Joseph John Sisco, president of American University from 1976 to 1980, died at the age of 85 of complications from diabetes on Nov. 23 at his home in Chevy Chase.
Sisco became university president because he wanted to acknowledge all that education had done for him after coming from an impoverished background, The Washington Post reported.
Sisco was a diplomat who played a major role in former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East, reported The Post. During his work in the State Department, Sisco saw five presidents in the White House and numerous foreign-policy crises.
Before his work in the State Department, Sisco worked for the CIA for a year.
On Dec. 8, Kissinger was scheduled to present his old friend and colleague with a foreign-service award from the American Academy of Diplomacy. He will present the award posthumously, reported The Post.
"I loved Joe," Kissinger said. "He was the best type of Foreign Service officer and absolutely indispensable to me."
- KATE OCZYPOK
