The Foreign Service Journal, October 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOB ER 2018 67 served in Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria and Pakistan. He also served as chief of the policy guidance office at USIA in Wash- ington, D.C., and as director of USIA operations in North Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf and South Asia. In 1980 he was awarded the State Department’s Award for Valor for his actions during the takeover and destruction of U.S. Embassy Islamabad by a Pakistani mob, during which two Americans and three Pakistani employ- ees were killed. Prior to his retirement in 1990, he received a USIA Superior Honor Award for his role in developing a Fulbright Exchange Program between the United States and Canada. At the time of his retirement, he was Minister Counselor for public affairs at Embassy Ottawa. In retirement Mr. Thurber served as president of the Los Altos History Museum, a member of the board of Hid- den Villa Ranch, a member of the Los Altos Library Commission, director of the Bus Barn Stage Company, director of the Los Altos Community Foundation, a member and later president of the Foot- hill-DeAnza Colleges Foundation, and commissioner and chair of the Santa Clara County Airports Commission. He was also director of the League of Conservation Voters, treasurer of the Foreign Service Association of Northern California, a member of the Mayor’s Blue-Ribbon Committee for Affordable Housing and a trustee for Goodwill Industries of Santa Clara County. Mr. Thurber was an elected member of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party Central Committee, as well as the California State Democratic Central Committee. He was director of the county finance committee for many years, as well as treasurer of the United Democratic Campaign. He also served as president of the Democratic Century Club and the Peninsula Democratic Coalition. He was the Democratic candidate for Congress in 1962 and an elected delegate to three national Democratic conventions. Mr. Thurber is survived by wife, Emily Forrest; and four children: James Perry Thurber III (and his spouse, Debra McGibbon), Harriette Thurber Rasmus- sen, Alexander Forrest Thurber (and his spouse, Courtney Graham) and Mary Thurber Martin; 12 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. n Margaret “Peggy” Lewis West, 88, a former Foreign Service secretary, died at home in Kingsport, Tenn., on May 18. Born in California and raised in Den- ver, Mrs. West took in her first cat at age 5, learned to ski and planted a victory garden at age 12, thus discovering her lifelong passions at an early age. A 1948 graduate of Denver East High School, she took the train to Middlebury College and was christened “Peggy” by her dorm sisters. In Vermont she thrived at her studies, raced on the college ski team and was sought out for her excel- lent typing skills. Following graduation in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Mrs. West served two tours of duty with the State Department in Athens. While there she was visited by an acquaintance, her future husband Arthur “Sandy” West, who was on leave from his U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. The couple married in 1957 and, after a brief stay in Gainesville, Fla., made their home in Fayetteville, N.Y., where they raised three children. Mrs. West enjoyed gardening, her cats and ski trips to Colorado. Her fam- ily recalls that she was an accomplished cook and seamstress. She was a member of Trinity Epis- copal Church and did secretarial work for several organizations, including the Nutrition Department at Syracuse University. Her volunteer work included helping with the Boy Scouts, serving as a Girl Scout leader and a day camp counselor at Camp Adelphi, and supporting the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, the AARP Tax Program and the Center for New Americans at Interfaith Works. In 2016 Mrs. West moved to Kingsport, Tenn., to be closer to her youngest daughter. Mrs. West was predeceased by her husband, Arthur; her parents, Harry and Margretta Lewis; her brother, Charles Lewis; sister-in-law, Tanya Lewis; and nephew, Colin Lewis. She is survived by her son, Charles West (and his spouse, Adrienne) of New Mexico; daughters Mary West (and her spouse, Frank English) of North Carolina, and Elizabeth Blakely (and her spouse, Dale) of Tennessee; grand- children Lowell, Quint, David, Taylor, Valerie, Arthur and Bodhi; a younger brother, Harry T. Lewis Jr. (and sister-in- law Penelope Lewis) of Denver, Colo.; 16 nieces and nephews; and a host of other family members and cherished friends. Memorial contributions may be made to Interfaith Works—Center for New Americans, 1010 James Street, Syra- cuse NY 13203. If you would like us to include an obituary in In Memory, please send text to journal@afsa.org. Be sure to include the date, place and cause of death, as well as details of the individual’s Foreign Service career. Please place the name of the AFSA member to be memorialized in the subject line of your email. n