The Foreign Service Journal, December 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 41 In addition to dedicating his musical talents to the greater good, he has been a frequent host for arriving families, and played a crucial role in supporting those who left abruptly on global authorized departure during the pandemic as well as those who remained at post. He and his wife, chargé d’affaires Alyson Grunder, organized numerous take-out and delivery meals. Rick Bassett has used music to connect with embassy and local communities through five overseas tours. He has frequently performed the American and local national anthems for official events at post. In Ethiopia, he taught jazz at Addis Ababa Uni- versity and at a local seminary; co-directed the “Motley Singers” chorus; and directed the international school’s jazz band. In Uganda, he was music director for several shows at the National Theatre, including “Hope,” a musical he wrote and composed in 2007 that was revived in Kampala in 2019. In Tokyo, he taught at Kunitachi College of Music. Mr. Bassett and his wife have a daughter and a son. Throughout the family’s many moves, he has maintained his New York City–based professional life, providing orchestra- tions for musicals on Broadway and performances by the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. Mr. Bassett says he is “impressed by all Foreign Service family members as they find their own pathways to engage with over- seas communities and support their families and careers.” Nelson B. Delavan Award for an Office Management Specialist Jennifer “Jenny” McCoy Giving Extraordinary Support to Embassy Community after a Terrorist Attack D uring the Easter Day 2019 terrorist bombings in Colombo, Sri Lanka, suicide bombers attacked three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 269 people. Jennifer McCoy—the office manage- ment specialist (OMS) for the U.S. embassy’s Regional Security Office—was among the first employees to arrive at the embassy to deal with the aftermath. She made sure all embassy personnel were accounted for, while simulta- neously bringing together key staffers for meetings. Ms. McCoy quickly determined that there would be a significant reporting need, so she documented the timeline of events and actions by the embassy. This documentation proved essential in helping Washington, D.C., understand the unfolding situation. It also became a significant part of a “lessons learned” cable produced after the attacks. Rick Bassett with performers of the national anthem at an Embassy Monrovia July 4th event in 2019. From left to right: Bassett; Cortney Conrad Smyth, the embassy office management specialist who sang the American national anthem; Samson Tarpeh, director of the Agape National Academy of Music in Monrovia; and George Glomah Washington, a student-teacher at the academy. Jennifer McCoy.