The Foreign Service Journal, October 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOB ER 2018 63 early 1980s, he returned toWashington, where he assisted with the normalization of diplomatic relations with China. His last assignment was as policy officer for East Asia and the Pacific. Mr. Jue wrote extensively on U.S.-China relations and China’s rise as a global power, including several articles in The Foreign Service Journal . He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Florence; a daughter, Patricia (and her spouse, David Evans); grandchildren Catrin Evans and Guy Evans (and his spouse, Kazue); and great-grandchildren Michito and Reina. n Howard Kavaler, 69, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on Aug. 13 in Arlington, Va., from complications arising from emergency surgery for a sudden illness. Mr. Kavaler was born Feb. 5, 1949, in Great Neck, N.Y. He was the oldest son of Pearl and Leo Kavaler, from whom he inherited his wit, resilience and sense of duty. Mr. Kavaler grew up on Long Island and attended Great Neck South Senior High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and his law degree from American University’s Washington Col- lege of Law. In later years Mr. Kavaler earned a graduate degree fromThe George Washington University. After becoming a member of the New York Bar, Mr. Kavaler joined the Foreign Service. He served overseas in New Delhi, Jerusalem, Islamabad, Manila, Tel Aviv, Paris and (twice) Nai- robi as a consular officer, a labor officer and as the U.S. representative to the United Nations Environment Program. While posted in New Delhi, Mr. Kavaler met his wife, Prabhi. After they married she became an American citizen and a Foreign Service officer herself, and they served around the world as a tandem couple for 16 years. The couple had two daughters, Tara and Maya, who were the loves of their lives. In the summer of 1998, the Kavaler family was excited to be returning to Nairobi for a second time. They had been in Nairobi for just a few weeks when the embassy was bombed, taking Prabhi’s life and leaving Mr. Kavaler alone to care for his two young girls. Mr. Kavaler decided to return to Washington, D.C., to a position in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, and he later converted to the Civil Service. For the next 20 years, Mr. Kavaler’s daughters were his top priority. They made their home inMcLean, Va., with their devoted housekeeper, Victoria “Bicky” Salvan, who was also a major source of comfort and care for Tara andMaya. Friends and family members recall that Mr. Kavaler was forever grateful to the Bureau of Consular Affairs for giving him a flexible schedule, which allowed him to be home to greet his girls at the end of their school day. He was also grateful for the camaraderie and kindness of the col- leagues who worked with him. Mr. Kavaler was proud of his service with the Department of State and always strove to treat the people with dignity and compassion, colleagues remember. He was equally proud of his efforts to ensure that all of the victims of the Nairobi and Dar es Salaam bomb- ings were recognized appropriately, and their families not forgotten. Mr. Kavaler retired from State in 2016. He was delighted to have time to develop new interests, such as collect- ing art. He enjoyed taking trips with his companion of six years, Brenda Jacobs, and was very much looking forward to the next chapter of his life. He was a member of the congrega- tion of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Va., and had many friends and neighbors who supported him and his daughters from the time they moved home to the present. Mr. Kavaler was buried on Aug. 28 in Arlington National Cemetery next to his beloved wife, Prabhi, at a site with a clear view across the Potomac River to the Department of State. He is survived by his daughters, Tara and Maya of McLean, Va.; and by a younger brother, Richard, of Boston, Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to Human Rights Watch. n Leonard L. Lefkow, 90 a retired Foreign Service officer with the United States Information Agency, died on June 25 in Rockville, Md., of respiratory failure. Mr. Lefkow was born in New York City on May 2, 1928. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1946 to 1947 before obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in 1951. Mr. Lefkow joined USIA in 1962 after four years as an investigative reporter and assistant city editor with The Lou- isville Times. He had previously worked for the Associated Press in San Fran- cisco, Reno and Hong Kong. His first assignment with USIA was as White House correspondent during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. From 1966 to 1972, Mr. Lefkow was posted to New Delhi, serving as press attaché during a difficult period in Indo- U.S. relations, which included the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. A highlight of his tour in India was accompanying Ambassador Kenneth Keating to deliver moon rocks to the remote Himalayan kingdoms of Bhutan and Sikkim.