The Foreign Service Journal, September 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2017 91 IN MEMORY n James H. Feldman , 92, a retired Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Infor- mation Agency, died on May 26 at his home in Silver Spring, Md., of cancer. A native of Chicago, Ill., Mr. Feld- man was a veteran of World War II and a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he was a member of the Beta Tau fraternity. Before joining USIA (now part of the Department of State) in 1962, he worked for the Chicago Bureau of the former International News Service, the Des Moines Register and the Cincinnati Post . While in Cincinnati, he also served as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and McGraw Hill Publications. Mr. Feldman served as an informa- tion officer and press attaché in India, Belgium and Indonesia. In New Delhi he was editor of The American Reporter , an embassy biweekly publication aimed at explaining American foreign policy. During a Washington, D.C., tour he served as editor of USIA’s East Asia Wireless File and as country officer for Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island countries. Following retirement from the Foreign Service in 1983, Mr. Feldman served for two years as Washington correspondent for the Indonesian Observer , an English- language daily published in Jakarta. He also served for 15 years as a reviewer with the Department of State Office of Contemporary Documents Review and for six years as a volunteer with the Montgomery County Police Department. Mr. Feldman was active in community affairs at Riderwood Village Retirement Community in Silver Spring, Md., for almost 16 years, serving three terms as secretary, information officer and chair of the Resident Advisory Council. He was also a member of the Ameri- can Foreign Service Association and DACOR. Mr. Feldman leaves behind four chil- dren: James H. Feldman Jr. of Philadel- phia, Pa., Regina Koch of Silver Spring, Md., Susan Madden of Sterling, Va., and Henry Feldman of Pikesville, Md.; and three grandchildren. n Esther Winn Krebs , 95, the widow of Ambassador Max Vance Krebs, died in Greenfield, Mass., on July 3, 2016. Esther Winn was born in Karuizawa, Japan, the daughter of Presbyterian mis- sionaries. At the age of 7 she returned to Massachusetts, where she spent the rest of her childhood. She received her B.A. from Smith College in 1942 and then married Max Vance Krebs, who was in military service during World War II. In 1948 the young couple began their long career representing the American people and the American government in diplomatic assignments to Montevideo (1948-1950), Bogota (1950-1952), Ant- werp (1952-1955), Manila (1960-1964), Rio de Janeiro (1964-1967), Guatemala City (1967-1970), the Panama Canal Zone (1970-1971) and Buenos Aires (1971- 1974). In 1955, the Krebs returned to the United States, where Mr. Krebs took up an assignment as special assistant to Under Secretary of State Christian Herter. When Herter became Secretary of State on the death of John Foster Dulles, Mr. Krebs remained in his role as special assistant until 1960. During their tour in Guatemala, U.S. Ambassador John GordonMein was assassinated by communist guerrillas. Max Krebs, who was then the deputy chief of mission, was suddenly thrust into the role of “acting ambassador.” Mrs. Krebs served with great strength and courage during this frightening and tumultuous time. Mrs. Krebs was deeply invested in her life as a diplomat’s wife. She and her husband strongly believed that they were equal partners in this career, a dedicated and interdependent team. This was the Foreign Service ethos in those days and Mrs. Krebs had all the qualities that made her a successful example of what the diplomat’s wife could contribute. She took on the many challenges of this life with her characteristic gusto, strong sense of humor and positive, take-charge attitude. In their farewell address to Mrs. Krebs, the Buenos Aires Embassy Women described her leadership style with this tribute: “Power and authority may compel, but such things as good- ness, friendship, love and truth invite.” In 1974, Max Krebs was appointed ambassador to Georgetown, Guyana. The couple retired in 1976 and settled in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina. During their time there, Mrs. Krebs served on the boards, and as president, of both the local arts council and the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. An accomplished singer, she partici- pated in church choirs, singing groups and charity performance events. She played tennis into her 80s, and friends and family members recall her as a “dan- gerous” bridge player. She and Mr. Krebs continued to enjoy traveling abroad, always exploring new places. Ambassador Krebs died in 2006. In 2010 Mrs. Krebs moved to Greenfield, Mass., to be near family members. Mrs. Krebs leaves her son, Timothy Krebs, and her daughter, Marlynn Krebs Clayton (and her husband, Garry Krin- sky) both of Greenfield, Mass. She also leaves a grandson, Sasha Winn Clayton, who lives in Washington, D.C.