Robert Maxwell Pringle

11/12/1936 - 01/11/2026

Born in New York City, NY in 1936 and died January 11, 2026, the son of two writers, Robert grew up in New York and Alexandria, VA before ending up at Harvard for college, where he was the photography editor of the Crimson. At loose ends after college, he joined the army and served in Korea. Discharged, he traveled back via Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, and Europe while supporting himself as a journalist. Fascinated by his travels, he completed a Ph.D. at Cornell in Southeast Asian History, and then joined the Foreign Service.

While a diplomat, he served overseas in Indonesia, the Philippines, Burkina Faso, Papua New Guinea, South Africa and as Ambassador to Mali. He had various postings in the United States, including as an instructor at the National War College. During these assignments he continued his passion for photography, and he and his wife Barbara became avid SCUBA divers and bird watchers.

After their retirements, Barbara and Robert continued their world travels, enjoying and learning from foreign cultures, watching birds, and diving where they could. Robert wrote books on Bali and on Islam in Indonesia, and actively lectured on the politics, history, and foreign policy of West Africa and Southeast Asia. Robert is survived by Barbara, their two children and three grandchildren. Services scheduled for a later date.