has been providing insurance to Foreign Service families ever since. Jon Clements, son of Robert Clements and Juanita Guess, is CEO of Clements International. At the AFSA Awards Ceremony, he pre- sented the M. Juanita Guess Award, which was estab- lished by the family in 1994 to recognize a community liaison officer who has demonstrated outstanding dedication, energy and imag- ination in assisting the fami- liesofAmericans servingat an overseas post. Clements noted that his father believed that the community liaison officer had the most impor- tant job in the embassy, because “you need to learn howto live in a country first” in order to be able to work there. AFSAis grateful for the support thatRobertClements gave to the Foreign Service community and that lives on in his memory. 66 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / S E P T EMB E R 2 0 0 7 A F S A N E W S 2007 AFSA AWARD WINNERS STORIES BY SHAWN DORMAN I n recognition of her important contributions to the career Foreign Service, both during her 44-yearForeignService career and inretirement, former Secretaryof StateLawrenceEagleburger presented the 2007 AFSA Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy to Ambassador Joan M. Clark at the June 28 AFSA Awards Ceremony. Her many accomplish- ments as a ForeignService officer, aswell as her involvement with the ForeignService Protective Association and the Senior Living Foundation, have all been dedicated to improvement of the professionalism and efficiency of the Service, as well as to the health and welfare of FS retirees. Her leadership in the establishment of the Senior Living Foundation in 1988 helped create an organization that provides invaluable support to the retired Foreign Service community and has helped preserve its members’ dignity and well-being. Amb. Clark served as director general of the ForeignService, assistant secretary of theBureau of Consular Affairs and ambassador to Malta. Other overseas posts included Berlin, London, Belgrade and Luxembourg. (See interview with Amb. Clark in the July/August FSJ , page 49.) AFSA. He highlighted the dissent awards, noting that “Speaking out against con- ventional wisdom and offering an alter- native and perhaps controversial view on policy or operational issues canbe risky. It can jeopardizeone’s career. However, since 1968,AFSAhas firmlybelieved that it is vital tohonor the constructive and creative dis- senters who arewilling toworkwithin the systemto bring about change. We believe thatAmerican foreignpolicy canonlyben- efit fromanopen and candiddebate of the issues among our Foreign Service profes- sionals.” Giving unusual pre-event media cov- erage to the AFSAAwards Ceremony, AP ran a story byMatthewLee the day before the event called“DissentingU.S.Diplomats Honored.” This story, which focused on DissentAwardwinnersMichael Zorickand Ron Capps, was picked up by numerous media outlets. A June 30 story on NPR’s “All Things Considered” began: “The Bush administration doesn’t have a repu- tation for listening todissenting views. But that hasn’t stopped some State Depart- ment officials from sending home cables critical of U.S. policy. It’s part of the State Department’s culture, a culture the depart- ment’s professional association tries to fos- ter by giving out annual awards to those who speakup.” Kelemen interviewedboth AWARD FOR LIFETIME CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICAN DIPLOMACY Ambassador Joan M. Clark AmbassadorJoanClarkwithSecretaryEagleburger at the June awards ceremony. Awards Ceremony • Continued from page 63 Continued on page 71 MIKKELA THOMPSON