[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 21903-21904]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   EULOGY FOR AMBASSADOR JOHN DAWSON

  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, last year, my husband, Bob, had the 
privilege of introducing Members of the Senate to John Dawson, who was 
nominated to serve as the United States Ambassador to Peru. Ambassador 
Dawson assumed leadership of the Embassy in Lima in November 2002, at a 
time of increasing discontent with the government of President 
Alejandro Toledo. Undaunted, John was excited about the challenges and 
opportunities of the new post. But his tenure there was all too brief. 
Sadly, just as he was entering the prime of his life and at the 
pinnacle of his career, John died of cancer on August 1, 2003.
  Those who knew John well, knew him to be very dedicated to duty a man 
with a high sense of optimism and

[[Page 21904]]

great compassion for others. He was kind and thoughtful, and generous 
in the giving of his time.
  At his Senate confirmation hearing, it was clear that John had 
extraordinary interpersonal skills, and the work history and experience 
to qualify him for his ambassadorship. But one curious professional 
experience that he and Bob share bears mention: At one time in their 
lives, both John and Bob were soda jerks at Dawson's Drug Store in 
Russell, KS.
  It was 1915 when John's great-grandfather took over the drug store. A 
quarter century later, John's grandfather--Ernie Dawson--gave Bob Dole 
one of his first jobs working behind the soda counter. Bob was a 
freshman in high school, and Ernie Dawson was the pharmacist at 
Dawson's Drug Store. John's two uncles, Bub and Chet, ran the store. 
Growing up in the dust bowl days of the 1930s, Bob and John's father, 
Bob Dawson, became fast friends.
  John's father, his mother Joan, and the rest of the family in Kansas 
instilled in John the work ethic, integrity, dedication, public 
spiritedness and patriotism that helped make him a success in his life 
and his work. Later, John was also fortunate to have the loving support 
of his wife, Susana.
  John was born in Kansas City in 1950, but spent much of his childhood 
in Latin America. After achieving a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors 
from the University of Michigan in 1973, where he majored in economics 
and Latin American studies, John earned a Master of Arts degree in law 
and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts 
University in 1975.
  That year, John joined the State Department as a foreign service 
officer. During a long and distinguished career in the U.S. foreign 
service, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission in El Salvador, Country 
Director for Panama, Office Director for Andean Affairs, and Economic 
Counselor at our U.S. Embassies in Panama and Costa Rica. Early on, he 
held positions as Financial Economist at the U.S. Mission to the United 
Nations in New York, at the U.S. Mission to the Organization of 
Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, in Paris, and in Buenos 
Aires and Rio de Janeiro. John also served his country in Argentina and 
Brazil, and was the Director of Mexican Affairs for the State 
Department prior to his ambassadorship in Peru.
  During his years at the State Department, John received numerous 
awards and commendations for his work in El Salvador, Costa Rica, 
Panama, Brazil, and Argentina, at the U.S. Mission to the United 
Nations, and in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. His 
dedication and success in his life's work was recognized with the 
Herbert Salzman Award for Excellence in International Economic 
Performance, a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, and Superior and 
Meritorious honor awards.
  Having achieved the post of Ambassador to Peru, John began his 
assignment with great hope and optimism. Within months, however, he 
became seriously ill and returned to the United States for treatment. 
Displaying his characteristic good humor, John looked forward to making 
a full recovery and spoke with family and friends of his desire to 
return to Peru and continue his work. Tragically, his life was cut 
short, but his memory lives on through his friends and family, and his 
many good deeds.
  Truly, America has lost a faithful public servant and John's family 
has lost a loving son, husband, father and brother. After John's death, 
Secretary of State Colin Powell stated, ``Ambassador Dawson was very 
popular with his State Department colleagues and will be remembered for 
both the dedication and collegiality he brought to all of the posts in 
which he served.'' A fitting tribute for a remarkable man.
  I join Bob Dole, Secretary Powell, and John's family, friends and 
colleagues in saluting this great American and thanking him for his 
service to our Nation.

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