[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 44]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF JOHN MICHAEL GRANVILLE, AN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT

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                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 15, 2008

  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
an outstanding citizen of Buffalo and Western New York, John Michael 
Granville, an American diplomat who devoted his adult life to promoting 
peace through his foreign aid and humanitarian work in Africa.
  John Granville, who worked for the U.S. Agency for International 
Development (US AID) in Sudan, was fatally shot after attending a party 
at the British Embassy in Khartoum. His sudden passing is a great shock 
to us all and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends 
at this very difficult time. In this senseless tragedy, we lost a man 
of peace and purpose, a man who had dedicated himself to making the 
world a better place for others.
  John Granville was a thoughtful and honorable man who was deeply 
loved by his family, friends and the community. Born and raised in my 
hometown of Buffalo, NY, John Granville was an outstanding young man. 
We are proud to salute John and honor him for his lasting service to 
our nation and to countries abroad and for the important humanitarian 
work he was doing in Africa.
  John was a graduate of Canisius High School, Fordham University and 
held a Master's degree in International Development from Clark 
University. The John M. Granville '93 Memorial Scholarship has been 
established at his high school alma mater in his memory as family; 
friends and classmates want to make sure he will never be forgotten.
  Before joining USAID, John served as a Peace Corps volunteer in 
Cameroon, where he helped build the first school in a rural village. 
His love for Africa and the people of Africa was realized during his 
years of service there. John's most recent work involved distributing 
radios to people in the southern part of Sudan to maximize the effect 
of the agency's broadcasting initiatives in Sudan's southern region, 
which is recovering from a 21-year civil war. The goal was to prepare 
southern Sudan for elections in 2009, and a possible referendum in 2011 
on independence.
  We know John will be missed beyond measure by his loving mother, 
Jane, his beloved sister Katie and brother-in law Sean, his loving 
nieces Caroline, Julia, Hanna and Molly and nephew Matthew, his 
extended family and dear friends. Everyone who knew or was influenced 
by John will mourn his loss in their own way. I will do my part to 
honor John's memory by calling upon the Administration to strengthen 
its efforts to protect American diplomats serving overseas and to bring 
stability to Sudan and the surrounding region.
  We must pray for the Granville, O'Connell and McCabe Families and for 
John Granville, with a tremendous sense of appreciation for the great 
sacrifice that he made as he worked to promote peace in Africa. I take 
the liberty of honoring John's life and legacy by including the 
statement issued by his family, ``John's life was a celebration of 
love, hope and peace. He will be missed by many people throughout the 
world whose lives were touched and made better because of his care.''

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