John Anthony Ulinski, Jr.

John Anthony Ulinski, Jr., of Hendersonville, died on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.

John was born June 24, 1923, in Buffalo, New York. Born into the Roman Catholic faith, he was educated in parochial schools in Buffalo. He received his B.A. degree from Cornell University, attended Georgetown University Law School, and was a mid-career fellow of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs.

During World War II he was a cryptographer with the Fifth Air Force. He was awarded the Philippines Liberation ribbon, the American Service medal, the Pacific Service medal, and the World War II Victory medal.

He joined the U.S. Bureau of the Budget in 1948, and in 1951 he worked with the Department of State when President Truman's Point Four program of technical assistance to the developing world was being organized. In 1953 he received a Ford Foundation grant to work with the Governor of West Java in Indonesia, and afterwards joined the U.S. foreign assistance mission in Indonesia. In 1957 he joined the Development Loan Fund, a government bank that financed projects in developing countries. He eventually became its Director of Operations in South and Southeast Asia, overseeing some $630 million in loans to countries in that area. He also negotiated loans for projects in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Ceylon, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, and, principally, India. He was a participant in the international consortium of aid donors to India.

From 1963-1965, he served as the assistant director of the AID mission in New Delhi, India. In 1966, after completing his fellowship at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School, he was appointed Associate Director of the U.S. aid mission to Vietnam. From there he moved to Liberia as Director of USAID. On concluding his assignment in Liberia, he was appointed Director of the Office for Private and Voluntary Cooperation at AID in Washington, D.C., and was concurrently the Executive Director of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid. He retired in 1980.

He was awarded the medal for Distinguished Career Service and the Distinguished Honor Award for his government service.

After retirement, he and his wife Anne settled in Hendersonville, where he continued to consult with private groups engaged in development work abroad, particularly the U.S. YMCA and Rotary International. He also served on the board of the Western Carolina Civil Liberties Union, was a board member and treasurer of the Hendersonville Friends of Chamber Music, a founding member and treasurer of the Henderson County Bird Club, and a member of the Henderson County Public Art Committee.

John loved the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and for as long as his health allowed, he traveled with his family every winter to Pea Island to see the migratory birds. He loved literature and was himself an accomplished essayist. He loved music, baseball, and fine food, especially Indian cuisine. He was a gourmet chef who took great delight in preparing and presiding over large family meals.

He is survived by his wife, Anne Franke Ulinski, their five children and eight grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Four Seasons Hospice, 571 South Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731.

A register book is available online for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com.

Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors and Cremation Memorial Center is in charge of arrangements.