90 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL n Ellen K. Haines, 86, a Foreign Service National and Foreign Service spouse, died on January 16, 2026, in Springfield, Va. Born on June 1, 1939, in Düsseldorf, Germany, Ms. Haines began her career as a Foreign Service National at a U.S. consulate in Germany. There she met FSO George Haines III. The couple married in 1966 and began an active life of travel and service with the Department of State. In 1976 Ms. Haines became a Foreign Service staff member and served alongside her husband at posts around the world, including Italy, Chad, Czechoslovakia, Finland, China, and Jamaica. She returned to Washington, D.C., in 1996, where she worked in career development and assignments (CDA) at the State Department, first as an employee and later as a contractor, continuing in that role until 2021. Colleagues, friends, and family members remember Ms. Haines as a person whose life was a testament to living with intention, energy, and joy. Her energy was infectious, and she was always arranging opportunities to spend time with friends—playing golf, tennis, pickleball, bridge, or mahjong, or simply enjoying dinner, a show, or the theater. She never let the grass grow under her feet and remained active until the very last day of her life, they recall. She will be profoundly missed, but her legacy will endure in the lives of her family, friends, colleagues, and all those she touched around the globe. Ms. Haines was predeceased by her beloved husband on January 22, 2015, and laid to rest next to him at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery. She is survived by her son, George Haines IV (and his spouse, Jillian), and two grandsons, Cooper and Davis Haines. n David Lyle Mack, 86, a retired Foreign Service officer and U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2026, from neurological disease. Born on June 10, 1940, in Portland, Ore., to a family of farmers and schoolteachers, Mr. Mack grew up in rural southern Oregon. He studied vocational agriculture at Crater High School, Central Point, intending to be a farmer, but received a full scholarship to Harvard University, which sought to diversify its student body. After graduating with a BA in 1962, he received a post–Sputnik National Defense Language Fellowship to study Arabic in Harvard’s Middle Eastern Studies program, graduating with an MA in 1964. After another year as a Fulbrighter in Cairo, Mr. Mack decided it was payback time and entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1965. Using his Arabic, Mr. Mack served in Iraq (twice), Jordan, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, and as U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (1986–1989). He received service awards as deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs during the Gulf War of 1990–1991. Ambassador Mack retired in 1995 after two years as international adviser at the National War College, but remained engaged in international affairs at the Middle East Institute and Atlantic Council, and through interviews with scholars, students, and the media. At home, he avidly cultivated Swiss chard, tomatoes, and figs, served his church, and enjoyed continuing adventures with his family. Amb. Mack is survived by his wife of 59 years, Rosamond; daughter, Catherine; and a granddaughter. He is also survived by his brother, Herschel Mack, and niece, Julie Felkins. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Anera. n Leslie W. “Les” McBee, 79, a retired Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Information Agency and the Department of State, died peacefully on June 30, 2026, in Washington, D.C., after a short illness. Born in 1947 in Oakland, Calif., Mr. McBee became accustomed to international traveling and living at a very young age because his father worked for USAID. His early experiences included attending high school in Tehran before the revolution. After earning degrees from the University of San Francisco and Columbia University, he set his sights on a career in international affairs, first as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Ivory Coast and later as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service. Mr. McBee’s many overseas assignments included Yugoslavia (Serbia), Fiji, France, Congo, Italy, and Finland, with a culminating tour as U.S. consul general in Marseille from 2007 to 2009, where he covered the south of France as well as Corsica and Monaco. Service as diplomat in residence at the University of California, Berkeley, capped his diplomatic career. Friends and colleagues recall that wherever he worked and whatever his position, Mr. McBee was deeply respected and admired for his intelligence, professional expertise, and charm. In addition to being an excellent public speaker and singer, Mr. McBee spoke fluent French, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian. After retirement in 2009, he lived in California and Washington, D.C. Mr. McBee is survived by his beloved brother, Ron McBee; a niece, Gindla McBee; Mara Vernaza; and devoted cousins, godchildren, as well as a host of loving friends.
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