Thread by @benwikler

My grandfather, John Warlick McDonald, died on Friday at age 97. Here he is with me, as a baby. And here he is with me and my baby son—whom we named after him. He was, is, a hero of mine. 1/

My grandfather was every bit a member of the Greatest Generation. But he couldn't fight in WWII, because when he was a kid, before penicillin, he spent two years in the hospital with an arm infection. 13 surgeries. He was 4F; ineligible. So he joined the foreign service instead.

Put himself through law school, driving a laundry delivery truck on the South Side of Chicago. He said his black customers would assess within seconds whether he, a white guy, was a racist—or was someone who'd treat them fairly & with respect. Prided himself on being the latter.

As a truck driver, he joined the Teamsters. Thrived in the job, and in law school. Married my grandmother. He had originally been born in Koblenz, Germany in 1922, where his father was stationed with the US military. In the foreign service, his first post was back in Germany.

He worked on the Marshall Plan. Went on to serve in France, Turkey, Egypt, and other roles in Germany. Went on to become #2 in the International Labor Organization—thanks in no small part to his background as a Teamster.

Five years ago, I interviewed him for my (now dormant) podcast. He told his story. Very much worth a listen. I asked him if he thought the world was getting worse, or better. Definitely better, he said. And then he spoke about the steady spread of peace.
castbox.fm/episode/64%3A-…

He was named an Ambassador four times to represent the US at United Nations summits. And then, after 40 years in government service, he retired and began a second career focused on citizen peace-building—coining the concept of "multi-track diplomacy."
mediate.com/articles/mcdon…

For 25 years, granddad ran the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy to train and support people around the world building peace—creating initiatives in places like Cyprus and Kashmir to bridge ethnic conflicts. Growing up, I'd hear about whenever I saw him. imtd.org

And then finally, two years ago, at the age of 95, he retired. (He said he didn't want to leave his job on a stretcher.) I posted this thread at the time, after his retirement party:

https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/923052812996698112?lang=en

Granddad enjoyed his brief retirement. He and his wife, Christel, had a constant stream of visitors, including kids, grandkids, & great grandkids. He kept following the news avidly. Thought Trump was a disaster. But, he'd say, trust the civil service. They'll slow things down.

I'm so glad my kids got to know him. I'm so glad I got so many years with him. I'll miss him dearly.

I got to visit him in the hospital in his final days. The first thing he said, when I came in, was "We will win!"—referring to my own campaign (I'm running for state party chair), it seemed like. Then he drifted to a different place.

I was writing down his words, and I told him I was recording them in my notebook. "Good," he said. "We can use those notes for fundraising appeals." He was back in his job at his nonprofit. So let's do this. You can donate to it here:
globalgiving.org/donate/7457/in…

Granddad, I’ll miss you. Thanks for living a life worth learning from.