Habele, a US nonprofit established by former Peace Corps Volunteers, has announced the establishment of a memorial scholarship that honors the life and legacy of the late Jim Stovall.
James T. Stovall, III provided the people of Micronesia with expert legal counsel for more than 50 years, beginning his service before the establishment of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and then serving that new nation’s National Government tirelessly.
Jim, as he was called by friends in the Islands, served the Micronesian Committee on Future Political Status and Transition (CFPST) in the early 1970s, and then as legal adviser for negotiations on the original Compact of Free Association agreement concluded in 1986, the Amended Compact concluded in 2003, and through to refinement of US-FSM partnership in 2023. Mr. Stovall was instrumental in securing the FSM’s membership in the United Nations in 1991 and was a key member of the FSM delegation to the UN and affiliated conferences and negotiations.
Mr. Stovall was a steadfast advocate for climate justice and served as representative of the FSM to, and co-chair of, the working group on adaptation of the International Negotiating Committee for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change prior to its signature in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Mr. Stovall continued to provide climate-related advice and counsel to the FSM on climate issues ever since.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1937, Mr. Stovall earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Alabama. He served in the U.S. military in Korea and Germany as member of the JAG Corps (Judge Advocate General’s Corps). After his service he joined the influential Washington, DC law firm of Clifford & Warnke. He was designated by the firm to provide legal advice to the Micronesian Status Negotiations beginning in 1972 through signing of the Compact in 1986. Mr. Stovall continued to serve as chief legal advisor to the FSM during negotiations on the Amended Compact, which concluded in 2003, and continued as an adviser to the JCRP in its current discussions with the United States on extension of expiring provisions of the Compact beyond 2023. Mr. Stovall also served as trusted adviser to all nine FSM Presidents, from first FSM President Tosiwo Nakayama in 1979 through President David Panuelo until 2023.
“Jim touched the lives of people of Micronesia through his unwavering dedication to helping FSM gain recognition on the world stage. He earned the respect and trust of leaders of my country through his more than 50 years of professional counseling,” explained senior Micronesian diplomat Asterio Takesy. “Mr. Stovall walked away from a Washington, DC-based prestigious law firm to help a tiny newborn state, the Federated States of Micronesia, grow into what it is today; he cared deeply for the people and fell in love with Micronesia.”
Without exception, those who knew Mr. Stovall often found him to be the epitome of the stereotypical southern gentleman lawyer. He could be thorny in his defense of the FSM and its positions, when needed, but most will remember him as a kind, gentle man whose heartfelt love for his family and friends, the FSM, the Micronesian people, and the planet never wavered.
The Stovall Memorial Scholarship will provide tuition assistance to a young woman in either elementary or high school high school attending an independent school in anywhere within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).
“I am particularly grateful to Mrs. LouAnn Stovall, who along with her two daughters, has extended the family’s support for the establishing this memorial scholarship,” explained Neil Mellen, Executive Director of Habele. “In my own dealings with Jim, I was consistently amazed at his brilliant mind, sharp memory for details, and the way in which he retained both a sense of optimism as well as practical sense for working through tough details. His love for the FSM and its peoples was palpable, and his decades of service speak to that.”