Background
Lester, Barnett Benjamin was born on August 7, 1912 in Toronto, Canada. Son of Louis and Lena (Rubenstein) Lester. came to the United States, 1917.
editor foreign affairs officer
Lester, Barnett Benjamin was born on August 7, 1912 in Toronto, Canada. Son of Louis and Lena (Rubenstein) Lester. came to the United States, 1917.
Student, Cleveland College student, Western Reserve U., 1933; AB (Miller Scholar), Oberlin College, 1934; (graduate scholar), Oberlin College, 1934-1935; graduate scholar, National Institute Public Affairs, Washington, 1935-1936; scholar, Syracuse University, 1935-1936; scholar, Academy International Law, The Hague, 1936; student, fellow, Fletcher School Law and Diplomacy, 1935-1936; student, Foreign Service Institute, 1952, 56; student, Deputy Chiefs Mission Seminar, Department State, 1981.
Member staff, correspondent Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland News, 1928-1933. Feature writer Boston Sunday Post, 1935-1938. Managing editor, later editor Exclusive Features Syndicate, Boston, 1936-1938.
Associate editor The Writer magazine, 1936-1938. Information officer Department Justice, 1938-1941. Assistant director feature division Office Inter-American Affairs, 1941-1945.
Information publicist Department State, 1945. Public relations executive Al Paul Lefton Company, Inc., Philadelphia, 1945-1946. Information specialist, chief motion pictures, acting chief audio-visual section United States Public Health Service, Office Surgeon General, 1947-1948.
Information specialist Federal Security Agency, 1948-1949. Chief editorial and production section National Heart Institute (information specialist, science reports branch National Institutes of Health), 1949-1952. Public information chief National Institutes of Health, 1950.
Review officer Department State, 1952-1961, supervisory publications editor, 1961-1963, editor-writer, 1963-1973, public information officer, 1973-1985. Associate editor Newsletter, 1977-1981, State Magazine, 1981-1986, senior editor, 1986-1989, on contract, 1989. Public affairs specialist, 1985-1989.
Foreign service research officer, 1965-1973, assigned to policy public information affairs program, 1962-1967. Assigned to policy public info affairs program Newsletter and Information Office, Office Director General Foreign Service, 1967-1981, Office Public Affairs and State Magazine, Office Director General Foreign Service, 1981-1989, Career counselor Oberlin College, since 1940, public affairs officer Inter-American Air Pilot Program, sponsored by War Department and Office of Inter-American Affairs, 1942-1944. Representative Office Surgical General, United States Public Health Service, on Interdepartmental committee medical training aids, 1947-1948.
Invited participant United States Commissioner Education Conference Audio-Visual Aids to Education, 1948. Member information staff President's Midcentury White House Conference on Children and Youth, 1950. Member special survey audio-visual teaching and training aids National Heart Institute, United States Public Health Service and Association American Medical Colleges, 1951.
Invited participant symposium The White House: The First 200 Years, White House History Association, 1992. Invited participant, symposium Two Hundred Years at the White House: Actors and Observers, White House History Association, 2000. Invited participant, symposium The West Wing-Workshop of Democracy, White House History Association, 2002.
Member American Foreign Service Association, American Political Science Association, Academy Political Science, Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired, Federal Editors Association (Blue Pencil award 1975), National Association Government Communicators (Blue Pencil Publications award 1983), Marquis Library. Association (advisory member), United States Diplomatic Courier Association (honorary, Silver Diplomatic Courier medal and certified appreciation 1990), National Press Foundation (charter), National Trust for History Preservation, White House History Association (charter), United States Capitol History Society, Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Foreign Affairs Retirees of Northern Virginia, International Club (charter, honored as founding member), National Press Club, Silver Owls Club, American Foreign Service, Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired.
Married Rita Constance Hatcher, May 31, 1943 (deceased). Married Claudette Yvonne Gionet, April 19, 1970.