Rebecca Matlock - Washington (1983-86)

Washington (1983-86)

As former Legislative Liaison for the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW), she has lobbied Congress for passage of legislation.

I have spent a good bit of time in lobbying on behalf of the - as chairman for the AAFSW Legislative Liaison - lobbying on the Hill for Foreign Service women. In three categories. One, the women who have been widowed or divorced before the 1980 period when there was some relief for that.. And also on behalf of families who will find themselves in some sort of terrorist situation... And then the third thing, which I feel very, very strongly about, is the concept - it doesn't have to have that name, but the concept of the Foreign Service Associates. Where the spouses, be they male or female, can have the opportunity of using, at post, their skills, be paid for them, and have job histories, and be people in their own right rather than appendages to their spouses which is of course how people thought of us back in the old days.

Her interest in photography was encouraged in 1983 when her photo “Fishing Out” won the annual art contest for State Department employees and dependents. She was offered her first exhibit at the American Foreign Service Club Library in Washington DC. Her subjects include landscapes, architecture, and candid “people pictures”.

She has a story about meeting Mikhail Gorbachev:

I had never met the General Secretary when he came for the Summit in Washington. I was all prepared with what I was going to say when I met him the first time, which was something to the effect of, “It's very nice to meet you at last, particularly on American soil.” And I had this all in mind ready to say. They got off the plane and Jack introduced me. Gorbachev took me by the hand and looked me in the eyes and said, “It's so very nice to meet you at last, particularly on American soil.” The only thing I could think of was, “Da!”