Others With Mickey Leland

The tragic death of Rep. Mickey Leland was a loss to the nation and to all who knew him. But we should also remember the others on that plane, who shared Congressman Leland’s dedication to helping the needy of this world. Three of these, Tom and Roberta Worrick and Gladys Gilbert, were employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID).

These individuals symbolized the best in public service. They were not only skilled professionals but humanitarians, with long years of service in the poorest parts of Africa. Their deaths should remind us that we have courageous Americans in posts all over the world, quietly and persistently working for improvements in others’ lives.

The Worricks and Ms. Gilbert were not in Ethiopia by accident. They volunteered for duty there, knowing that it was dangerous and demanding. Doing relief work in Ethiopia is often like being in a war. It requires frequent hazardous flights, exposure to dangerous diseases in refugee camps, and living in primitive rural areas. The Worricks and Gilbert accepted the risks, because they wanted to be where the need is greatest.

Each also had personal ties to Ethiopia. The Worricks had served as Peace Corps volunteers there 20 years before, and returned for special duty during the 1984-85 famine. Mrs. Worrick was so fluent in the Amharic language that Ethiopians sometimes mistook her for a native on the phone.

Gilbert had sought out duty in the most difficult posts in Africa, first in the Ethiopian famine and then in Somalia. Colleagues remember that she was ecstatic the day she learned that she would be returning to Ethiopia for a long-term assignment.

This is the kind of people they were: generous, committed, and caring, representing the best of the American character. They don’t come any better. We at AID salute Tom and Roberta Worrick and Gladys Gilbert. We honor them. And we mourn their passing.

MARK L. EDELMAN

AID Acting Administrator

Washington, D.C.