HERBERT SPIRO

SPIRO--Herbert J., died in San Antonio after a long illness on April 6. Born September 7, 1924, in Hamburg, Germany, his family fled to Texas in 1938. He served as an interrogator with the Army's 11th Armored Division in the European theater, receiving a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal. He graduated from Harvard University, from which he was also awarded a PhD in government. He later held teaching positions at Amherst, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Free University of Berlin, and was among the first American scholars to study African politics. From 1970-75, he served on the Policy Planning Staff, U.S. Department of State, and from 1975-77 as U.S. ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. He was the author of eleven books and numerous articles. He is survived by sons Peter, of Philadelphia, and Alexander, of New York; his former wife, Elizabeth Spiro Clark, of Washington; and grandchildren Liana, Henry, Julian, and Lila. He will be buried in San Antonio on Monday, April 12, 2010, 9:00 a.m. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. You are invited to sign the guestbook at www.porterloring.com. Services with Porter Loring, 1101 McCullough, 210-227-8221 San Antonio, Texas.