Clara Slayhi, globe-trotter who worked for U.S. embassies, dies of COVID-19 at age 91 February 10, 2021 5:39pm Text size Copy shortlink:
In a tiny town tucked in the farm fields of North Dakota, Clara Slayhi dreamed as a little girl of trekking to the far-flung countries pictured in her magazines, books and stamp collection.
In her 20s, when she spotted a newspaper ad for secretaries in the U.S. government, she saw it as her ticket to see the world. Over the next decade, she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), living in embassies from Thailand to Turkey, visiting palaces and temples alongside princes and policymakers before settling back in Minnesota.