Obituaries - August 2024

Sue K. Brown, who began her Foreign Service career with USIA and later served as ambassador to Montenegro, died May 14 in Arlington, VA, at age 75. Joining USIA in 1980, she worked in Indonesia, France, Liberia, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast. Later in her career Brown served as deputy chief of mission (DCM) in both Eritrea and Ghana, and as office director for southern Africa in State’s Bureau of African Affairs. President Obama appointed her as ambassador to Montenegro, a position she held from 2011 until 2015.

Ingrid Byers, the wife of USIA Foreign Service officer Bruce Byers and a resident of Reston, VA, died June 20. She was 87. A native of Germany, she met her future husband in Munich in 1962 during an alpine excursion. Following their marriage the Byers eventually returned to the United States, where Ingrid worked at the physics department of the University of Maryland. She accompanied her husband on his various overseas assignments after his entry into the Foreign Service. In retirement the Byers enjoyed several foreign studies tours, including their final one, a river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.

Gail Melissa Grant, 74, a USIA and State Department Foreign Service officer, died May 13 in Rome, Italy, after a long battle with cancer. A graduate of both Washington University and Howard University, having taught art and architectural history at the latter, she began her diplomatic career in 1980. Her overseas assignments included postings in West Africa, Norway, Brazil, and France. After retiring in 2001, she pursued writing full-time and in 2008 published an acclaimed memoir, "At the Elbows of My Elders," which showcased the civil rights advocacy and history of her family. Grant presented her book and lectured on civil rights history at more than 80 venues, including Oxford University, Columbia University, the Smithsonian Institute, and many U.S. embassies in Europe. After her 2006 marriage to Gaetano Castelli, a renowned stage designer, she lived the remainder of her life with him in Rome.

Deanna “Dee” Johnson, a long-time USIA employee, passed away May 21. A native Washingtonian born in 1945, she joined the Agency in 1969 and served overseas in Peru, Burundi, South Africa, Italy, and Poland. Johnson later was put in charge of training USIA’s foreign national employees throughout the world. Following her retirement in 1999, she kept active with a multitude of activities, including kayaking, 5K runs, cooking, and traveling.

Tom Korogolos, whose decades-long career in government and politics included service as an advisor to five Republican presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, died July 26 in Washington, DC, from heart complications. He was 91. Born in Salt Lake City to Greek immigrant parents, he earned a B.A. from the University of Utah and an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Early in his career Korogolos worked as a journalist at several publications before starting his government service in 1962 as a staffer for Senator Wallace F. Bennett of Utah. During the Nixon and Ford Administrations he was deputy assistant for legislative affairs. Korogolos later managed the Senate confirmation hearings of some 300 appointees from the Reagan and both Bush Administrations. In 2004 he was appointed Ambassador to Belgium, a position he held until 2007. A lifetime member of PDCA, Korogolos served as chairman of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy and was a charter member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. See also the Remembrance of Korologos by Bruce Gregory.

Compiled by Member News Editor Domenick DiPasquale. Contact him at editor@publicdiplomacy.org.