Dear Source:
Senator Jackson joins the Virgin Islands and world in mourning the untimely passing of Terence A. Todman, the first person of African descent to hold the position of career ambassador, a man hailed as the Jackie Robinson of diplomacy and known for breaking color barriers in the United States foreign service.
Born on March 13, 1926, Ambassador Todman passed away quietly on Wednesday morning at the age of 88 at the Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas after being recently diagnosed with lymphoma.
“I offer my condolences to Mrs. Doris Weston Todman, their children, and the extended family of Ambassador Todman,” said Senator Jackson, who became acquainted with the statesman in 1985 on a visit to Denmark and grew to be one of his closest mentees. “He truly loved these islands and returned to the place of his birth to take his rest.”
Senator Jackson most recently consulted with Ambassador Todman who provided insights and introductions to the present American ambassador to Denmark, to several Danish government departments, and to non-governmental organizations in preparation for the 2017 Centennial during the senator’s trip to Denmark earlier this year. Although most of his career has been spent outside of the Virgin Islands, Todman retained a deep connection to his birthplace, achieving success in returning several volumes of Danish West Indian archives from Denmark back to the Territory.
“He was born in Upstreet of working class parents in Barracks Yard, where the present Ron De Lugo District Court Building is located, and he was adopted by the late educator J. Antonio Jarvis,” said Senator Jackson, who advocated for the restoration of the J. Antonio Jarvis Museum & Learning Center, which once served as Todman’s former residence. “Of humble birth, he rose to rank, and he always maintained a home here.”
Todman, the son of Alphonso Todman and Rachael Callwood, grew up on St. Thomas as one of thirteen siblings, attending Charlotte Amalie High School, then the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico, before being drafted into the military. His service in Japan earned him a place in the Infantry Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia. He later finished a bachelor’s degree in political science at Inter-American University, masters degree in public administration at Syracuse University and post-graduate studies in political science at American University.
In 1952, Todman began his career at the U.S. Department of State at a time when blacks held jobs as messengers and secretaries. On his first day there, he recalled in an interview with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, how he walked in ready for work to be told – “We’re terribly sorry, but we only can take one hundred percent identifiable Americans. And with that accent of yours, you don’t pass muster.”
Thus began his long fight for equality within the Department of State, from gaining the right to eat in the department cafeteria during a time of segregation, to advocating for persons of African descent to not be relegated only to assignments in Africa and the Caribbean, and pushing for training opportunities so that more persons of color could qualify for positions in foreign service.
Over his forty year career, from 1952 until retiring in 1993, Todman served as ambassador to Chad, Guinea, Costa Rica, Spain, Denmark, and Argentina, and was fluent in at least six languages. He also held various diplomatic positions in the United Nations, India, Lebanon, Tunisia, Togo, including officer of East African Affairs, assistant secretary of state of Inter-American Affairs, and in 1989 being named career ambassador, the Department of State’s highest rank. Throughout, he took a humanitarian approach to diplomacy, realizing that results did not come from shouting matches, instead believing a whisper in the ear or poke of the finger could be just as effective, and that entire countries should not be punished for the ills of their leaders.
In 1993, he was honored by the U.S. Congress. Among his many awards are the Department of State Superior Service Award in 1966; the Virgin Islands Medal of Honor in 1977, the Department of State Distinguished Service Award in 1985; and the Presidential Meritorious Service Award in 1988. He received several honorary doctorates and served on many boards, including UVI.
On July 28, 2014, Senator Jackson was among the members of the 30th Legislature of the Virgin Islands who paid tribute to Todman by passing Bill No. 30-0450, now signed into law as Act No. 7647, appropriating $100,000 to the University of the Virgin Islands for a distinguished professorship in international relations and diplomacy and naming the airport access road in his honor.
“His voice, his wisdom, and wealth of knowledge will leave a big void in this Territory,” Senator Jackson said. “We are eternally grateful for his contribution. He always gave back to the territory, mentored, and is well loved by his peers and persons who he served with throughout the world.”
Sen. Jackson, St. Thomas