ARLINGTON, VA, June 12, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present John W. McDonald with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. McDonald celebrates many years of experience in his professional networks, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 70 years of professional experience, Mr. McDonald is a lawyer, U.S. diplomat, former international civil servant, development expert and peacebuilder, concerned about world social, economic and ethnic problems. He spent twenty years of his diplomatic career in Western Europe and the Middle East, graduated from the National War College (National Defense University) in 1967, worked for sixteen years on United Nations economic and social affairs, and the last four years before his retirement in 1987 he joined the U.S. State Department's newly created Center for the Study of Foreign Affairs as Coordinator for Multilateral Diplomacy. Thus ended an exciting and rewarding diplomatic career in multilateral diplomacy (Track I Diplomacy) to serve the United States of America.
The experiences gathered throughout these forty years laid the foundation for the following 30 years in the emerging field of multi-track diplomacy (Track II Diplomacy) that is designed to assist Track I diplomacy to create a better world for all people around the globe.
Government Diplomacy 1947 - 1987 (Track I Diplomacy)
For John W. McDonald, a diplomatic career began with a vision in early 1936 while listening to a U.S. Consular Officer addressing high school students in El Paso, TX. McDonald's father was serving at Fort Bliss in the Army (Cavalry). His father was glad to see that his son was interested in a career in public service. As a little boy, in 1929/30, he had suffered an infection due to a skating accident which resulted in osteomyelitis, a medical condition that could not be healed (penicillin was not yet invented) and which precluded later in life a military career. Bedridden for two years after thirteen surgeries, and with his left arm rendered immobile for three-and-a-half years, the boy recuperated at an adult ward (Ward 8) at the old Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. His mother taught him on a daily basis at the hospital, bringing school material from a kind teacher and books galore to read, which resulted in his having received an advanced education in relation to his peers when he was finally released. His one year younger sister Ethel never forgot the waiting hours in a cold and drafty lobby of Walter Read.
In 1937, John W. McDonald's father was transferred from Fort Bliss, Texas, to Fort Shafter in Honolulu, Hawaii where McDonald Jr. attended Roosevelt High School. Not yet 16 years old, he got his first job and Social Security card, working hard in the Dole Pineapple Company, an environment very different from what he was used to. After his graduation from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu in 1939, he attended the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Deeply affected by the loss of several classmates from Roosevelt High School in the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the US entry into WW II, yet declared F4 (unfit for military service because of his osteomyelitis), McDonald helped the war effort by working as a machinist in Chicago, making body-piercing bullets. When the end of the war was in sight, the factory closed down, and McDonald had "earned" membership in the Machinist Union.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1943 and his Letter in Fencing, a sport that accompanied him throughout his diplomatic career and private life for more than 50 years. He got married in October 1943 to Barbara Stewart; and he decided to obtain a law degree. The U of Illinois transmitted advance credit courses that McDonald had earned during his undergraduate studies and admitted him to its Law School. To support himself and his wife in the following years, McDonald joined the Teamsters Union to work as a truck driver for the Quality Wet-Wash Laundry Company in the poorest part of the City of Chicago until he obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence in the summer of 1946 and was admitted to practice law by the State of Illinois at the end of 1946. Admission to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court followed in 1951 and he joined the American Bar Association.
Once McDonald finished Law School in 1946, he decided to join the US Military Government of Occupation (OMGUS) in Germany. He arrived in the much destroyed city of Berlin on January 15, 1947, inspired and determined to help rebuild Europe. Actually, his father, who after World War I had been stationed in Koblenz, Germany – the birthplace of McDonald in February 1922 – was posted in Bad Homburg in 1946 with his wife. Thus, for a few months in early 1947, they were a welcome haven for McDonald's young family, his wife Barbara and their two children, Marilyn (Lynn) and James (Jim).
McDonald served as one of the first civilian employees with OMGUS in Germany and joined his U.S. military colleagues in the Legal Section of the Four Power Allied Control Council (U.S., France, Great Britain and Soviet Union). Over the next couple of years, the American military occupation in Germany gave way to civilians and the Department of State. On June 20, 1948, the German Currency Reform, removing the Reichsmark and replacing it with the Deutsche Mark, divided Germany de facto into two countries. In 1949 McDonald joined the U.S. State Department's Foreign Service, and was appointed assistant district attorney in Frankfurt and the Land Hessen, under the tripartite Allied High Commission. It was an excellent legal experience to apply US Law and training German lawyers in democratic procedures.
From 1950 to 1952, McDonald worked as U.S. Secretary of the Law Committee, (Allied High Commission Law Secretariat), in the pre-war renowned Hotel Petersberg (across from Bonn) and located in the British Zone. To reach his work place McDonald crossed every morning the river Rhine by ferry from Bad Godesberg, his home. During that time, his daughters Kathleen (Kathy) and Laura were both born in the American Hospital in Wiesbaden.
In the meantime, the Marshall Plan had begun its work and in the late summer of 1952, McDonald was named staff secretary in the U.S. Mission to the Marshall Plan in Paris, France, located in the NATO Headquarters. After two strenuous years of general aggravations by Sen. Joseph McCarthy's assertions that Communism had infiltrated the Department of State, and the difficult work to make progress on the execution of the Marshall Plan, McDonald was transferred to Washington, D.C. in November 1954. Eight years in rebuilding Europe came to an end.
McDonald began his first official assignment in the U.S. Department of State, in Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C. He was assigned to the Policy Reports Operation Staff in the office of the Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. On September 9, 1955, he was transferred to the newly created International Cooperation Administration (ICA); and on January 19, 1956 he was appointed Executive Secretary, ( a GS 17 position and higher than his professional grade as an FSO), to work closely with its first Administrator, John B. Hollister. He travelled widely to several continents with the Administrator to better understand the economic needs of the developing world. One of the more memorable moments was a dinner with Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia.
Three years later (March 1959) McDonald was sent as Economic Coordinator to CENTO, accredited to Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. The most important assignments included the building of a railroad that links Turkey (from Ankara) all the way to Iran, and mastered the major obstacle of getting trains across Lake Van by ferry in the eastern part of Turkey. It also included the establishment of a microwave system for pilots to avoid getting lost in Communist airspace territory in neighboring countries.
In January 1963, the McDonald family transferred from Ankara, Turkey, to Cairo, Egypt, where McDonald became the Economic Coordinator, the interim Science Attaché and Deputy Agricultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy. The political tensions in Egypt were palpable, and the hopes for better relations among neighboring countries never materialized. Establishing personal contacts with the Egyptian population under the Nasser regime was almost impossible, but McDonald's fencing skills were much appreciated in tacit meetings with the Mayor of Cairo, also an avid fencer. The visits from foreign scientists and archeologists to Egypt, especially the Pyramids, were most interesting, and AID experts on agriculture made great efforts to increase the annual crops.
The McDonald Family left Egypt for a new assignment in Washington, D.C. just before the 1967 War – "The six days that changed the Middle East". They bought a house in Arlington, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. and McDonald attended the National War College (now part of the National Defense University). He graduated in June 1967 with a thesis titled "Arab Unity: Myth or Reality", still relevant today.
After 8 years working abroad, McDonald's next assignment was in Washington, D.C. He was assigned to the State Department's Office of International Organizations Bureau (IO), as Coordinator for Multilateral Affairs, focusing on the work of the United Nations and its specialized Agencies. He attended the second conference of the newly created United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCAD II) in early 1968 in New Delhi, India.
In October 1970, McDonald married Christel G. McDonald from Hamburg, Germany and one of the very early European Civil Servants of the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community, Brussels, Belgium and posted in Geneva, Switzerland.
While waiting for a new assignment abroad, McDonald was named Interim Deputy Assistant Secretary of IO, attended annually the UN General Assembly meetings and its specialized committees, and began preparing through numerous federal Inter-Agency meetings for the UN Environment Conference in 1972 in Stockholm and the UN Population Conference in Bucharest, Romania in 1974. At the UN Environment Conference in Stockholm, McDonald drafted the Resolution in coordination with representatives from other countries that led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Program in Nairobi, Kenya.
In the fall of 1974 McDonald was seconded to the United Nation's oldest agency, the International Labour Organisation, founded in 1919, in Geneva, Switzerland. His efforts as Deputy Director General to modernize the ILO included the introduction of a digitalized library, the creation of a Women's Bureau within the ILO, etc. Unfortunately by 1977 further attempts to modernize were largely hampered by the U.S. Government's threat to withdraw from the organization. AFL-CIO pressure on President Carter was successful and in early 1978 the U.S. government announced the withdrawal of US membership in the ILO, the organization it once helped to establish after World War I.
McDonald returned to the State Department, and in the following years, both, Presidents Carter and Bush, appointed McDonald twice to the rank of Ambassador to represent the United States at numerous international conferences around the world. He was instrumental in formulating language for several UN Resolutions having impact on the whole world, such as, for example, the UN Decade for disabled persons, the International Day of Peace, the United Nations Volunteers and many others.
The establishment of the Center for the Study of Foreign Affairs within the State Department's Foreign Service Institute, the training arm for diplomats, in 1983 brought new challenges for McDonald. It was an excellent opportunity to organize and lead symposia on global issues. The results were a dozen books such as "US-Soviet Summits"; "Perspectives on Negotiation"' "Defining a US negotiating style" and many more. Most importantly, these years from 1983 to 1987 saw the emergence of a new kind of diplomacy. A colleague of McDonald, Joe Montville, named it TRACK II DIPLOMACY. McDonald edited the first book on Track Two diplomacy, focusing on the emerging field of Conflict Resolution, in 1986. It not only changed McDonald's life and career but also that of how governments and Civil Society can work together. It was the stepping stone for McDonald after a 40 year official government career in diplomacy into the world of non-governmental organizations and multi-track diplomacy.
Track II Diplomacy 1987-2017
The next thirty years were exciting. Teaching Law at the George Washington University, being the first President of the Iowa Peace Institute (IPI) in Grinnell, Iowa and lecturing at Grinnell College (1989-1991), advising as North American Representative with UNEP in Nairobi, hosting the different factions from Northern Ireland at the IPI, training the first group of Representatives from the Tibetan Government in-Exile in conflict resolution skills after having had his first of several meetings with His Holiness The Dalai Lama, establishing mandatory peer mediation in the schools of Iowa, travelling to Havana, Cuba and Moscow, Soviet Union to talk about the advantages of win-win in a conflict environment, visiting several cities in Japan to talk about the need to make progress for access for people with disabilities to trains, offices, buildings, restaurants, participating in a conferences in the Netherlands bringing together in UNPO (Unrepresented People's Organization), supporting a former Vice-President of Taiwan to regain membership in the UN, filled the days and months and years until early 1992.
McDonald returned to Washington, D.C. in early 1992 and registered with enthusiasm the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy he co-founded with Dr. Louise Diamond as a 501©3.This non-governmental organization was based on their concept of peacebuilding through multi-track diplomacy – a systems-approach to peacebuilding including civil society . McDonald was its chairman and CEO for 25 years, and he only retired on October 24, 2017, just a few months short of his 96th birthday. The organization continues its activities in international peacebuilding.
A respected leader in his diplomacy and peacebuilding, Mr. McDonald has been affiliated with numerous organizations in relation to his areas of expertise. He has been a member of the George Mason University's Advisory Board of the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) for almost 35 years. In 2017, The Advisory Board of S-CAR presented the Ambassador John W. McDonald Award to former Congressman Jim Moran (Virginia). McDonald is recognized as a president emeritus and the former chair of the U.S. Association for the Club of Rome, a former member of the board of trustees of People to People International, and a former chair of the federal interagency committee of the International Year of Disable Persons. A member of the Society of Dispute Resolution, he was also active with the Consortium of Peace Research, Education, and Development, the Cosmos Club, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Phi Delta Phi.
The Founder (1982), chair and a member of the board of directors of Global Water, McDonald has also been involved with the Touchstone Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. He was on the World Committee for the United Nations Decade of Disabled Person and Countdown 2001, and on the People to People Committee on disability. The former board chair of the American Impact Foundation, he has also served as chair and director of the American Association on International Aging, and a member and vice president of the United Nations Association-National Capital Area (Washington, D.C.) He was until recently the Chair of the Millennium Project.
As a leading voice in his field, Mr. McDonald has written and edited numerous books, including "The North-South Dialogue and the UN." He authored two editions of "How to be a Delegate," "Perspectives on Negotiation," and two editions of "Conflict Resolution: Track Two Diplomacy." The Editor of "U.S. Soviet Summitry," Mr. McDonald also wrote "U.S. Bases Overseas: Negotiations with Spain, Greece, and the Philippines," the four editions of "Multi-Track Diplomacy," "Defining a U.S. Negotiation Style," "Conflict Resolution & Peacebuilding-The Role of NGOs in Historical Reconciliation & Territorial Issue," and finally "The Shifting Grounds of Conflict and Peacebuilding: Stories and Lessons" (2008)" also available in paperback. In addition, Mr. McDonald has contributed articles to professional journals on aging, terrorism, water, and conflict resolution, as the coeditor of "International Negotiation," and as a featured participant in an exhibit at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, VA.
Throughout his career, Mr. McDonald has been recognized for his contributions. A former Nobel Peace Prize nominee, he was named Patriot of the Year by Kansas City, and the John W. McDonald Annual Award at the University of Massachusetts's Department of Environmental Studies is named in his honor. The United States State Department has given him a Superior Honor Award and a Presidential Meritorious Service Award, and the Association for Conflict Resolution gave him a Peace Maker Award. The recipient of a Peace Builders Award from the Search for Common Ground International, People to People International also recognized him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received an Alumni of the Year Award from the University of Illinois, who also bestowed him with an Alumni Achievement Award. More recently, he also received the Emile Kanim Award For Peace and Justice (Ottawa, Canada). In sum, McDonald served his country under eight American Presidents as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer and under four American Presidents while serving our global civil society.
Now is the time to enjoy the time with the children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Mr. McDonald's lifelong goal has been to bring people together and contribute to a more peaceful world,. He has always lived with the belief that "the only way to solve a conflict at any level of society is to sit down face to face and talk.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, John McDonald has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #