The Foreign Service Journal, November 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2022 65 their daughters Mary L.L. and Christine H., Vice Consul J. Amé- dée Testart Grosval, and his daughter Marie Louise. The new memorial, created by the Martinican artist Hervé Beuze with volcanic rock, was placed in an area intended to become a memorial for the consular corps in the beautiful Louis Ernoult Garden behind the cathedral. It was inaugurated on May 8, 2022, the 120th anniversary of the 1902 catastrophe, as part of annual monthlong celebrations, “May of St. Pierre.” Mayor of St. Pierre Christian Rapha presided over the French- American commemorative ceremony, which featured U.S. Consul to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean (also accredited to Martinique) Ms. Jessica A. Hartzfeld, who read a letter from U.S. Ambassador to France Ms. Denise Campbell Bauer. The mayor took the opportunity to recall the generous assis- tance provided by the United States to a suffering Martinique in 1902. The aid was provided under the leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress, and with valuable onsite assistance from Louis H. Aymé, U.S. consul in Guade- loupe and acting U.S. consul in Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique, following the disaster. Another memorial stone in the Louis Ernoult Garden, also carved by Mr. Beuze, refers to this American solidarity. On May 8 another memorial plaque was unveiled, this one at the location of the former United States consulate in St. Pierre, next to Place Bertin, the square on the seafront. Founded as early as 1790 by George Washington, this consulate represents the privi- leged relations built up by the United States and France since the American Revolutionary War. It played a critical role in the devel- opment of exchanges between the United States and Martinique and contributed significantly to the international prestige of St. Pierre. Some consuls expressed a great attachment to Martinique, Above: The United States Consulate in St. Pierre in the late 19th century. The photo is from William A. Garesché’s Complete Story of the Martinique and St. Vincent Horrors (1902). Right: St. Pierre in ruins after the 1902 volcanic disaster. ANGELOHEILPRIN Mayor of St. Pierre Christian Rapha, at center with official sash, and American and other official representatives at the dedication of the memorial in the Louis Ernoult Garden in St. Pierre, May 8, 2022. HILDAMAYORGA L.G.STAHL