The Foreign Service Journal, September 2019

74 SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL IN MEMORY n Eugene H. Bird, 94, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on June 2 at a retirement community in Vancou- ver, Wash., due to complications from pneumonia. Born in Spokane, Wash., on March 17, 1925, and raised in Eugene, Ore., Mr. Bird served in the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1948 and a mas- ter’s degree in history in 1953, both from the University of Oregon. Mr. Bird joined the Foreign Service in 1955, working on the Israel-Jordan desk. He went on to serve in Jerusalem, Beirut, Dhahran, Cairo, Bombay (now Mumbai) and New Delhi, wrapping up his Foreign Service career in 1975 as political and economic counselor in Jeddah. In 1976, Mr. Bird worked as the Oregon chairman of Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign. He worked for General Electric in Riyadh and, from 1993 to 2010, was president of the Council for the National Interest, a nonprofit that works on Israeli issues. He also served as a diplomatic correspondent on Middle East affairs for the Washington Report . “I have spent most of my adult life try- ing to help resolve this terrible conflict,” Mr. Bird wrote of the Israeli-Palestinian rivalry in a 2014 Los Angeles Time s opin- ion piece. “We all know the bare outlines of an equitable compromise: two states with borders more or less along the lines of the 1967 armistice lines,” he wrote. “The only alternative to diplomacy is endless war, and that is in no one’s interest. We must not reward aggression—by either side.” Mr. Bird was predeceased by his wife, Jerine Newhouse Bird, the founder of Partners for Peace. He is survived by a son, Kai Bird (a Pulitzer prize-winning author) of New York City; three daughters: Christina Macaya of Camas, Wash., Nancy Bird of Cordova, Alaska, and Shelly Bird of Alex- andria, Va.; a sister; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. n Jeffrey A. Brock, 73, a retired For- eign Service facilities manager with the State Department, passed away on June 6 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Born on Dec. 14, 1945, in Shreveport, La., Mr. Brock grew up in Montana, frequently hiking the rugged terrain of Glacier National Park with his Norwe- gian grandmother and his half-brother. In 1985, near the end of his 20-year career in the U.S. Navy Seabees, Chief Petty Officer Brock was attached to the Naval Support Unit of the State Depart- ment, performing security upgrade proj- ects at the U.S. embassy in Panama. At an embassy party he met Joy, and used his sense of humor to capture her attention that night and his cookie- baking prowess to eventually capture her heart. The two married on Sept. 15, 1988. In 2001 Mr. Brock joined the Foreign Service, traveling with his wife, two dogs and a cat to Almaty. In 2003, he was assigned to Buenos Aires. He spent the latter part of his career on temporary duty assignments in Africa and South America before retiring in 2015. Mr. Brock visited and worked in more than 150 countries, bungee-jumped off the Victoria Falls Bridge between Zimba- bwe and Zambia, and hit three holes-in- one on a par-4 course in Islamabad. Friends recall his booming voice and even bigger personality, saying that beneath his jokes and sarcastic quips was a generous and compassionate man. As a facilities manager, he was a master of all trades. As a mentor, he empowered others, helping them achieve better lives for themselves. Mr. Brock is survived by his wife, Joy; his half-brother Gregory George Brock; sister-in-law Priscilla Thrower Knight; niece J.J. Knight; and his two cats, Michi and Sophie. Donations may be made in memory of Jeff Brock to the Humane Society of North Myrtle Beach at humanesocietynmb.org or P.O. Box 3369, North Myrtle Beach SC 29582. n Robert “Bob” John Clarke, 72, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on May 30 in Rockville, Md., of cancer. Born in New Haven, Ct., on Sept. 30, 1946, to Ruth Ann and Robert Joseph Clarke—also a career U.S. diplomat— Bob Clarke spent many of his younger years overseas, starting in Manila. He attended King George V School in Hong Kong and graduated fromWash- ington & Lee High School in Arlington, Va. Mr. Clarke received a bachelor’s degree in history from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., in 1967. From 1968 to 1970, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, posted to Fulda Gap, Ger- many. He earned a master’s degree in political science from the New School for Social Research in New York City in 1978 and a master’s degree in interdisciplin- ary studies from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., in 2001. Mr. Clarke enjoyed a 33-year diplo- matic career, starting with his first tour as consular and political officer in Managua (1979-1981), just as the Sandinistas came to power. He served as special assistant to Sec- retary of State George Shultz from 1985 to 1986. From 1993 to 1996, he was the sole Balkans issues officer at the U.S. mis- sion to NATO in Belgium, drafting major