2022 -- H 8060

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING SYMPATHY ON THE PASSING OF MARK M. SAWOSKI, PH.D.

     Introduced By: Representatives Speakman, McGaw, Donovan, Shekarchi, Blazejewski,
Filippi, Shallcross Smith, Cortvriend, Bennett, and Fogarty

     Date Introduced: March 29, 2022

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with sadness that this House has learned of the passing of Dr. Mark M.

Sawoski, the devoted husband of Sue Eckert for more than thirty years, the beloved father of

Matthew and Catherine, and a dedicated and distinguished Professor of International Relations at

Roger Williams University for thirty-five years; and

     WHEREAS, Raised in Morris Plains, New Jersey, Dr. Sawoski was the son of Dorothy

and the late Henry Sawoski. He received his undergraduate and three graduate degrees from Tufts

University, including a Ph.D. in international relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts; and

     WHEREAS, At the beginning of his distinguished career, Dr. Sawoski served as a public

opinion expert at the US State Department in Washington, and taught at Tufts and the University

of New Hampshire. In 1987, he became a Professor of International Relations at Roger Williams

University, where he was instrumental in establishing a multi-disciplinary international relations

major, and in 1991, he held a senior position on European security issues in the Pentagon and

Foggy Bottom before returning to Roger Williams; and

     WHEREAS, During his tenure at Roger Williams University, Dr. Sawoski's academic

research focused on the foreign policy beliefs of national political elites. He taught hundreds of

students about Russia, China, international law, and international negotiations, and was a member

of the Council on Foreign Relations and a regular participant in the CFR's Boston roundtable; and

     WHEREAS, In the mid-2000s, Dr. Sawoski joined forces with faculty from the School of

Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation to found the Center for Macro-Projects and

Diplomacy. Most recently, he had been active in town politics and chaired the Town of Little

Compton's Planning Board. He enjoyed cooking and was an avid sailor, with moorings for his

sloop, Reprise, in both Newport harbor and Little Compton, where he was a member of the

Sakonnet Yacht Club; and

     WHEREAS, Mark Sawoski leaves a legacy of excellence in teaching that has had a

profound impact on decades of students at Roger Williams University as well as the friendship

and respect of the University's faculty, staff, and alumni. He was blessed with a family who

supported and loved him dearly and he will be missed by all; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

extends deepest condolences on the passing of Dr. Mark M. Sawoski; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Sue Eckert and Family.

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