Statement from Ambassador Mark Green on the Passing of General Colin L. Powell

The Wilson Center joins Americans the world over in mourning the passing of General Colin L. Powell.  Soldier, diplomat, leader and mentor, he gave so very much to the country he loved.

General Powell served on the Board of Trustees at the Wilson Center, and in 2004, while serving as Secretary of State, the first African American to do so, he spoke at a Wilson Center event celebrating George Kennan’s 100th birthday. In 2005 our institution was again honored when General Powell and his wife Alma accepted The Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service.

We know he believed in our mission to, in the words of our legislative charter, “strengthen the fruitful relation between the world of learning and the world of public affairs.” Needless to say, through his more than four decades of public service, General Powell’s inspirational leadership on both the battlefield and in the highest levels of civilian government, taught us all a great deal. And as America’s first African American Secretary of State, he inspired a generation of young Americans to reach for the stars in public service.

Our thoughts and prayers are with General Powell’s family.