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USAID Memorial Service for Colleagues in Nepal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2006
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, Ambassador Randall L. Tobias, Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) held a memorial ceremony honoring two colleagues, Ms. Margaret Alexander and Dr. Bijnan Acharya, who died in the line of duty in a helicopter crash in Nepal on September 23, 2006. This ceremony was held at the USAID Memorial Wall in the lobby of USAID headquarters in Washington, DC.
"USAID lost two beloved colleagues, along with 22 other passengers equally dedicated to the cause of environmental conservation in Nepal" said Ambassador Tobias. "Word of the tragedy reverberated here in this building as it did-throughout the world-in over 80 missions and wherever our USAID family is located. Nepal declared a day of mourning in their honor. It was a fitting tribute to such wonderful people. Flags were lowered simultaneously here at the Ronald Reagan Building, over at the Harry S. Truman Building, and in Nepal."
Family members and friends joined dignitaries and senior leaders from USAID and the State Department and to pay respects to their fallen colleagues. Ms. Alexander and Dr. Acharya were posthumously awarded the Thomas Jefferson Star Award for Foreign Service by President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. This award is the highest honor that can be given to a State Department employee who is killed in the line of duty.
Ms. Alexander spent most of her career as a USAID lawyer, serving in Africa in the Regional Office for West Africa. She was Assistant General Counsel for the Europe and Eurasia Bureau in Washington D.C. before becoming Deputy Mission Director for Nepal last year. A testimonial read by Ambassador Tobias described her as "a stalwart warrior for development who maintained humor in all circumstances" and would "have been satisfied to 'die with her boots on' but it was much too early and too sad."
Dr. Bijnan Acharya worked with USAID Nepal for more than a decade. There he most recently served as an Environmental Officer, responsible for all environmental impact assessments in the country while also managing USAID environmental programs with the NGO community.
Ms. Alexander and Dr. Acharya were among 24 passengers who died in the crash, which occurred following a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ceremony celebrating the handover of a conservation area to the local community. The memorial concluded with the placement of their names upon the Memorial Wall and the laying of wreaths by representatives of the WWF, USAID, the Embassy of Nepal, and the American Foreign Service Association.
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