• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide

  • ABOUT US
  • MEMBERS
    • MEMBER ACCESS (must be logged in)
  • SERVICES
  • RESOURCES
  • AWARDS
  • NEWS
  • JOIN
  • DONATE
  • ABOUT US
  • MEMBERS
    • MEMBER ACCESS (must be logged in)
  • SERVICES
  • RESOURCES
  • AWARDS
  • NEWS
  • JOIN
  • DONATE
You are here: Home / In Memoriam – June Byrne Spencer, First AAFSW President

In Memoriam – June Byrne Spencer, First AAFSW President

June Byrne Spencer (age 98) died peacefully in her home in Chevy Chase, MD, on October 13.

Born and raised in Bay City, Texas, she came to Washington to attend Arlington Hall School. She worked for the federal government during the New Deal years, and as a State Department employee she was posted to Madrid during World War II.

She was married to James MacGregor Byrne, who served in the Foreign Service, and to Samuel Spencer, a Chair of the Washington Board which governed the District of Columbia. She is survived by four children and one grandson.

In 1960 June Byrne co-founded AAFSW (originally called the Foreign Service Women’s Association), and was its first president. AAFSW was founded in response to Foreign Service spouses who felt that the needs of spouses and families were not adequately explained to important decision makers. The idea was to form an organization removed from considerations of rank, which would represent families at every level. June later wrote that when she first made the suggestion that such an organization with elected officers be formed, “jaws dropped, there was silence. It was heretical.”

AAFSW Board member Mette Beecroft writes: “I am glad that she was able to attend [AAFSW’s] Millennium Celebration with some 250 people in attendance in order to hear just how much progress had been made during the years 1960-2000.   It was also an opportunity to honor her as the founder.”  Mette adds, “Though many people have contributed substantially to the success of the AAFSW, someone always has to  initiate action.  June Byrne Spencer was that person.”

Lesley Dorman writes, “June was a very special person, beloved and respected by all who knew her.”

A memorial service will be scheduled in the spring.

June Byrne Spencer was interviewed as part of ADST’s oral history program in 1989. To read her interview, google “June Byrne Spencer Oral History.”

 

Footer

CONNECT WITH US

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide
4001 North Ninth Street, Suite 214
Arlington, VA, 22203
703-820-5420

Our Vision Statement

AAFSW will continue to be a catalyst for beneficial change through advocacy and support for our Foreign Affairs Community. By providing resources, services and engaging programs through our effective network, we promote the goals and serve the needs of Foreign Service and Civil Service employees, spouses, partners, members of household and retirees.

Follow

My Tweets

Copyright © 2022 · Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide · Connecting the U.S. Foreign Affairs Community at Home and Abroad

AAFSW uses cookies to optimize your experience, analyze traffic, and personalize content. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of cookies on our site.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT