Scholarship established to honor legacy of Jim Stovall


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.”

New Scholarship Honors Late Micronesian Chief Justice

Habele, a US nonprofit established by former US Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Micronesia, has established a new tuition scholarship honoring the late FSM Supreme Court Justice Martin G. Yinug of Yap.

Since 2016, Habele’s K12 tuition scholarships have helped students across the FSM attend independent elementary and high schools by offsetting a large portion of the out-of-pocket fees and tuition needed to enroll. Several of the Habele scholarships are named to honor the legacy of specific individuals who either embodied the US-FSM partnership, and or played a significant and positive role in the development of the Federated States.

The newly announced Martin Yinug Memorial Scholarship aims to celebrate and perpetuate the legacy of the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Honorable Martin G. Yinug.

Chief Justice Yinug was born on October 18, 1949 in Guror Village, Gilman Municipality on the Island of Yap. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at the San Francisco State University in 1972 and his Juris Doctor in 1980 from the Catholic University of America Law School.

His four decades of public service included working as an Administrative Assistant for the Yap Delegation to the Congress of Micronesia, as an interpreter to the State’s delegation to the Micronesian Constitutional Convention, leading the Micronesian Legal Services Corporation in Yap, as legal counsel for the Yap State Legislature, and serving as an Associate Justice on the Yap State Supreme Court.

In 1992 Martin Yinug was appointed and confirmed to lead the FSM Supreme Court as it’s Chief Justice, a role which he held until his death on August 31, 2014. In September of 2013, Chief Justice Yinug had been elected by the members of the Pacific Judicial Council (PJC) to serve as the President of this regional judicial organization.

Justice Yinug was widely praised for his selfless commitment to the public good. FSM Vice President Alik L. Alik described him as “a humble man of high principles, of few but eloquent words, and of impeccable integrity and high morality.” Vice Speaker of the Micronesian Congress, Paliknoa K. Welly, pointed to Yinug as “an excellent role model—a high achiever with a colorful career history and education who showed many that ‘it can be done.'” Beauleen Carl-Worswick, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia, observed that Martin Yinug was “a dedicated public servant and leader who championed the Rule of Law.”

The Martin Yinug Memorial Scholarship was made possible through the support of Roger Gale, an American with a long personal commitment to the People of Micronesia, and a former professor of Yinug’s.

Yapese students attending or enrolling at an independent high school on Yap are encouraged to apply for the Yinug Memorial Scholarship. The scholarships award provides approximately seventy-five percent of the student’s tuition each school year.

Any Micronesian student looking for financial assistance to attend a private elementary or high school within the FSM is encouraged to visit habele.org/scholarships to learn more about the nonprofit’s scholarship offerings.