Remembering Bud Bard
The entire FIUTS community is saddened by the passing of Burton E. “Bud” Bard Jr., who served as FIUTS Executive Director from 1967 to 1972 and remained a friend, mentor, and champion of international understanding for the rest of his life
Era and Bud (second from left) meeting up with visiting 1960’s alumnus Pentti Uuspää and his daughter Niki in 2024
“Bud was a special friend and source of support for me. He once called Nancy Bacon and I his “kindred spirits of internationalism.” That was Bud. He was always encouraging and loved connecting people to each other.
Bud understood that international understanding is built through relationships, one at a time. He spent his life creating those connections, and his influence continues through the many people and communities he brought together.”
Bud’s career in international education began at the University of Washington, where he worked as a Foreign Student Advisor before becoming FIUTS Director. He went on to found American Cultural Exchange, serve as a leader of the Ethnic Heritage Council and Washington Sister Cities, and played a lasting role in building Seattle’s connections with communities around the world.
In 2019, Bud was honored with Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun for his lifelong contributions to international relations and cultural exchange. But for FIUTS, Bud’s legacy was about more than titles and accomplishments. He cared deeply about people and about remembering the relationships that make our work possible.
Even decades after his time at FIUTS, Bud would send packets of photos, press clippings, and stories from the organization’s early years, names of former staff and volunteers we should know, and memories of international connections that stretched back generations. He wanted to make sure FIUTS remembered its history and the people who built it.
We are grateful that FIUTS was part of Bud’s remarkable story, and that he remained part of ours for so many years.
Thank you, Bud, for helping build FIUTS, for remembering our history, and for showing us what a life dedicated to connection and global friendship can look like.
We will carry it forward.