WASHINGTON, DC – At a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Memorial Ceremony for four USAID workers who lost their lives while serving the United States government abroad, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) paid tribute to Buffalo native John Granville who was killed earlier this year while serving a humanitarian mission in Sudan. 

“John Granville was on a selfless mission for peace, freedom and equality in the Sudan region.  He lived it, loved it and gave his life for it.  His understated mission filled a crucial need that touched the lives of civilians displaced and suffering,” said Congressman Higgins.

Granville’s name was among four added to a USAID memorial wall during the ceremony.  Other names added included Abdelrahman Abbas Rahama, Chaplain Lako and Dominic Morris. 

In Sudan John worked on a project which involved distributing radios to people in the southern part of Sudan, which is recovering from a 21-year civil war.  The goal was to prepare the Sudanese for elections in 2009 and a possible 2011 referendum on independence.  Before joining USAID, John served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, where he helped build the first school in a rural village.  John Granville graduated from Canisius High School, Fordham University and earned a Master’s degree in International Development from Clark University. 

Congressman Higgins traveled to Sudan in 2006 with fellow colleagues on the House of Representatives Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.

“From Buffalo to Africa John’s presence is mourned by the many people whose lives he touched, nevertheless his spirit lives on in the groundwork he laid through his missions,” Higgins added.  “This Nation is forever grateful for his sacrifice as an international agent for peace.”