George P. Shultz passed away at the age of 100 on February 6th.
www.hoover.org
He was described as a Titan of American Academia, Business and Foreign Policy who served several US Presidents ranging from Nixon to George W. Bush.
He served as an officer in the US Marines during WW2 including service in the Battle of Peleliu. His career of national level public service started with the Nixon Administration in 1969 to 1970 as his Secretary of Labor and oversaw the resolution of several labor disputes and strikes that went on during that time. He then served as Secretary of Treasury in 1972-74 and helped partake in the discussions that removed many currencies, including the US one, from the gold standard and also helped end much of the Bretton Woods protocols established after WW2.
In 1982 he served as Ronald Reagan's Secretary of State for seven years, replacing Alexander Haig (whom you naturally remember from
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War) and oversaw a diplomatic crisis with the PRC over US Arms Sales to Taiwan and helped manage US Relations during the final stages of the Cold War with the Soviet Union where the US pursued both an aggressive strategy of condemning the Soviet Union and pursuing military technology like missile defense along with still encouraging dialogue with their Communist counterparts. He was also noted for his opposition to the Iran-Contra Deal.
In later life he became an Advisor for the GWB Administration and took on many popular so-called 'establishment' causes later in life including the support of a carbon neutral tax to combat global warming, ending of the 'Drug War,' Arctic Ocean security, nuclear arms control and the promotion of free trade internationally.
One of his final articles, written for the Washington Post and thus linked so below, was titled "The 10 Most Important Things I've Learned About Trust Over my 100 Years."
George P. Shultz said:
I’ve learned much over that time, but looking back, I’m struck that there is one lesson I learned early and then relearned over and over: Trust is the coin of the realm. When trust was in the room, whatever room that was — the family room, the schoolroom, the locker room, the office room, the government room or the military room — good things happened. When trust was not in the room, good things did not happen. Everything else is detail.
Solid analysis for Todays times, regardless if you agree with much of his politics or policies or not.
Captain Sir Tom Moore who recently came to prominence died on the 2nd of February, he helped raise approximately £39 million for the NHS.
RIP. I didn't hear about him until I heard he was hospitalized and then posted a blurb about him in the Wuhan Pandemic Thread. So tragic to hear that he died soonafter though. There's a bit of irony I suppose but he lived the last year of his life before becoming a Centarian to the fullest.
Christopher Plummer, veteran actor known for the Sound of Music, playing General Chang in Star Trek VI, and appearing in Battle of Britain among many other roles died on February 5th.
We do have a thread on him, but I put it in the Media section.
Rest In Peace - Christopher Plummer, Age 91 | The Sietch (the-sietch.com)
I imagine there'll be a lot of crossposting like this but folks like these deserve all the remembrance and kudos for the lives they lived.