Obituary of Thomas J. Marchione

Thomas J. Marchione, 67, Reston, VA, died September 27, 2008 from an aortic dissection on September 16, 2008. Tom was a passionate advocate for the poor, hungry and malnourished, bringing a rare set of skills in anthropology, nutrition and statistical analysis to bear in finding solutions. He did his PhD research in Jamaica where he found that families growing their own food were less likely to have malnourished children than those dependent on world prices for bananas grown for export. He then became among the first to document the problems of delocalization of food supplies as a major livelihood and nutrition issue. Since then, poor countries have been pressured into increased import dependency for food, and his theories accurately predicted the impact the current meteoric price rise in food would have. He recently wrote a paper drawing attention again to this issue which will be published next month in the American Anthropology Association Newsletter. Tom worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia; at the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Centre in Jamaica; Case Western Reserve University and the Ecumenical Great Lakes Project on the Economic Crisis in Ohio - and finally at USAID in Washington DC until his recent retirement. His efforts at USAID were important in showing that food aid had a better impact on nutritional status when "monetized," with the money going to community nutrition programs, than when given directly to the community. When Tom retired from USAID he left a work in progress, the development of a high nutrient density Emergency Relief Product that could be dropped from a plane. The emergency food products that will be available within the next year or so will carry out Tom's legacy by providing highly nutritious foods for populations displaced by conflict and natural disasters. He leaves his wife Janna, daughter Adriana, son Matthew, sisters Jane Thomas and Regina Marchione, nieces Janna and Kathleen DePorter, Alexa Matthews, Beth and Ann Onyenwoke, nephews Franklin, John and Jeffrey Thomas, Rob Onyenwoke and Theo Matthews, as well as many other relatives and friends both here and abroad. He loved well and was greatly loved in return. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, October 2 nd at 12 noon at St. Joseph's Church, 750 Peachtree St., Herndon, VA. A memorial service is planned for later this year. In lieu of flowers the family suggests that memorial contributions may be made to Doctors without Borders ( www.doctorswithoutborders.org ) or The Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First ( www.foodfirst.org ). Arrangements by Adams-Green Funeral Home, Herndon, VA