Paul Louis CASSAGNOL

CASSAGNOL, PAUL LOUIS -- Died peacefully in Silver Spring, MD on July 12, 2005. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on May 1, 1913. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Rosa Bonnefil Cassagnol; seven daughters, five sons; 23 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by sister, Alida Latortue; his brother, Raymond Cassagnol; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was a dedicated husband, father and friend to many. Mr. Cassagnol lived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti until 1960 when he went into exile. He received a bachelor of science in Agriculture from Cornell University in 1940 and was very active in reforestation, coffee cultivation and agroindustry in his native land. Mr. Cassagnol leaves a long legacy of struggles for human rights and social justice. He had an active political life, serving as a Under- Secretary for Finance and later as Secretary of Finance, Commerce and National Economy. He believed deeply in the rights of all Haitians to participate in the political process and worked timelessly to this end. He established the first peasant coffee co-operative in Northern Haiti in 1939; was a founding member and Vice-President of the Social Christian Popular Party (PPSC) and continued working with grassroots organizations. Mr. Cassagnol settled with his family in Washington, DC in 1960 as a Senior Officer at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He continued to fight for the rights of Haitians and advance the cause of his native land until incapacitated by his illness. Friends may call at JOSEPH GAWLER'S SONS, INC., 5130 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. (corner of Harrison St., N.W.), Washington, DC, 20016 on Friday, July 15 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Saturday, July 16, 10 a.m. at St. Ann's Catholic Church, 4404 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Interment Gate of Heaven. In lieu of flowers, family requests donations be made to either Brook Grove Rehab Center, where Mr. Cassagnol spent his final days or Haiti Reborn Reforestation Project in Gros Morne, Haiti, Quixote Center, PO Box 5206, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Published in The Washington Post on 7/14/2005.