This page pays tribute to Neighbors Abroad's leaders and champions who have passed away. Their contributions to our organization, our Sister Cities, the City of Palo Alto, and to the greater Silicon Valley region will forever be remembered and appreciated.
Aurelio Macedonio Espinosa Jr.
Aurelio Macedonio Espinosa Jr. died in July 2004 at the age of 97. He was a long time resident of Palo Alto and Professor of Spanish at Stanford University. Espinosa was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1907, and moved to Palo Alto in 1910 when his father joined the Stanford faculty. He graduated from Palo Alto High School and Stanford University. He continued graduate study at the University of Madrid in Spain, completing his Doctorate in 1932. He remained in Spain conducting research on linguistics and folklore until 1936, when he accepted a teaching position at Harvard University. Commissioned into the US Army in 1942, he spent the next four years at the US Military Academy as an instructor in foreign languages. While at West Point, he helped establish the Russian language program. In 1946, he returned to Stanford, accepting a position in the Department of Romance Languages, where he remained until his retirement in 1972. He served as president of Neighbors Abroad from 1970-71.
Iraida Busó Espinosa
Iraida Busó Espinosa passed away peacefully in her Los Altos home on January 5, 2023, a month shy of her 105th birthday. A musician, mother, teacher, and community volunteer, Iraida had boundless energy, loved spending time with family and friends, and believed in taking full advantage of the opportunities that life presented. Iraida was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, on February 22, 1918, the youngest of five children born to Monserrate Carrasquillo Martinez and Francisco Busó Cabrero. Iraida retired from teaching in the Palo Alto Unified School District in 1983 and focused her energies on community service. A longtime member of Neighbors Abroad, she served as the organization’s president from 1983–84 and remained active throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She developed a special interest in Palo, Leyte, Palo Alto’s sister city in the Philippines, and worked to raise funding for a children’s library and vocational training center there.
Barbara Evans
Past president and longtime member Barbara Evans passed away on September 2, 2022. Barbara and her husband Joe joined Neighbors Abroad in 1998. It did not take long for Barbara to make an indelible mark on the organization. She enthusiastically committed herself to a wide array of Sister City committees, board meetings, fundraisers, delegation visits and exchange programs. Barbara was also a formidable leader: In 2007, when Neighbors Abroad lacked a clear candidate to lead the organization, Barbara and Joe stepped up to become co-presidents. As Barbara noted in a 2016 edition of "El Chisme de Neighbors Abroad," the "interim" position ended up lasting nine years! We honor Barbara's lasting contributions to Neighbors Abroad. She leaves a legacy of leadership, advocacy and selfless dedication. The photo here, published in 2013 by the Palo Alto Online & Palo Alto Weekly to coincide with Neighbors Abroad's 50th anniversary, captures Barbara as we will all remember her: Focused, energized and eager to spread Neighbors Abroad's mission to foster lasting friendships across borders.
Betty Gerard
Betty Watkins Gerard died peacefully at her home of 61 years in Palo Alto, CA on November 16, 2022, at age 97. Born in Seattle, Washinton, on February 23, 1925, she was the only child of Flora and Alva Leland (A.L.) Watkins. Both sides of her family included pioneers who’d arrived in Washington by covered wagon. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Washington, she earned her MBJ at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 1948. (As one of just five women in her class, Betty was flattered when a professor praised her by saying she “wrote like a man.”) Betty’s working career included public relations/writing positions at Westinghouse, Sunset Magazine and Raychem, before spending 22 years as a writer and editor for Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto. Betty applied her journalism skills to producing newsletters, press releases, and ads for a number of community organizations, including Neighbors Abroad. She also devoted time to the Palo Alto Historical Association, the League of Women Voters, and the World Affairs Council–Peninsula Chapter. Her interests included international travel (one highlight: being in Berlin when the Wall came down) and photography.
James Donald McCavitt
James Donald McCavitt passed away on April 13, 2018. Born and raised in the Appalachian coal mining town of Defiance, Pennsylvania, Jim served in the U.S. Navy and attended Pennsylvania State University. Jim eventually settled in Palo Alto where he taught hundreds of elementary school children from the 1960s through the 1990s in the Palo Alto Unified School District. Several generations learned the Golden Rule from Jim and often heard his favorite adage: "Common sense is very uncommon!" During school vacations, Jim traveled the world, visiting over 100 countries in his lifetime. He loved exploring new cultures, meeting new people and collecting the works of local artisans. Neighbors Abroad was always close to his heart. He was dedicated to the children of Oaxaca, and in particular to the programs of Niño a Niño (now Vidas y Sueños). Jim’s bequest to Neighbors Abroad has benefited countless children in Oaxaca.