THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 83 IN APPRECIATION TRIBUTES TO OUR FALLEN GIANTS Stacy D. Williams was chair of the employee organization Balancing Act. He began his State Department Civil Service career as a Presidential Management Intern in 1997 and was deputy director in the Office of Haitian Affairs. He has served as president of the Thursday Luncheon Group and was the recipient of the department’s 2020 Equal Employment Opportunity Award. Ruth A. Davis 1943-2025 Remembering a Consummate Diplomatic Professional BY STACY D. WILLIAMS On May 28, 2025, more than 800 family members, friends, and colleagues from numerous organizations and affiliations gathered at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., to honor the life and legacy of Ambassador Ruth A. Davis. Ambassador Davis, aged 81, transitioned from this life on May 3. Among those offering eulogies during the memorial service were a former cabinet-level official, current and retired U.S. diplomats, representatives from seven organizations, mentees, a protégé, and family members. Condolence letters from former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Rodham Clinton were also shared. It was a fitting tribute to a legend and trailblazer who truly embodied servant leadership through her care, inspiration, and guidance for Foreign Service and Civil Service officers of all levels, positively touching the lives of thousands around the world and across many generations. Recognizing her highly decorated 40-year diplomatic career, in which Amb. Davis reached the highest rank of Career Ambassador, and her long-standing contributions to diplomacy, the American Foreign Service Association had bestowed on Ambassador Davis the 2016 Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. Beginnings Ruth Amy Davis was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to the late Anderson and Edith Davis, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. It was there that she was exposed to the socioeconomic and societal challenges imposed by the Jim Crow era. Undeterred by the trials of this period, Anderson and Edith looked to give their daughters, Ruth and Eugenia, a broader experience through travel every summer throughout the United States. Mr. Davis kept a keen eye on the quality of Ruth’s education and from time to time sat in the back of her classroom. Through his presence, Mr. Davis conveyed to her teachers that this child was special and that he wanted the best for her. During her first
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