Ambassador Hull Visits Elburn

Last night, Elburn ex-trustee John Peterson invited me over to meet his brother-in-law, who was back in America visiting relatives for a short while. You see, John's brother-in-law is Thomas N. Hull, the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Sierra Leone.

We had an wonderful evening of interesting conversation, and also savored a casual dinner featuring John's "heat-absorbed, flavor-enhanced" ribs.

Ambassador Hill, and his charming wife Jill, enjoyed talking about the suburban growth phenomenon affecting western Kane County. The rest of us were mesmerized with stories of the challenges facing Africa now and into the future.

The Republic of Sierra Leone is about the size of South Carolina with a population of 4.9 million people. The average life expectancy there is only 35 years old, and only 57 % of the people have access to safe water. If you are interested in knowing a little more about Sierra Leone, you can follow this link to view a US State Department profile.

Ambassador Hull met his wife 36 years ago when they were teaching as Peace Corps volunteers in Sierra Leone. After many intermediate postings, they have come full circle and now serve together in the country where they first met. What an interesting journey of both careers and life?

Thanks John, for the impromptu invite. You never know who's passing through our little village. Last night, I was honored to meet some very special guests.