In Memoriam: Christine Shelly

[Penndems]

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Christine Shelly, 54, former Deputy Commandant for International Affairs from July 2002 to August 2004, died on Saturday, December 17, in Northern Virginia, following a long illness.

Shelly, a career diplomat, entered the State Department Foreign Service in 1975 after completing degrees at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Prior to her assignment to the United States Army War College, Shelly served as Political Adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Eric K. Shinseki, from June 1999 through June 2002.

Shelly’s prior political-military experience includes assignment with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium, from 1990-1993 where she served as an advisor to the NATO Secretary General. From 1987-1990, Ms Shelly served in the U.S. Mission to NATO.

In 1993, Shelly was appointed by Secretary of State Warren Christopher as his Deputy Spokesman and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Public Affairs. As Deputy and later Acting Spokesman, she regularly conducted State Department press briefings.

Her other Foreign Service overseas assignments include the U.S. Embassies in Lisbon, Portugal, Cairo, Egypt and Ottawa, Canada.

Throughout her career, Shelly twice received the State Department’s Superior Honor Award. She was also a 2001 recipient of the Adjunct Faculty Award in National Security Affairs, given by the State Department Foreign Service Institute. At the completion of her assignment with the Army War College Shelly was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the Army and the Superior Service Award from the State Department.

A memorial service will be held on January 8, 2006 at her family’s home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
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Christine, along with Mike McCurry, was my immediate supervisor at the State Department. You might remember her from her days as the Assistant Spokeman (as she liked to be referred to), or seen her on CNN and CSPAN during the early years of the Clinton Administration. For those who've watched the movie "Hotel Rwanda", that's Christine giving the State Department press briefing on June 10, 1994.

The obituary gives a concise overview of her career, but there's more to the story. Christine was a tough taskmaster and a perfectionist, but in a male-dominated, old-boy institution like the Foreign Service where women have to fight to get ahead, she held her own and was a role model for every woman at State. Christine was the consummate professional - always prepared for her briefings, available to the press corps, and she treated me as her equal - not just her secretary.

In her personal life, Christine and her husband owned a farm in Catlett, Fauquier County, Virginia, where she was an avid horsewoman. She loved nothing more than going there after work, saddling up one of her small herd.

Christine died in Arlington, Virginia on December 17th, 2005, of ovarian cancer. She was only 54 years old.

An addendum: Christine's obituary was only released by the State Department this month, and there is no mention of her being the former Assistant Spokesman. I seached The Washington Post website trying to find her obituary but, as unbelievable as it sounds, there was abolutely nothing about her death published.

I just learned about this today from a former colleague, who had just found out about it herself. :mad:

[lildreamer316]

1. What

in the hell? Why would they choose to keep her death a SECRET?
Very, very very strange.
Sorry for your loss and thanks for the info.

[Sydnie]

2. Why would they keep an obit out of the paper?

Did the family not request (translate PAY FOR) one in DC? :shrug:

[Penndems]

4. That's a good question, for which I have no answer

Every single foreign correspondent knew Christine, up to and including those covering the State Department beat.

Why there would be no obituary for Christine in the WaPo - which is a major NATIONAL daily - is beyond me.

[Wetzelbill]

3. RIP

wow, sorry for your loss. That's a bad situation all around. I hope it was some mistake somehow, I mean that is a pretty awful thing to keep an obituary out like that. If that was purposeful, then it's unconscionable.

[Penndems]

6. Not just my loss, but also that of the State Department, DoD, the

Foreign Service.

Christine was a public servant in the truest sense of the word, not some some clueless, slacking, overpaid bureaucrat sloping at the taxpayer trough.

[Wetzelbill]

7. no doubt about that

people like her are in short supply nowadays. True public service is a great thing. Those who are altruistic and committed to it with all their hearts deserve commendation. I'm considering applying when I finish my degree in a few years.

[Penndems]

8. Applying to the Foreign Service, or the Civil Service?

n/t

[Wetzelbill]

9. foreign service

I went to listen to a recruiter a few years ago. Not fully decided on if I would want to go into the political aspect of it, or something else. I'm equally good at a few different things (for example I have a video degree and am a published writer), plus the recruiter seemed pretty excited that I am a minority. I plan on applying for several different jobs when I'm done and taking it from there. :) State would be cool though. I love foreign policy and all that stuff. It's addicting, in all honesty. Probably couldn't ever read enough about it, haha. :)

[lavenderdiva]

5. rest in peace.....

n/t