The Foreign Service Journal, October 2010

70 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 He returned to Washington, D.C., in 1970 as deputy assistant director for East Asia and the Pacific, becoming as- sistant director in charge of Informa- tion Centers the following year. Mr. Schneidman also served on the Bicen- tennial Committee. In 1975, he received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Pub- lic Diplomacy, presented with these words: “He has sought excellence and constructive change, honored the highest ideals of his profession and fos- tered innovation. He has shown an ap- preciation of the dynamics of and limitations of complex institutions, a special sensitivity to, and compassion for, the human element in public life, and a singular ability to bring people together while fostering individual creativity.” In June 1977, the Carter adminis- tration appointed Mr. Schneidman as USIA’s deputy director for policy and plans. He retired in 1980 with the change of administration. A principled, dynamic man, he found retirement to be one of the most difficult challenges of his life. Colleagues recall that he would often say: “The best advice I can give about retirement is: don’t retire.” Eventu- ally he was able to take pleasure in his dogs, gardening and cooking — and, most of all, in his family and friends. Mr. Schneidman is survived by his devoted wife, Roberta, of Washing- ton, D.C.; his daughter, Sara, of Sper- ryville, Va.; and sons Seth of Scotland, Grant of Parker, Colo., and Jared of Katonah, N.Y.; and four grandchil- dren: Sara Behrens, Jessica, Justin and Eleanor. If you would like to honor Mr. Schneidman with a charitable dona- tion, the family suggests the Humane Society of the United States. Dr. Robert Fleming Slutz Jr. , 88, a retired FSO, died on Dec. 29, 2009, in Manassas, Va. Dr. Slutz was a graduate of DePauw University, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He subsequently earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. A vet- eran of World War II, he served as a weather observer with the Army Air Forces in Alaska. During more than 25 years of serv- ice as a commissioned Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Department of State, Dr. Slutz was posted in Italy, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Ethiopia (where he was the last consul general to serve in Asmara when it was still part of that country). A re- cipient of the Department of State’s Meritorious Honor Award, Dr. Slutz retired in 1978, thereafter dividing his time between homes in Vero Beach, Fla., and Alexandria, Va. In retirement, he devoted himself to researching the Slutz family genealogy, producing a work (in 18 volumes) of family-related research that is now widely and publicly cited. He also served as president of the Indian River (Florida) Genealogical Society, and re- ceived the Genealogy Outstanding Achievement Award from the Florida State Genealogical Society in 2003. Dr. Slutz is survived by his wife of 66 years, Rose M. Vierling Slutz; two daughters, Ambassador Pamela J. Slutz andUSAFColonel Marjorie J.R. Davis; two sons, Robert Slutz III and Christo- pher Brighton Slutz; and their families, including five great-grandchildren. Emory C. Swank , 88, a retired FSO, died on June 3 in Oberlin, Ohio. A native of Maryland, Mr. Swank graduated magna cum laude from Franklin & Marshall College in 1942. He then earned an M.A. in English from Harvard University before serv- ing in the Army in Europe during World War II, where he was awarded a Bronze Star for maintaining com- munication links in combat. Mr. Swank entered the Foreign Service in 1944, after teaching English at Franklin & Marshall, and served overseas in Shanghai, Chingdao and Jakarta. In 1952, began Russian-lan- guage and area training, and served in Moscow during the chaotic period when Stalin’s successors were strug- gling for power. He was then assigned to State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research to report on Soviet affairs. His next assignment was a deputy chief of mission in Bucharest. In 1961, Mr. Swank was appointed special assistant to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and then spent an aca- demic year at the National War Col- lege. He served as deputy chief of mission in Vientiane and as minister counselor in Moscow, where he was temporarily in charge of the embassy when Soviet forces invaded Czecho- slovakia. In 1969, he was appointed deputy assistant secretary for Soviet and Eastern Europe affairs. President Richard Nixon named Mr. Swank ambassador to Cambodia in 1970. His last assignment was as political adviser to the naval command headquartered in Norfolk, Va. In retirement, Mr. Swank em- barked on a second career in Cleve- land as president of the Council on World Affairs. He continued to lec- ture on foreign policy issues after re- tiring from the council in 1987. Mr. Swank’s wife, Margaret, prede- ceased him in 1998. He is survived by several cousins. I N M E M O R Y