Remembering Professor Stephen Lyne
Professor Stephen Lyne passed away on June 27th, 2024. A professor of International Relations and History, Lyne was active within the History Department.
Professor Lyne had a distinguished career as a Foreign Service Officer, serving in Indochina multiple times during the Vietnam War, as well as Algeria, Australia, and Gabon. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Beirut when it was destroyed in a terrorist attack, and had to take charge of an embassy compound in flames with the ambassador having been badly wounded; something he did with his usual calm response to crises. He went on the serve as Ambassador to Ghana, where his success was such that he was named locally as “Ambassador of the Year.” In his final assignment at the United Nations, he played a central role in the drafting of the United Nations resolution calling for the end of Apartheid in South Africa. He then embarked on a second career as a Professor of International Relations and History at Boston University. He had completed a PhD in diplomatic history at Stanford University prior to joining the Foreign Service, and returned to his academic roots. He offered a popular course on the Vietnam War as well as courses on US Foreign Policy.