[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 8, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF VAL McCOMIE, FORMER AMBASSADOR OF BARBADOS AND 
  FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ORGANISATION OF AMERICAN 
                                 STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 8, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
life of my friend, Val McComie, who after a distinguished career and a 
lifetime of service, passed away on May 4, 2007, and to enter into the 
Record his obituary.
  Ambassador McComie dedicated his life to public service. He served as 
a secondary teacher, and then embarked upon a career in diplomacy that 
saw him reach and contribute at the very highest levels. He began at 
the entry level of the Barbados Diplomatic Service, then rose quickly 
through the ranks to become his nation's ambassador to Venezuela from 
1974 to 1976, and Assistant Secretary General of the Organisation of 
American States from 1980 to 1990. His dedication to public service is 
noteworthy. I'm particularly proud of his interest in human rights and 
environmental issues. His legacy within the inter-American community 
will live on.
  I will keep his wife, Elia Garcia McComie and daughter Gail McComie 
in my thoughts and prayers.

   Obituary--Val McComie, Former Assistant Secretary General of the 
                    Organisation of American States

       Val McComie, 87, a former ambassador of Barbados to the 
     United States and Assistant Secretary General of the 
     Organisation of American States, died May 4 after a lengthy 
     illness at the Washington Home hospice in Washington, DC.
       Ambassador McComie was born in Trinidad and received his 
     secondary education in Trinidad and Barbados. He attended the 
     University of London, graduating in Modern Languages. He 
     completed post-graduate studies at the University of Bordeaux 
     and the University of California, Los Angeles.
       Val McComie taught at secondary schools in Barbados, 
     Arizona, and Ghana, and then joined the Barbados diplomatic 
     service after the country became independent in 1966. He was 
     appointed as ambassador to the United States and permanent 
     representative to the OAS in 1968. He was instrumental in 
     negotiating Barbados' entry into the OAS and the Inter-
     American Development bank. He subsequently served as 
     ambassador to Venezuela from 1974 to 1976.
       Ambassador McComie was elected as Assistant Secretary 
     General of the OAS in 1979, and served with distinction for 
     two successive terms from 1980 to 1990. He retired in 1990.
       He was well known in inter-American circles for his 
     outstanding and successful efforts at creating greater links 
     of understanding and practical cooperation between the Latin 
     American countries and the countries of the English-speaking 
     Caribbean. He also encouraged the promotion of human rights 
     and environmental concerns in the hemisphere.
       His first wife, Margery Clarke McComie, died in 1956.
       Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Elia Garcia McComie 
     of Washington; a daughter from his first marriage, Gail 
     McComie of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and two sisters.

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