[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 194 (Tuesday, December 18, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15904-S15905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE STEPHEN LOW

 Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate a 
distinguished former member of the Foreign Service, the Honorable 
Stephen Low, on the occasion of his recent 80th birthday on December 2, 
2007. He has rendered many years of service to our Nation, and I am 
honored to celebrate this milestone and his achievements.
  Upon receiving his doctorate from the Fletcher School of Law and 
Diplomacy in 1956, the future Ambassador joined the Department of State 
as an Intelligence Research Officer in what was then the Bureau of Far 
Eastern Affairs. In the years that followed, Ambassador Low served as 
the Economic-Labor Officer in Kampala, Uganda; the Chief of Political 
Section, Dakar, Senegal; the Special Assistant to the Deputy Under 
Secretary of State for Political Affairs; and the Counselor for 
Political Affairs in Brasilia, Brazil. He then returned to Washington 
where he was named the Director of Brazil Affairs in the early 1970s.
  During the Ford administration, Stephen Low advised our Nation's 
policymakers on the National Security Council as the senior staff 
member for Latin America. He then returned to service abroad, as the 
U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria. Three years later he served as Ambassador 
to Zambia. Ambassador Low performed these duties admirably, receiving 
the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award and two Presidential 
Meritorious Service Awards.
  In 1982 Ambassador Low became the Director of the State Department's 
Foreign Service Institute, the Federal Government's primary training 
institution for officers and support personnel of the U.S. foreign 
affairs community. His commitment to education has been steadfast ever 
since. In addition to teaching and administrative posts at the Johns 
Hopkins University and other schools, Ambassador Low was named 
President of the Association of Diplomatic Studies and Teaching, an 
office he held until 1997.
  Today the Ambassador continues his active career. As President and 
Founder of the Foreign Affairs Museum Council, Ambassador Low worked 
with members of Congress and all living former Secretaries of State to 
improve public understanding of the role of diplomacy and the Foreign 
Service. As he has stated:

       Many Americans have little idea what an embassy is, or what 
     an ambassador does. Nor are they aware that our diplomats and 
     other Foreign Service personnel work 24/7 around the world in 
     the interest of the American people.

  His subsequent advocacy and leadership in the planning of a National 
Museum of American Diplomacy at the Department of State has helped to 
ensure that our Nation honors the past achievements and ongoing service 
of our country's diplomats.
  I congratulate Ambassador Low on his 80th birthday and his lifetime 
of achievement. I wish him many more years of good health and active 
service to our country.
  I ask that the attached resolution be printed in the Record.
  The material follows.
       Congratulating Hon. Stephen Low on a lifetime of service to 
     the cause and promotion of American diplomacy, and on the 
     recent passing of his 80th birthday on December 2, 2007;
       Whereas throughout his years as a career Foreign Service 
     Officer, Ambassador Low served as the U.S. Ambassador to 
     Nigeria and the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia;
       Whereas while advising the National Security Council, 
     Ambassador Low served as a senior staff member for Latin 
     America;
       Whereas Ambassador Low has received the Department of State 
     Distinguished Honor Award and two Presidential Meritorious 
     Service Awards;
       Whereas in his commitment to education, Ambassador Low has 
     served as the Director of the State Department's Foreign 
     Service Institute, President of the Association for 
     Diplomatic Studies and Training, and several teaching posts 
     in the United States and abroad;
       Whereas Ambassador Low continues to be active in the 
     creation of a museum and center for the study of American 
     diplomacy at the Department of State: Now, therefore, be it

[[Page S15905]]

       Resolved, That the Committee on Foreign Relations expresses 
     to Ambassador Low deep appreciation for his service to the 
     Department of State and the United States of America.

                          ____________________