Kenneth A. Kurze ’58

Kenneth A. Kurze ’58, of Middletown, R.I.; Feb. 24. In 1959, he became a U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Officer and throughout his 30-year service traveled to India, Nepal, Morocco, France, Barbados, and Austria. He and his wife raised their four children on four continents. He was fluent in German, French, and Hindi. In 1982, he completed the U.S. Naval War College Senior Course in Newport, R.I. He received the U.S. Department of State’s Individual Meritorious Honor Award for his handling of political affairs at the U.S. Consulate in Bombay during the 1971-72 Bangladesh War crisis, and the Individual Superior Honor Award for his actions on Grenada to assess the political situation and to ensure the safety of Americans on the eve of the 1983 U.S. invasion/intervention. He retired to Middletown in 1989 and was active in the community. He was an accomplished pianist, an occasional painter, and an avid philatelist. He is survived by daughter Barbara Kurze ’82; three sons; a daughter-in-law; and three grandchildren.