Anne Smedinghoff Memorial Fund at Johns Hopkins

April 18, 2013 By in Foreign Service, FSOs, Memorial, State Department Tags: , , , ,

Via JHU:

The friends and family of Anne Smedinghoff, a 2009 Johns Hopkins graduate who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month while working as a State Department diplomat, have established a fund in her memory.

The Anne Smedinghoff Memorial Fund at Johns Hopkins University will provide support for students who wish to pursue activities in the area of international development or diplomacy. Those who wish to make a contribution can do so by visiting http://krieger.jhu.edu/giving and selecting the Anne Smedinghoff Memorial Fund in the online donation form, or by contacting Dan Luperchio at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at 410-516-0488.

Smedinghoff, 25, was one of five Americans killed April 7 when the convoy they were traveling in was struck by a suicide bomber in southern Afghanistan. She was among a group of officials traveling to a school to donate books.

 

On April 17, Ms. Smedinghoff was remembered at a funeral in River Forest. The State Department was represented by Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy. Below is an except from oakpark.com:

 

At a crowded Mass at St. Luke Parish on Lake Street, with an overflow crowd watching from the nearby gymnasium, Rev. Kenneth Fisher, Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy and her father all spoke about the life of the vivacious, thoughtful and bright young woman.
[…]
Kennedy offered the perspective from the State Department, where she’d earned great respect in just her three years of service. He spoke about how Anne was chosen to assist Secretary of State John Kerry on his visit to Afghanistan, which she was specially selected for. She could have chosen anywhere, he said, but chose a tough country where she could make a real difference.

 

“Anne stood out as a superstar in the making,” he said. “Anne loved her work very much. Anne had that real gift of infusing optimism and joy in the work we did. …Anne truly represented the best of us.”

 

Celebrations of life have now been held on three continents, Kennedy said, which he said “speaks volume for (Anne’s) character.” Messages have come from around the world about people touched by Anne’s life.

Read the full coverage here (includes some photos and a short clip of the funeral procession).

 

— DS

 

 

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