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  • Diplomat speaks to students

    Bucyrus Telegraph Forum, OH
    March 28 2005

    Diplomat speaks to students
    EU administrator once attended Wynford High

    By Margaret Thornton
    Special to the Telegraph-Forum


    BUCYRUS -- The euro, the common currency among 12 of the countries in
    the European Union (EU) doesn't have pictures of national leaders.
    Instead, the euro has pictures of bridges and windows, symbolic of
    looking outward and of building bridges of international
    understanding.

    Tuesday, Bill Pedersen, an administrator for the European Union,
    spoke to students at Wynford and Bucyrus high schools and built some
    bridges of understanding among area teens.

    An exchange student from Denmark, Pedersen was enrolled at Wynford
    High School during the 1981-82 school year. He returned to this area
    for two days to visit his host family, Rodger and Carol Carpenter.

    When Pedersen came to the United States through the Youth for
    Understanding exchange program at age 15, he believed that the U.S.
    was filled with tall buildings. Instead of being placed in a city,
    however, Pedersen wound up on a farm on the edge of Wyandot County,
    living with the Carpenters and their children, Jeff, Gary and Karen.

    Pedersen's year at Wynford High School taught him much about America
    and prepared him for his career in foreign relations.

    "I learned to feel at home in a new place," said Pedersen, certainly
    something he must do often now because his profession requires
    extensive travel. "The Carpenters made me feel welcome, and after two
    weeks they said that they felt as though they had a new son. Spending
    time in Ohio has helped me better understand the United States."

    After leaving Wynford, Pedersen returned to Denmark and finished his
    education. He studied European law and international relations, and
    he traveled extensively. For three years, he worked at the Danish
    Embassy in Madrid before taking his current post as an administrator
    with the EU. The young diplomat speaks eight languages.

    Although Pedersen was eager to roam the familiar halls of Wynford
    High School again after so many years, most of the familiar faces
    were gone. However, he did speak with two of his former teachers, as
    well as with science teacher Lee Rowlinson, who was a student when
    Pedersen was at Wynford. He also shared his experiences with the
    current Wynford students by speaking in four classes. He then went to
    Bucyrus High School, where he spoke to about 40 students in the media
    center.

    Pedersen gave a brief history of the European Union (EU), a "club"
    that began with six countries (Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, the
    Netherlands and Luxembourg) after World War II and has now grown to
    25, with other countries seeking admission. Based in Brussels, the
    European Union encourages economic cooperation as a means to
    prosperity and peace and makes Europe an "actor on the world stage."

    Pedersen's post deals with the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan
    and Georgia), an area he describes as "a bit messy" because of ethnic
    conflicts. In order to join the EU, a European country must apply and
    then meet extensive economic and political criteria. To be a member,
    a country must "clean up its act" and live up to the standards of
    human rights, including abolishing capital punishment. The process of
    joining the "club" can take many years.

    Speaking about the European view of Americans and President Bush,
    Pedersen said that many Europeans know about America through the
    media's focus on crime and violence. President Bush's image as a
    Texan makes him seem extreme to many Europeans. He noted other
    differences between Europe and the U.S., such as the fact that
    Europeans have gun control and that they focus more on rehabilitation
    of prisoners than on punishment.

    Regarding the war in Iraq, Pedersen said his own country of Denmark
    has committed troops to the conflict and that personally he agrees
    with the U.S. actions there. He believes that most Europeans agree
    with the U.S. goals in Iraq, but not necessarily on the means to
    reach those goals.

    Next stop for Bill Pedersen: Georgia, on the Russian border. He is
    one of three EU experts being sent to Georgia to report on the
    removal of monitors that have been in place to protect Russia from
    Chechnyan terrorists. He describes his mission as "very sensitive"
    and he expects to be stationed in Georgia for three months.

    Before leaving Wynford High School to head for his next faraway
    assignment, Pedersen had to take one quick look into the Wynford
    gymnasium and inquire about the success of the basketball team. Once
    a Royal, always a Royal.

    http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050328/NEWS01/503280304/1002
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