USIP Mourns Passing of Board Member Ron Silver
Contact:
Lauren Sucher
+1-202-429-3822
lsucher@usip.org
Ron Silver during a 2007 Board of Directors meeting at USIP. (Photo: File photo.)
(Washington) — United States Institute of Peace (USIP) board of directors member Ron Silver passed away at his home in New York City on Sunday, March 15, 2009. USIP staff and board of directors will remember in Ron an accomplished, personable, dedicated colleague who served the Institute with distinction.
Silver was nominated to USIP's board by President Bush and confirmed by the Senate, serving from September 2007 until March 15, 2009.
In addition to a long and successful career in acting in TV, film, and on Broadway, Silver pursued a passion for international affairs, earning a Master's degree in Chinese history before becoming an actor. In 2002 he represented then-Secretary of State Colin Powell at formal ceremonies in China commemorating 9/11, and he later started the State Department program "Cultural Connect" which organizes goodwill ambassadors to reach out to youth abroad. That program sent overseas celebrities and luminaries such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Richard H. Solomon, president of the Institute, said of Ron Silver, "We have lost an active, passionate supporter and friend of the Institute. Ron immersed himself in our work, particularly our stabilization programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also ardently believed in the importance of the Institute having a permanent headquarters by the National Mall." Chairman of the board Robin West said, "Ron was an interested, active member of the board who contributed much to the mission and work at the Institute. He will be missed."
In recent years, friends of Ron Silver began contributing to a fund that will be used to designate a space in the Institute's permanent headquarters building bearing his name. "Ron's interest in international affairs was expressed in his deep commitment to the Institute," added Solomon. "His intellectual vitality was expressed in his wide ranging exploration of foreign cultures and history. His apartment was filled with volumes on all subjects in diverse languages, and he especially wanted his association with the Institute to be memorialized in his support for the USIP library. We are working to ensure that Ron's hopes are fulfilled."
