In Memory of Guido Goldman

Jackson Janes

President Emeritus of AGI

Jackson Janes is the President Emeritus of the American-German Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, where he has been affiliated since 1989.

Dr. Janes has been engaged in German-American affairs in numerous capacities over many years. He has studied and taught in German universities in Freiburg, Giessen and Tübingen. He was the Director of the German-American Institute in Tübingen (1977-1980) and then directed the European office of The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Bonn (1980-1985). Before joining AICGS, he served as Director of Program Development at the University Center for International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh (1986-1988). He was also Chair of the German Speaking Areas in Europe Program at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, DC, from 1999-2000 and is Honorary President of the International Association for the Study of German Politics .

Dr. Janes is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Atlantic Council of the United States, and American Purpose. He serves on the advisory boards of the Berlin office of the American Jewish Committee, and the Beirat der Zeitschrift für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik (ZfAS). He serves on the Selection Committee for the Bundeskanzler Fellowships for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Dr. Janes has lectured throughout Europe and the United States and has published extensively on issues dealing with Germany, German-American relations, and transatlantic affairs. In addition to regular commentary given to European and American news radio, he has appeared on CBS, CNN, C-SPAN, PBS, CBC, and is a frequent commentator on German television. Dr. Janes is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Education.

In 2005, Dr. Janes was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany’s highest civilian award.

Education:
Ph.D., International Relations, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California
M.A., Divinity School, University of Chicago
B.A., Sociology, Colgate University

Expertise:
Transatlantic relations, German-American relations, domestic German politics, German-EU relations, transatlantic affairs.

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jjanes@aicgs.org

Mentor, Model, Motivator

Guido Goldman was a mentor, a model, and a motivator for hundreds of people during his long life. I had the privilege of being among that group.

After I joined the German Marshall Fund in 1980 as director of the European office in Bonn, it was a pleasure to welcome Guido for a first visit. Guido was the architect of the German Marshall Fund, and having his blessing on the office was important. After a while, he asked me if he could borrow my office as he had some calls to make. He pulled out a list of over 100 people and emerged from my office three hours later. Over the five years I worked in Bonn, watching Guido connect with people was a masterclass in nourishing relations. He always looked for a common thread with those he met in any circles he encountered. He would clearly remember each of them and what they discussed. He simply enjoyed connecting. And in many ways, the Marshall Fund has embodied his passion.

Guido’s pride in having created the German Marshall Fund was palpable. He also respected and supported other organizations devoted to German-American affairs, including the American-German Institute in Washington since its inception in 1983. I was able to continue working with Guido after I joined AGI in 1989.

Guido lent his support to the then-president of Johns Hopkins University Steven Muller, who together with Gerry Livingston, founded the Institute. Over the thirty years I worked at AGI, Guido was always a source of encouragement. His endorsements opened many doors and opportunities, and he assisted generously wherever he could. As my professional life would be shaped around the German-American relationship he knew so well, having his guidance and friendship was invaluable.

In my time at AGI and particularly toward the end of my tenure, I once told Guido that I might be able to identify with his pride in GMF through the pride I felt in AGI. He told me something I never forgot – to feel that pride is the best reward you can have in anything you do and even more when you can share it generously with everyone you meet. Guido’s generosity was as extensive as his outreach. I saw that also in his passion and support for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, his unique collection of Ikats which he made available to the public by donating them to textile museums, and his devotion to his beloved Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard.

Guido’s legacy is a record of accomplishments few might be able to match. But he left us with the inspiration of his generosity, his passion for connecting people and ideas, and his lifelong devotion to the bonds of the transatlantic community. So many of us are indebted to Guido for so much – and we can best remember him by walking in his footsteps.