{"id":6133,"date":"2015-01-25T23:15:13","date_gmt":"2015-01-26T03:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wasobamaborninkenya.com\/blog\/?p=6133"},"modified":"2015-01-27T00:50:33","modified_gmt":"2015-01-27T04:50:33","slug":"teddy-gianopulos-former-unep-staff-member-i-meet-doctor-james-angawa-obamas-birth-doctor-and-bruce-steadman-in-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wasobamaborninkenya.com\/blog\/teddy-gianopulos-former-unep-staff-member-i-meet-doctor-james-angawa-obamas-birth-doctor-and-bruce-steadman-in-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Teddy Gianopulos (former United Nations staff member): I met doctor James Ang’awa (Obama’s birth doctor) and Bruce Steadman in Kenya!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Teddy<\/a>That’s Teddy Gianopulos in the adjacent photograph. She worked for the United Nations Environment Programme<\/em>\u00a0(UNEF) for approximately forty (40) years.<\/p>\n

According to the official UNEF website<\/span><\/a> (http:\/\/www.unep.org\/) she met doctor James Ang’awa (Obama’s birth doctor) on December 5th, 1964 in Kenya:<\/p>\n

Before joining UNEP in 1979 \u2013 I had worked for a number of UN Agencies in both Kenya and Ethiopia<\/strong> \u2013 but the powerful flashback that is permanently in my mind is the day that I graduated from College.\u00a0 \u00a0It was the afternoon of Friday, December 5th 1964<\/strong> – Prize Giving Day \u2013 which\u00a0 \u00a0instantaneously changed the course of my life. \u00a0\u00a0My plans for going into Medicine and eventually specializing in Pediatrics<\/strong> were put on hold (or so I thought) as I was intrigued and fascinated by the work of the UN \u2013 especially that of UNICEF and WHO, who were providing Emergency funds for children and working on \u00a0Tuberculosis<\/strong>. \u00a0\u00a0Fate was moving its huge hand and I felt an inner power of spontaneity that was guiding my every move.\u00a0\u00a0 In those days, I was a rather shy youngster and certainly not the forthcoming extrovert that I turned into in later years!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0At the prize giving, diplomas were being handed out by a very polite and soft-spoken man, the WHO Representative, Dr. James Ang\u2019awa.<\/strong> When it came to my turn, I looked up into a gentle face when he asked what my future plans were? I didn\u2019t hesitate with my response of very much wanting to work for the United Nations \u2013 especially WHO and UNICEF. In a flash, I saw a sad look cross his eyes when he told me that it was a shame that I didn\u2019t have any experience as he had a vacancy in his office. He required the services of an able assistant to work together with a large number of doctors and experts in the research of Tuberculosis.<\/em><\/p>\n

I lost my breath – but just for a split second – before I blurted out a rather impulsive and probably a cheeky request. \u201cMay, I please make a suggestion?\u201d I asked, my heart thumping in my chest. \u201cI will work for you, free of charge for a month and if I don\u2019t prove suitable, there will be no hard feelings on either side.\u201d I felt I was going to faint when he shook his head in agreement and very calmly said, \u201cYou can start on Monday!<\/strong>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

She then met Bruce Steadman!<\/p>\n

That was the start of my 40 years of service in the UN! As luck would have it, I was offered a contract with UNICEF, in Ethiopia, two months later. I knew that a career with the UN was my destiny and I was to embrace every opportunity that was given to me.<\/em><\/p>\n

When UNEP inaugurated its offices at the Kenyatta Conference Centre \u2013 before the move to Gigiri – Bruce Steadman, Deputy to UNEP\u2019s first Executive Director<\/strong>, Maurice Strong, asked me to join him, as his Personal Assistant when he moved from Addis Ababa to join UNEP. Family obligations and having to care for a year-old baby, sadly forced me to turn the offer down. But, 2 years later, in February 1979, I joined UNEP to work with Peter Thacher, Deputy to Dr. Mostafa Tolba. I felt that the most valuable experience that I carried with me, at the time, was how to work in grueling circumstances having just survived one of the cruelest revolutions to take place on African soil. Our UNDP offices were bombed, colleagues were imprisoned, close friends lost loved ones while some even fatally collapsed in front of our eyes. That horrible experience helped me develop \u2013 in a weird sort of way – a sense of calmness and level-headedness in dealing with crisis. As luck would have it, this was put to test, in a much milder way, during the attempted coup in Kenya in 1981!<\/em><\/p>\n

The forgoing was an excerpt from an article at UNEF.org titled,\u00a0Reflections by\u00a0Teddy Gianopulos, long-serving former UNEP staff member:\u00a0Down memory lane – 40 years in the service of the UN.<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Bruce<\/a><\/p>\n

I don’t think that this Bruce Steadman is our Bruce Steadman from here at WOBIK but we absolutely had to make a record of this strangeness!<\/p>\n

We also found a picture (adjacent left) of UNEF’s Bruce<\/em> Stedman<\/em>, and a full page article regarding Deputy Executive Director Bruce Stedman<\/em>, in a tangible publication called The Courier: European Community – Africa-Caribbean-Pacific<\/em> (No. 45), September – October 1977.<\/p>\n

Bruce was interviewed by The Courier<\/em> at the Gigiri headquarters of the United Nations\u00a0Environment Programme which was located several kilometers outside of Nairobi, Kenya.<\/p>\n

\"Bruce<\/a><\/p>\n

As you may have noted by now The Courier<\/em> spells his last name as Stedman<\/em> as opposed\u00a0Steadman<\/em> which is listed\u00a0at the\u00a0United Nations Environment Programme’s <\/em>official\u00a0<\/em>website<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which spelling is correct? Is this another example of doctor Helton Maganga vs Heltan Maganga?<\/p>\n

From what we’ve been able to gather today we believe that the official UNEP.org website has the incorrect spelling (if there is such a thing) their ex-Deputy Executive Director. We believe that he probably spelled his name as Stedman<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Having said that, is it really so difficult to believe\u00a0that Coast Province General Hospital in Kenya used the Helton<\/em> spelling for doctor Maganga?<\/p>\n

Directly below is The Courier<\/em> full two page (pp. 51-52) article on Bruce Stedman writen by Roger de Backer:<\/p>\n

\"Bruce<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Bruce<\/a><\/p>\n

Below please find an embedded PDF of the complete volume No. 45 of The Courier<\/em> (78 pages):<\/p>\n

The Courier: European Community – Africa Caribbean Pacific, No. 45, September – October 1977<\/a> by Lucas Daniel Smith<\/a><\/p>\n