Goshen native promoted to consul general of Hong Kong and Macau - Rick Donovan and family to return overseas on Aug. 14

Goshen — Rick Donovan is taking on even more of the world. The Goshen native was recently promoted to consul general of Hong Kong and Macau. In his prior position, Donovan was the #2 person at the American Embassy in Tokyo, the ambassador being #1. In his new position, the Burke Catholic graduate, who is now 57, will be heading the American Consulate in Hong Kong and Macau. As consul general, he will be responsible for promoting U.S. interests in these two major cities. “We have large business interests there that include law enforcement relations and ties as well as 40 U.S. Naval vessels,” he said. “What our office does is to maintain and strengthen ties.” He left Tokyo only two weeks ago for a brief visit with his family in Goshen. On Aug. 14 he will leave for China with his wife and children Hong Kong was part of the United Kingdom for 50 years until 1997, when it was agreed that it would be turned back over to China, he explained. Part of the agreement in turning it over was that they have freedom of the press and remain autonomous. In this way, he said, Hong Kong is different than the rest of China and has its own independent judicial system. “It is hard to say, after 50 years [of UK rule], what will happen now,” he said. “But after 25 years it has changed drastically.” China, roughly the size of the United States, has seen a huge infusion of foreign and economic development and has a middle class of approximately 300 million people, he said. “Still, there are one billion people living not nearly as well,” he said. To maintain its economic development, China must create many new jobs, he said. Standards of development and standards of living have gotten better over the last 25 years, he said, and Shanghai and Beijing are now big cities with modern skyscrapers. In comparing his experience living in Japan with his life ahead in China, Donovan noted that Japan is a U.S. strong ally and a modern, free society similar to the United States, despite cultural differences. While the United States is friendly with Hong Kong and Macau, he said, working with China is not like working with an ally. Still, he said, it is going to be fun. “Our contacts go back a long time,” he said. “Our chamber of commerce has had connections for a long time, maybe as far back as World War II.” In addition, he says, the Consulate looks out for U.S. citizens issuing visas for visits to the United States and business operations. Honk Kong imports a lot of materials from the United States and has a headquarters for American finance, banks, and insurance companies throughout Asia. While he enjoys his work, he said he misses his family in Goshen and always enjoys coming back for a visit. His sons, now 17 and 21, attended international schools in Japan. His older son is now in college in Vermont. His younger son attended eight different schools and will graduate this year from an international school, where they speak English. Both his sons learned languages to which they would not ordinarily have had any exposure. Neither have expressed a desire to go into the family business, Donovan Funeral Home, which has been in the family since 1889. Donovan speaks several eastern languages. He studied Korean while in the Peace Corps, then the Mandarin dialect of Chinese, and then Japanese. While he continues to use interpreters for high-level exchanges, he gets by on Mandarin. He graduated from New York University with a degree in international relations. His wife attended school in Japan and worked as a fashion designer before they met. He said her language skills are better than his. When he worked in China from 1981 to 1987, she had to give up her career because spouses were restricted from working there. Donovan originally wanted to become an oceanographer but needed to change direction when he realized his grades were not meeting the requirements for that field. Working in international foreign affairs as a government employee is very secure, he said, but doesn’t offer as much money as the private sector does. But he loves his job and the chance to experience many different cultures. His first assignment, years ago, was in the Persian Gulf, when it was very different from what it is now. He calls the diplomats who work there “silent heroes.” “It takes the spirit of patriotism and sacrifice to do this job,” he said. “The really tough jobs are in Iraq. Only volunteers go there and it can bring real hardship.” His frequent moves have taught him how long it will take to get settled. Once they all arrive in Hong Kong, it will take at least six months to start feeling at home.