70 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Ms. Gourlay served overseas in Martinique, the Philippines, Kuwait, Mexico, France, Morocco, and Haiti. Her final post was as consul general in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She retired to her beloved Charleston, S.C., in 2017. Colleagues and family members recall that Ms. Gourlay was loved at all her posts for her lively spirit and keen sense of humor. Beloved mother, grandmother, and distinguished diplomat, she leaves behind a world made richer by her presence in it. Ms. Gourlay is survived by two sons, Gordon Sean Gourlay (and spouse, Marianne Possberg) and Robert (and spouse, Kathleen) Gourlay, and a granddaughter, Anastazia. n Barbara Sillars Harvey, 92, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on April 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Ms. Harvey was born to Scottish parents in Glasgow, Scotland, but grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania. Washington, D.C., was her home base after she came to attend The George Washington University in 1952. While still an undergraduate, Ms. Harvey began her career with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) as a GS-3 clerk typist. She received leave without pay to attend Radcliffe College, where she received an MA in 1959. She then joined the USIA officer corps, serving twice in Seoul and once in Surabaya. In 1968 Ms. Harvey resigned from USIA to pursue a PhD at Cornell University. She then taught politics at Monash University in Melbourne for four years, resigning in 1974 to join the U.S. Department of State through a program for midcareer hires of underrepresented groups, of which women were one. A member of the U.S. Foreign Service, she was assigned to Singapore as a political officer, then returned to the department to serve in the Office of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodian Affairs and in the Office of Korean Affairs. Ms. Harvey went back to Surabaya as principal officer from 1984 to 1987. She then returned to Washington to head training for political officers at the Foreign Service Institute. After serving as deputy in the Office of Maritime Southeast Asian Affairs, she served as deputy assistant secretary for personnel. She then returned to Indonesia, as deputy chief of mission in Jakarta from 1993 to 1997. Her final assignment with the Department of State was as diplomat in residence at the University of Arizona in Tucson, from 1997 to 1999. Ms. Harvey was a trailblazer for women in the U.S. Foreign Service. Outside of work, she enjoyed programs at the Kennedy Center, knitting, jigsaw puzzles, travel, NPR programming, her craft (carafe) group, and keeping in touch with her many Scottish relatives and worldwide array of friends. Ms. Harvey was predeceased by her sister, Sheila (and spouse, George) Hertler. She is survived by her nephew, Tom (and spouse, Debbie) Hertler of Bluffton, S.C.; niece, Lisa (and spouse, Kevin) Colbert of Stoddard, N.H.; as well as five grandnieces and grandnephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to DC Central Kitchen, Alley Cat Allies, or the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). n Colien Hefferan, 76, wife of the late retired Foreign Service Officer Hollis Summers, died on April 13, 2026, in Springfield, Va. A former director of the National Arboretum, her accomplishments ranged from winning the Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow award while in high school to wrangling the federal bureaucracy and testifying before Congress as a senior executive officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ms. Hefferan was born in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 13, 1949, to a Navy family that lived in California, Washington, Florida, and Connecticut before settling in Arizona. She received a BS degree from the University of Arizona followed by MS and PhD degrees from the University of Illinois. After teaching at Pennsylvania State University, Ms. Hefferan joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C., in 1979. Ms. Hefferan and Hollis Summers met as graduate students at the University of Illinois. After losing contact for a decade, they became reacquainted in 1986 when she spotted him crossing Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.; he had joined the State Department and was about to leave for his first assignment, in the Azores. They married in 1988 and headed to Canberra, where Ms. Hefferan secured a research position at the Australian National University and gave birth to their daughter, Margaret. On returning to Washington, they settled in Falls Church, Va. Ms. Hefferan returned to the Department of Agriculture as Mr. Summers alternated between Washington assignments and unaccompanied hardship posts. Before her 2010 appointment as director of the National Arboretum, Ms. Hefferan was widely recognized for her role as administrator of the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. Her work with the nation’s land grant colleges, supporting research and awarding billions of dollars in grants to enhance
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