U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins

  

    Having been nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate in 2005, David Wilkins serves as the United States’ Ambassador to Canada, but, as a Christian, he serves as an ambassador representing his Savior, Jesus Christ. 
    "I grew up in a Christian home," the Greenville, South Carolina native told The Christian View. "We were members of First Baptist Church of Greenville, where Susan and I are currently members. I grew up going to church, and my parents set a great example. 
    "My faith has strengthened over the years. I credit my wife, Susan, a great deal for that. She is a strong Christian woman and has a very strong faith, and she is my moral compass."
    Before accepting the ambassadorship and moving to Canada, Wilkins and his wife sought the Lord in prayer. "We prayed long and hard about whether or not that was the right decision," he said. "We felt great comfort in the fact that we felt it was the right decision. It was the power of prayer that helped us reach that conclusion.
    "It is a privilege of a lifetime to represent my country in a foreign country. I have to pinch myself every day to realize I’m getting to represent the greatest country in the world. It’s a great privilege and honor.
    "It is very much a people-oriented job. I am the President’s personal representative to Canada. We have a number of very competent, very professional people, from the State Department, Agricultural Department, Commerce Department, law enforcement and military, but my role is to be the face and voice of the United States in Canada, to be the advocate and to speak out. To travel this vast and beautiful country is a great honor. I get a lot of opportunities to meet Canadians, to talk to and listen to people from all walks of life. I find developing those relationships to be incredibly enjoyable and educational and interesting."

                         Photo courtesy to The Christian View from the U.S. Embassy, Ottawa

Shortly after September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush praised the Montreal, Canada firefighters for coming to the aid of Americans. Montreal firefighters sent President Bush a cap, and the U.S. Mission in Canada arranged to have a photograph of Ambassador David Wilkins presenting the cap to the President, as a symbol of the special friendship between Canada and the United States and to represent the brotherly bond between Montreal and American firefighters. 


    Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, Wilkins served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1980 to 2005, the last 11 years as Speaker of the House. He has many special memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. "I promised Susan that I would serve only a short time, and I ended up serving 25 years," he said. "It got in our blood. On a good day, you would feel like you accomplished things for your fellow citizens and gave something back to your state. That is what spurred me on to keep going, and serving 25 years in the South Carolina Statehouse."
    He practiced law in Greenville from December, 1971 until June, 2005, when he moved to Canada.    
    He earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1971, after earning his bachelor’s degree in history from Clemson University in 1968. 
    While a student at Clemson, Wilkins developed a friendship with fellow student Jim Barker, who is now President of Clemson University. "Jim and I were fraternity brothers at Clemson," Wilkins said. "I was one year ahead of him." Their friendship continues, four decades later. "I’ve known Jim and Marcia for a long time, and I have great respect and great admiration for both of them," said Wilkins. "They are a dynamic duo and are an incredible, positive force for Clemson University."
    In early 2007, Wilkins was asked to serve on the Clemson University Board of Trustees, a position he calls a great honor. "I’ve been asked to be one of the life trustees," he said. "I’ve got a lot to learn, but I look forward to learning and hopefully being able to contribute to the board. I’ve been able to make the quarterly board meetings, but I plan to be more active when I return."
    Wilkins’ ambassadorship will last until January, 2009, at the conclusion of the Bush administration. "It’s a real privilege for me to be able to call him a friend," Wilkins said of President Bush. "I’m certainly one of his biggest fans." Wilkins served as Chairman of Bush’s 2004 Presidential campaign in South Carolina, and as a Co-Chairman in 2000.

  
                                                             Photo courtesy of The Ottawa Citizen

    Ambassador David Wilkins and his wife, Susan, will be grandparents 
     in 2008. Their son Robert and his wife, Stephanie, are expecting
     twins in May.


    Of all of his life’s accomplishments, Wilkins said that he would prefer to be remembered for being a good husband and a good father. He and his wife, Susan, who were married in 1971, have been blessed with two sons, James and Robert, two daughters-in-law, Marnie and Stephanie, and two grandchildren on the way. Robert and Stephanie are expecting twins next May.
    Family is important to Wilkins, who grew up with three siblings, Billy, Nancy, and Terry. His parents, William Walter Wilkins and Evelyn Horton Wilkins, were positive influences on his life, and he said that he appreciates the examples they set, even more now that they are gone. "We had a very strong family unit, a very traditional family," he said. "Every day, my admiration for them increases." His father, he said, had been nicknamed ‘Bum’ by his brothers as a boy. "My Dad was anything but a bum," said Wilkins. "He was a man of great character and strength and a hardworking individual who set a high example for the children. My mother was the glue that kept the family together and a great encourager and somebody who had great common sense and savvy. My Dad died in April, 1995. My mother passed away in July, 1996. It has been some time now, since they passed away, but I think about them daily." 
    Another great influence in his life included his maternal grandmother, Irene Horton. "I was named for her son, a Navy pilot who was shot down in the Gulf of Tokyo about a week before World War II ended," said Wilkins. "She was a great influence in my early years.


  
                                                                Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy, Ottawa

  Ambassdor David Wilkins (center) onboard the HMCS Halifax    with Commodore Bob Davidson, Commander Art McDonald, Consul  General Harold Foster, and Captain (USN) Steven Luce.


    "A number of people have influenced my life and have helped me along the way. My high school tennis coach, Wilton McKinney, helped me achieve some ability in playing tennis, and some level of confidence, and I ended up with a tennis scholarship at Clemson. Through the years, I had political mentors like Carroll Campbell upon whom I relied for good judgment."
    Now, Wilkins himself is an influence in the political realm and for his Christian faith. "I think that Christians should not be shy about standing up for their beliefs," he said. "There are certainly a lot of Christians in Canada, but we haven’t shied away from letting people know that we have a strong faith and that we’re very comfortable with that and very proud of that."
    In Canada, the Wilkinses attend St. Bart Anglican Church, close to their residence. "It’s a great, small Anglican church, and we have a lot of friends who go there, and we enjoy it very much," he said. "When we return to South Carolina, in January, 2009, we certainly plan to actively participate again in the First Baptist Church of Greenville."
    Wilkins’ Christian faith has sustained him throughout his personal life and political life. "It gives you inner peace and inner strength," he said. "There were times I think it enabled me to hold my own, stand my ground, knowing that I was doing what I think is right. It gives you inner strength and inner peace, in the good times and the bad."