THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 103 IN MEMORY n Robert R. LaGamma, 86, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on August 25, 2025, in Reston, Va. Mr. LaGamma was born on July 30, 1939, in New York City and raised in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. An alumnus of Stuyvesant High School, he embarked on his first ambitious trip beyond New York City at age 18 with his lifelong friend Jerry Levkov. The two hiked Rocky Mountain National Park and the Grand Canyon, developing an enduring love for the majesty of national parks. He graduated from Brooklyn College and then earned a master’s degree in international relations from Boston University. In 1963 Mr. LaGamma entered the Foreign Service with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), serving abroad in Italy, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, and South Africa. He was USIA’s director for African affairs during Nelson Mandela’s presidency. His superior achievement over the course of his 35 years in the Foreign Service culminated in promotion to the rank of Minister Counselor. He was also recognized with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Public Diplomacy. Following retirement from the State Department in 1998, Mr. LaGamma led civil society democracy initiatives as director of the Council for the Community of Democracies and on behalf of the National Democratic Institute and the Carter Center. In a recent op-ed, he reflected on the idealism from the Kennedy administration that had fueled his role in public diplomacy: “The stories that we told over and over again dealt with American democracy, free press, human rights, rule of law, and free and fair elections. It was our profound belief that the U.S. experience was a beneficial message to much of the world. ... “I thought it was the best job imaginable: to help the world understand the humanity, justice, and steadfastness of America. And we did this by simply telling the truth.” Mr. LaGamma explored the world with his wife, Anita Vitacolonna. Their arrival in Africa coincided with the euphoria of the transition to independence and the formation of new nations. Their lives were enriched with awe for the wondrous cultural achievements, past and present, and by places of extraordinary natural beauty that they encountered during their career overseas. Highlights included pilgrimages to view Giotto’s frescoes of Saint Francis in Assisi, Donatello’s sculptures in Florence, the creations of female weavers in the center of Akwete in Nigeria, and visits to Sequoia National Park and the Drakensberg Mountains. Mr. LaGamma was predeceased by his wife of 58 years in 2022. He is survived by his children, Alisa, Matthew, Therese, Adrian, and Florence, and grandchildren Christopher, Patrick, Nicolas, Joseph, Ariana, and Laura. He joins Anita at their place of rest in Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Va. Remembrances may be made in the form of contributions to the Carter Center’s Democracy Programs and National Park Foundation. n Julia Nelson Easley Mak, 97, a Foreign Service spouse, died of cardiovascular disease on July 22, 2025, at Grand Oaks in Washington, D.C. Ms. Mak was born in Washington, D.C., and spent her early childhood in Lewisburg, W.Va., where her father was the local attorney for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for many years. She was a descendant of George Mason, who wrote the Virginia Bill of Rights on which the U.S. Bill of Rights is based. Ms. Mak’s grandparents founded the Washington-based Gunston Hall School for Girls, which she attended until the school’s closure at the start of World War II. She completed her high school at Mount Vernon Seminary in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Sweet Briar College in 1949. Her early work experience was as a copy editor for The Washington Post, where she wrote several travel articles during the summer of 1949. As a prelude to her life as a Foreign Service spouse, Ms. Mak embarked on her first overseas adventure traveling alone to Italy on a Norwegian cargo ship to visit cousins who were stationed in Genoa. Her love of antiquities and archaeology was sparked as she traveled by bus to various towns and sites throughout the country. During her travels, she met her future husband, Foreign Service Officer Dayton S. Mak, who was on a brief leave from his assignment in Saudi Arabia. Married in March 1951, the couple traveled to their first posting together in Tripoli. Ms. Mak then accompanied her husband to assignments in England, Kuwait, and Lebanon. Living in the Middle East enabled her to travel extensively to visit archaeological sites throughout the region. After her husband’s retirement from the State Department as a Senior Foreign Service officer in 1970, the Maks lived for a short time in Waterloo, Iowa, where they assisted Mr. Mak’s ailing parents. Upon returning to Washington, D.C., Ms. Mak enjoyed many years working in real estate, concentrating on the Georgetown area, until her retirement in 2015. She is lovingly remembered by her family for her regular attendance at her grandchildren’s sporting events and her weekly handwritten letters and news
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