Contributions by Hoosiers in the Foreign Service

Born and raised in South Bend, Donald C. Bergus joined the Foreign Service in 1942. He became head of the U.S. Interests Section in Cairo in 1967 while U.S.-Egyptian diplomatic relations were suspended following the Six-Day War. Bergus began talks with President Nasser and then President Sadat that eventually led to the restoration of diplomatic relations in 1974. He was sworn in as Ambassador to Sudan in 1977, during rising tensions between the northern and southern parts of the country. Read his oral history ADST’s website.

Nancy Ostrander, born in Indianapolis and a graduate of Butler University, entered the foreign service in 1947. When she was Ambassador to Suriname, local soldiers launched the 1980 coup d’état in the barracks beside her residence. She ensured the protection of American personnel and equipment during the fighting. One of her final assignments was as the Diplomat-in-Residence at Indiana University. Her full story is in ADST’s collection.

Raised in Jeffersonville as the son of an African Methodist Episcopal minister, Theodore A. Boyd served with the U.S. Army during the Cold War before entering the Foreign Service in 1970. As the Cultural Affairs Officer in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution, he coordinated evacuation of Fulbright scholars and other Americans until he himself departed after being threatened by radicals. Read the rest of his story here.

Alice Amelia Dress, born in Evansville, entered the Foreign Service in 1972. After serving from Rome to Senegal, she became Economic Counselor in Riyadh in 2000, where she fought restrictions on imported food products, helping to turn Saudi Arabia into one of the United States’ top 20 agricultural export markets. Read her story here.