Ralph N. Clough

For nearly fifty years, in the Foreign Service and thereafter, Ralph was a friend and mentor. I can remember in Taiwan his explaining to me the widely varying experiences of China's provinces since the 19th century and yet how inescabably Sino-centric they remain. From his closing of the last official American installation in Beijing in 1949, through the Warsaw talks, the US normalization of relations with the PRC, Ralph was a wise counselor, deeply respected by Chinese on both sides of...

Ralph's gentle and generous hospitality of himself has been present for me ever since March of 1954 when he and Awana hosted our wedding reception in their Peak-top home in Hong Kong just a few days after my arrival from New York. The ensuing years have been dotted with innumerable moments of kindness, sustained attention, and friendship expressed, most especially during his time at SAIS when, along with his colleague Doak, he continued his life-long and important contributions to...

Reminiscences are really for the living, because Ralph is gone, and all we can do is to provide some recollections to keep him alive in Awana's memories.

Ralph was in Hong Kong, head of the political section in the American Consulate General in Hong Kong when I arrived there in 1950. He was one of the straightest and most considerate men I have ever met. He was still recovering from the loss of his first wife then. It was a most considerate Department, or Providence, that sent...

Ralph was the first FSO there when language training resumed in September 1946 at the American Consulate General in (then) Peip'ing.

In the next few months five others joined the 18-month program. All are shown in this photograph taken at San Kuan Miao in March 1947.
From left to right: Ed Martin, Ralph, Jerry Stryker, Al Jenkins, Larry Lutkins, and Bob Rinden.

Ralph's outstanding career and many lifelong friendships began here. He is gone, alas, but he will not be forgotten.