Nomination of Thomas W.M. Smith To Be United States Ambassador to Nigeria
January 17, 1984
The President today announced his intention to nominate Thomas W.M. Smith, of Maine, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, as Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He would succeed Thomas R. Pickering.
Mr. Smith served in the United States Marine Corps in 1953 - 1956 as first lieutenant. He entered the Foreign Service in 1956 as an exchange program officer in the Department. In 1958 - 1960 he was economic officer in Tunis and attended economic studies at the University of Wisconsin in 1960 - 1961. He was finance officer in Paris (1961 - 1966) and economic officer in Lagos (1966 - 1968). In the Department he was Chief of the Division of United Nations Economic Affairs in 1968 - 1971. In 1971 - 1972 he attended the National War College. He was Deputy Chief of the Economic Section in London in 1972 - 1975 and Director of the Office of West African Affairs in the Department in 1975 - 1979. In 1979 - 1983 he was Ambassador to Ghana.
Mr. Smith graduated from Harvard College (A.B., 1951), Cambridge University (B.A., 1953; M.A., 1956), and the University of Wisconsin (M.A., 1970). His foreign language is French. He was born April 18, 1930, in Boston, MA.
Nomination of John D. Bossler To Be a Director of the National Ocean Service and a Member of the Mississippi River Commission
January 17, 1984
The President today announced his intention to nominate Capt. John D. Bossler to be Director of the Charting and Geodetic Services, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in the grade of rear admiral, and as a member of the Mississippi River Commission. He would succeed Herbert R. Lippold, Jr.
Captain Bossler has been with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 1959 and is currently serving as Acting Director of the Charting and Geodetic Services. Previously he was Director of the National Geodetic Survey at NOAA in 1980 - 1983; project manager and Deputy Director of the National Geodetic Survey in 1975 - 1980; project manager for the new adjustment of the North American horizontal geodetic datum in 1973 - 1975; and executive officer of the NOAA ship Davidson in 1969 - 1971.
He serves as vice president of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping and secretary of the American Geophysical Union, Geodesy Section. He is past chairman of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Captain Bossler graduated from the University of Pittsburgh (B.S., 1959) and Ohio State University (M.S., 1964; Ph.D., 1972). He is married, has one child, and resides in Olney, MD. He was born December 8, 1936, in Johnstown, PA.
Nomination of Bessie Boehm Moore To Be a Member of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
January 17, 1984
The President today announced his intention to nominate Bessie Boehm Moore to be a member of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science for a term expiring July 19, 1988. This is a reappointment.
Mrs. Moore has been on the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science since 1971 and has served as Vice Chairman since 1972. She served as executive director of the Arkansas State Council on Economic Education in 1962 - 1979; State coordinator, environmental education, Arkansas Department of Education, in 1970 - 1974; State supervisor, economic education, Arkansas Department of Education, in 1962 - 1974; and as a consultant to the U.S. Office of Education on economic education in 1966 - 1967.
Mrs. Moore served as a member of the National Board of Governors of the American Association for the United Nations in 1950 - 1957 and the United States Committee for UNICEF in 1958 - 1970.
She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas (B.S.E., 1942) and the University of Connecticut (M.A., 1962). She was born August 2, 1902, in Owensboro, KY, and now resides in Little Rock, AR.