In Fond Remembrance David Elliott, India Peace Corps Director 1966-1968

David H. Elliott of Carmel and San Francisco died at home on April 16, his wife and family members by his side. He was a businessman who in the 1960s directed two of the largest Peace Corps programs overseas, first in Nigeria and then in India. He was 87.

Born in Hempstead, New York, David moved with his family to San Mateo, California in 1938. He was the youngest of four sons of David and Esther Elliott. He earned his BA in Journalism in 1951 from Stanford University and his MBA from Harvard University in 1954.

David met and married his first wife, Ellen, in 1958 and they raised three children together.

After he and a partner turned a bankrupt steel company in Vallejo, California into a small but profitable business, David took a sabbatical in 1964 to manage programs with the U.S. Peace Corps. He relocated to Sierra Leone with his wife and two young children. In 1965 he moved to Nigeria where he directed a program with over 600 volunteers. In 1966 he moved to India, where his third child was born, to manage what became the Peace Corps' largest program with more than 1200 volunteers.

After returning to California in 1968, David became the Vice President of Administration for Memorex Corporation. In 1972, David joined Heidrick and Struggles, an international executive search firm and worked with them until his retirement in 1996. He became Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office in 1974 and later was a member of the firm's Board of Directors and Executive Committee. 

David took another sabbatical in 1991 to re-join the Peace Corps, this time as a volunteer in Poland along with his wife, Ellen. They worked for two years with government and NGO's to help the country transition from communism to capitalism. Along with his formal responsibilities in Poland, he made it his aim to make his Polish colleagues smile each day, making himself the object of humor if necessary. After his retirement in 1996, David continued to serve Heidrick and Struggles as an emeritus consultant and a member of its Cornerstone Society.

David and Ellen were happily married for 46 years until Ellen's death in 2007. In late 2007, David had the good fortune to re-connect with Roberta (Bertie) Buffett Bialek. The two of them had dated in Chicago in 1954 but their lives then went in different directions when David was drafted into the Army. They fell in love and married in 2008, enjoying nine loving years together. 

David enjoyed tennis, hiking, and kayaking into his 80's. After his retirement he became an increasingly enthusiastic bridge player and in more recent years a student of dominoes, even dubbed "Rookie of the Year" in 2013 by his Old Capital Club mentors. In addition to the Old Capital Club, he was a member of The Monterey Peninsula Country Club and the Beach Club. He was a dedicated fan of theater, especially the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and an earnest student and lover of classical music and opera. He served on the boards of Environmental Traveling Companions, the American International School, Solano Steel Corporation, Elliott Control Company, Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford Associates and California Executive Search Association. He also enjoyed being a volunteer English teacher for the Marin Literacy Program and the International Institute of San Francisco.

David will be remembered for his generous spirit, his love of learning, and his good humor. He had a gift for making people feel like the most important person in the room. He maintained lifelong friendships from grade school, high school and college through poker groups, annual getaways and other regular gatherings. He delighted his children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren by eating fire after dinner, "removing" his thumb, and leading them on elaborate quests for buried treasure on the banks of Tomales Bay. His commitment to the Peace Corps as a staff member, volunteer and supporter inspired family members and others toward lives of service and a global perspective. 

David is survived by his wife, Bertie; his children, Andy Elliott (Sunjong), Karen Elliott and Fred Elliott-Hart (Teri); seven grandchildren, Sarah, Johnny, Cole, Henry, Dylan, Paul and Sadie; his brother, Don Elliott (Janice); twelve nephews and nieces; three step-daughters, Susan Lansbury (Jim), Cynthia Livermore (Dick) and Carolyn Akcan (Zek); and eleven step-grandchildren, Charles, Robert, Galen, William, Thomas, Cadillac, Berkshire, Everest, Cascade, Rose and Peter.

A memorial service for family will take place in May. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the National Peace Corps Association, 1900 L Street, Washington DC 20036.

Condolences may be written to the family at
www.bermudezfamilyfunerals.com - See more here.

In Fond Remembrance: David Hollister Rogers, India Peace Corps Director 1968-1973

The extensive public and legal service career of David Hollister Rogers (1929 - 2017) included five years of service with the Peace Corps as Country Director of India from 1968 to 1973. A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School, David served in the U.S. Army in post-war Japan. He next moved to California, clerked for a judge on the 9th Circuit Court, and then spent ten years practicing law in Oakland. Following his Peace Corps service, David went to the Northern Marianas Islands to chair the Micronesian Claims Commission, established by Congress to validate war claims by Micronesians who lost property or loved ones during World War II. He ended his career in Washington as chief counsel of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission. Upon his retirement, David returned to the west, where he volunteered with Legal Services of Northern California. In 1994, he was recognized by the State Bar of California as its pro bono attorney of the year.

Obituary link is here.

In Fond Remembrance: Brent Ashabranner, India 16 and Peace Corps India Director

Photo by Paul Conklin

WILLIAMSBURG - Brent Ashabranner of Williamsburg, VA passed away Dec. 1, 2016 at age 95. He was born in Shawnee, OK in 1921. He and his wife, Martha White Ashabranner, who survives him, moved to Williamsburg in 1988. They married at 19 and celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary in August. Besides his wife, he is survived by daughters Melissa Ashabranner (Jean-Keith Fagon) of Washington DC and Jennifer Ashabranner of Alexandria, VA; grandchildren Damian Fagon-Karraker, Giancarlo Fagon, and Olivia-Jene Fagon; and a great-grandson, Neo Lukas Fagon. He served in the US Navy as a Seabee in the Pacific during WWII. After graduating with a Masters in English, he taught at OSU for several years. In 1955 he accepted a position to do curriculum development in Ethiopia, leaving the US with his wife and two young daughters for the next 30 years. He worked in Libya, started the first Peace Corps Program in Nigeria, was the Peace Corps Director in India, and then the Deputy Director of the Peace Corps from 1967-1969. After serving for 10 years in the Philippines and Indonesia with the Ford Foundation, he retired in 1985. In his retirement he wrote over 30 books for junior readers on cross-cultural topics and won over 40 awards for this body of work. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. He will be remembered by friends and family as a warm man with a great sense of humor, who lived his adventurous life with courage.

Published in Virginia Gazette on Dec. 3, 2016

Video Interview from 2015 India XIV reunion: https://india16santafereunion.wordpress.com/brent-ashabranner/

 

In Fond Remembrance, Guy Clark (India III Trainee)

Guy Clark, a member of the India III Trainee Group, passed away on May 17, 2016.  He remained a good friend to India III. Read more here. Photo by: Beth Gwinn/Redferns, via Getty Image.

In Fond Remembrance: Glen Fishbach (Country Deputy Director 1963-1966)

Glen Fishbach (Country Deputy Director in India 1963-1966) passed away early this past Tuesday morning. He was at home in Laguna Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where he wanted to be. He was still an indomitable spirit but could not recover his failing body. He is survived by his wife Eileen of 62 years and his children, Steve, Andrea (Andi) and Alisa and 5 grandchildren.

The family is planning to have a ‘Celebration of Life’ gathering in Laguna Beach in July on what would have been Glen’s 90th birthday. If you would like details please email his daughters Andi (afishbach@gmail.com) and Alisa (alisa.fishbach@gmail.com).