A spouse remembers: "My God, I’m not a person!"

First Spouse Program coin for Abigail Adams. R...Image via Wikipedia

KOTULA: Oh, yes, a lot less of this. And I had — there were obviously a lot of receptions in San Jose, Costa Rica, that included visiting Congressmen or high-up specialty people in the Department of State, whether it be whatever agency or department– USIS, or the Bureau of Consular Affairs. And there were a number of women who would come through from time to time from Washington, whether with Congressmen or from the Department of State or some other agency. Coming officially or accompanying someone, what have you. These were high-level receptions. I don’t know how many times in a year, vis-a-vis women visitors, one of them would ask me, “Oh, and what do you do in the embassy?” And I’d say, “No, I’m a professional artist. My husband is So-and-so.” And that would be the end of that conversation, and it would be very clear what I was thought of. You know, like, “You don’t count!” (both laugh heartily) I can understand, but it just adds to your feelings of being a non-person. You get that feeling from men, but I think I’ve got that feeling from women a lot more.

Q: Really?

KOTULA: Yes.

Q: Especially people from outside the community, visiting people?

KOTULA: Yes. Women on Congressmen’s staff who were visiting with the Congressman. I didn’t get it from female Congresswomen. I did get it from women working within the Department of State or other agencies who were visiting. Several of them, I recall, were working for the U.S. Information Agency.

Q: You think perhaps they could be educated a little better? (she laughs)

KOTULA: I don’t know how you’d get over that. But that’s just another thing that adds to the feeling “my God, I’m not a person.”


The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training | Spouse Series
Excerpted from Interview with Ruth Enslie Kotula
Art Teacher and Professional Artist (FS Spouse 1966-1989)

SFRC Hearings: David Jacobson

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
111th CONGRESS
1st SESSION


Date:
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Time: 10:00 A.M.
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Kaufman


Nominee

David C. Jacobson, of Illinois
to be Ambassador to Canada

The SFRC hearing page is here for videos and opening statements.

SFRC Clears 22 State Dept/Ambassador-Nominees

On August 04, 22 State Department and Ambassador-Nominees were endorsed by the Committee on Foreign Relations (without printed report). These nominations now go to the Senate for a full vote.

Ertharin Cousin, of Illinois, for the rank of
Ambassador during her tenure of service as
U. S. Representative to the United Nations
Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

Kerri-Ann Jones, of Maine, to be Assistant
Secretary of State for Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific
Affairs, vice Claudia A. McMurray, resigned.

David Killion, of the District of Columbia, for
the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of
service as the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization.

Glyn T. Davies, of the District of Columbia, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign
Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Representative of the United States of
America to the Vienna Office of the United
Nations, with the rank of Ambassador.

Glyn T. Davies, of the District of Columbia, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign
Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Representative of the United States of
America to the International Atomic Energy
Agency, with the rank of Ambassador.

Michael Anthony Battle, Sr., of Georgia, to be
Representative of the United States of
America to the African Union, with the rank
and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary.

Martha Larzelere Campbell, of Michigan, a
Career Member of the Senior Foreign
Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Republic of the Marshall
Islands.

John R. Bass, of New York, a Career Member
of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of
Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to Georgia.

James B. Foley, of New York, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of
Croatia.

Kenneth E. Gross, Jr., of Virginia, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Counselor, to be Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of
Tajikistan.

Teddy Bernard Taylor, of Maryland, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to Papua New
Guinea, and to serve concurrently and
without additional compensation as
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Solomon Islands and
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Republic of Vanuatu.

John Victor Roos, of California, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to Japan.

Judith Gail Garber, of Virginia, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Minister-Counselor to be Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of
Latvia.

James Knight, of Alabama, a Career Member
of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of
Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Republic of Benin.

Karen Kornbluh, of New York, to be
Representative of the United States of
America to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, with the rank
of Ambassador.

Bruce J. Oreck, of Colorado, to be Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to the Republic of
Finland.

Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., of Utah, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the People’s Republic of China.

Douglas W. Kmiec, of California, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Republic of Malta.

Jonathan S. Addleton, of Georgia, a Career
Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class
of Career Minister, to be Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
United States of America to Mongolia.

Matthew Winthrop Barzun, of Kentucky, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to Sweden.

William Carlton Eacho, III, of Maryland, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Republic of Austria.

Philip D. Murphy, of New Jersey, to be
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of
America to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Aaron S. Williams, of Virginia, to be Director of
the Peace Corps, vice Ronald A. Tschetter,
resigned.

Confirmed: These 12 Ambassadors Are Going to Posts

Flag of a US AmbassadorUS Ambassador Flag: Image via Wikipedia

On August 4th, the Senate confirmed the following Executive Nominations for ambassadors to various countries in Africa, South Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and Europe. The link to the Congressional Record will be added once it is posted online.

Career Appointees:

Patricia Butenis, Ambassador to Sri Lanka

Charles Ray,
Ambassador to Zimbabwe

Gayleatha Brown
, Ambassador to Burkina Faso

Pamela Slutz,
Ambassador to Burundi

Patricia Moller,
Ambassador to Guinea

Jerry Lanier
, Ambassador to Uganda


Non-Career Appointees:

Alfonso Lenhardt, Ambassador to Tanzania

Samuel Kaplan
, Ambassador to Morocco

James Smith
, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

Miguel Diaz,
Ambassador to the Holy See

Fay Hartog-Levin
, Ambassador to the Netherlands

Stephen Rapp,
Ambassador at Large for War Crimes

CONFIRMATIONS — (Senate – August 04, 2009)
[Page: S8783] GPO’s PDF