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Mbui, What a tremendous career you have had. I am sorry our paths never crossed as among my diplomatic postings were assignments to Lagos (where I issued a returning student visa to Sunday Nwosu from our class), Accra, and two years of being deputy then acting director of African Regional Affaifrs. My only visit to Kenya was in 1985 for a refugee conference and meetings at the Foreign Ministry on UN issues. I spent the rest of my career in the Asia-Pacific, though I was offered the #2 job in South Africa (I declined as we have an adopted daughter from the Philippines and did not want to expose her to even post-handover racism), and later threw my hat into the ring for Ambassador to Kenya, making the short list but not getting the job, later returning to Asia to be Ambassador to Fiji and four other island countries. Wishing you all the best, Dave

Posted on: Mar 17, 2023 at 1:34 PM

While caring for my 97 year old dad in California, I am enjoying retirement. STEM activities at the local history museum are keeping me connected with the young at heart. Still working on over due manuscripts keeps my brain active. With collaborators at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center we are focusing on well-being of social ungulates.

Posted on: Aug 13, 2016 at 11:30 AM

I was deeply honored to receive France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, this past spring in recognition of my career in French Education, 30 years teaching at the Lycée Français de New York, and now more than 10 years now with the French Heritage Language Program, serving Francophone immigrants in the United States. Other French-American work includes service over the past 6 years as a Trustee of the American University of Paris, where I have worked with fellow Swarthmore alumni Trustees, Gretchen Handwerger (‘56) and Gil Kemp (‘72.) We will soon be joined by Marcia Grant (‘62) who will serve as AUP’s interim Provost for the coming academic year.

I am not particularly proud of my military service. I went halfway around the world to kill, maim, and make miserable people who had never done me or my country any harm, nor ever would or could. Where is the pride in that?