Seventy-five years of the Leo S. Rowe Fund

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Dear colleagues, it is a great honor for the Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to be here today, as part of the Leo Rowe Fund Committee, celebrating seventy-five years of this great legacy left by Dr. Rowe.

He devoted a large part of his life to the Organization of American States (OAS), and did so at very turbulent moments in the modern history of humanity. He lived close to the death and destruction of the world wars, which inspired in him a pacifist vocation inclined toward multilateralism. His writings and letters, the originals of which are kept here, just behind us, in the Columbus Memorial Library, reflect his passion for promoting higher education for the men and women of our region, his ardent Pan-American fervor and his eagerness to deepen the cultural ties among our nations.

I am certain that Dr. Rowe's experience and academic life planted in him the conviction that leaving our natural surroundings in search of advanced knowledge, and exposing ourselves to different ideas and ways of life, enrich academic and professional development, and personal growth as well.

Perhaps the Fund's principal contribution is precisely that life experience it gives its beneficiaries. It makes us more aware of the things that unite us and allows us to understand better those that separate us. It is also an ideal vehicle for establishing interpersonal and intercultural ties and relationships whose value is at times greater than technical knowledge itself.

An unfortunate turn of fate ended Dr. Rowe's life in 1946, at the age of seventy-five. Two years later, the Fund was established with the initial contribution from his personal estate. In short, Dr. Rowe not only left his best years, energies and time in this Organization; he also bequeathed to it his material estate. Even his mortal remains, today in the form of ashes, rest in this very Hall of the Americas.

Thus, during these seventy-five years of continuous operation, the Fund has grown both in its investment portfolio and in the number of its beneficiaries. We recognize the role the Fund has played as a great help to all those who have knocked at its doors; its program has supported many so that they could continue or complete their studies and return to their countries of origin.

The Dominican Republic wishes to reaffirm its support for the resolution celebrating seventy-five years of financing for higher education in the United States and reaffirming support for the Rowe Fund's financial assistance program for international students from Latin America and the Caribbean, which we have just considered.

Before concluding, I would like to stress that these achievements do not build themselves; there is a sustained collective effort behind them. Therefore, as our colleague from the United States, Ambassador Mora, did a moment ago, we wish to applaud the great work of the Fund's team, headed by Ms. Sevillano, our compatriot Mr. Bucher and Ms. Mattos.

We also wish to thank each of the OAS officials and the Member States that make up the Rowe Fund Committee, who month after month, with dedication, review applications and work to improve its development.

Special thanks and recognition also go to the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Lou-Anne Gaylene Gilchrist, for her leadership and dedication in this matter.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.