The Foreign Service Journal, October 2010

60 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0 ing several to the art museum at SOU. Among Mr. Benjamin’s proudest achievements in more than 40 years of public service was the establishment in Ashland of the city’s Housing Trust Fund, which he had championed as a longtime member of the Ashland Housing Commission. During the last few years of his life, despite repeated bouts of pneumonia caused by the side effects of radiation he underwent as part of the cancer treatment he had received in 1975, Mr. Benjamin ener- getically continued his role as an in- formal adviser to local government officials. At the June 15 City Council meet- ing, Ashland Mayor John Stromberg requested a moment of silence in his memory. Later, in a note to the fam- ily, he eulogized Mr. Benjamin as “the epitome of what a citizen should be. Ever vigilant, professional and thoughtful, he generously shared his knowledge and concerns for the bet- terment of Ashland.” Mr. Benjamin was a charter mem- ber of the American Institute of Cer- tified Planners and a member of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the National Association of Retired Federal Em- ployees, the American Foreign Serv- ice Association, DACOR, the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution and AARP. He is survived by his wife, Judith, of Ashland, Ore.; his daughter, Cyn- thia, of Washington, D.C.; his son, Robert, of Ashland, Ore.; his brother, Harvey Benjamin of New York City; and a nephew, Matthew Elzweig of Queens, N.Y. Contributions may be made in his memory to the City of Ashland Hous- ing Trust Fund, CARE or Habitat for Humanity. Wat Tyler Cluverius IV , 76, a re- tired FSO and former ambassador, died on Feb. 14 in Cleveland, Ohio, following a long battle with cancer. Mr. Cluverius was born in Arling- ton, Mass., and raised in Chicago, Ill. He attended Northwestern University and Indiana University. Hailing from a long line of United States Navy offi- cers, he served as a Navy officer from 1957 to 1962. He married Judith Dvorovy in 1959, but they divorced in 1989. In 1967, Mr. Cluverius joined the Foreign Service, serving in Saudi Ara- bia, Tel Aviv and Washington, D.C., where he briefed President Gerald R. Ford, President Jimmy Carter and President Ronald Reagan. Highly re- garded by his peers and superiors, Mr. Cluverius was appointed as ambassa- dor to Bahrain in 1976, becoming at the age of 42 one of the youngest am- bassadors in the Foreign Service. During a 21-year diplomatic career, he was instrumental in brokering peace between Israel and neighboring Egypt and Jordan. Mr. Cluverius served as a senior adviser on Middle East Peace and later became consul general in Jerusalem. He also served as deputy assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs. He dedicated his life to bridging historical divides be- tween nations in the Middle East and furthering American interests in the region. Mr. Cluverius retired from the For- eign Service in 1988 to head the Multi- national Force and Observers peace- keeping force established by the Israel- Egypt Peace Treaty. He served in Rome as director general of the 3,000- person organization, leading the force for more than a decade. During this time, Mr. Cluverius married the for- mer Leah Konstabler, a French native living in Israel. He later became president and am- bassador-in-residence of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, a nonprofit organization founded in 1932 to en- hance public dialogue and under- standing of international economic, political and social affairs. Mr. Cluverius loved sailing, which became his passion in life. His family and friends remember his appetite for life, fondness for good food and com- pany, keen sense of humor and unique ability to make those around him feel loved. He is survived by his wife, Leah Konstabler-Cluverius; a son, Wat Tyler Cluverius V (and wife, LaurenMellon) of Seattle, Wash.; a daughter, Charlotte Cluverius-Klevan (and husband, David Klevan) of Washington, D.C.; two stepsons, David Harif (and life partner Oli Zeltserman) of Israel and Yonni Harif (and wife, Tal Barak Harif) of New York City; a granddaughter, May- field Elizabeth (Maizie), and a step granddaughter, Eden. Contributions in his name may be made to the Senior Living Foundation of the American Foreign Service. H. Alberta (Bert) Colclaser , 99, a retired FSO, died on July 7 inWoost- er, Ohio, where she had resided for 35 years. Ms. Colclaser was born on Feb. 19, 1911, in Turtle Creek, Pa., the daugh- ter of Levi A. “Lee” Colclaser and Bertha Margaret Lear Colclaser, who died when her daughter was only 8 years old. Following her graduation in 1933 from the College of Wooster, Ms. Col- claser worked briefly as an editor for a publishing company before enrolling I N M E M O R Y