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By Bob Reha
Minnesota Public Radio
September 3, 2001
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Moving is always a pain. There are clothes to pack, furniture to move, items to store and a dozen other potential problems. Those complications are compounded when the move is international. For Russ and Susie Freeman of Fargo, that's what this summer has been about. But instead of a new permanent home the Freemans will be spending the next three and a half years in Belize, as Russ fulfills his duties as the new U.S. Ambassador to Belize.
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Freeman, an attorney, chaired President Bush's finance committee in North Dakota in 1999. He raised $100,000 dollars for the campaign. In some states that might not seem like much, but it was a record for North Dakota. The Freeman family also contributed several thousand dollars to the campaign. Russ Freeman isn't the only one with connections to the Bush administration. His brother chaired the fundraising campaign in California.
The friendship with George Bush goes back a decade. In 1991, during a visit to Fargo, Bush, then managing partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, stayed the night at Freeman's mother's house. At a time in life when their children are grown, Freeman, 61, decided it was a good time to try something different.
"I did work in the Bush campaign in North Dakota and of course the President is familiar with me so I applied on the internet asked for the job and got it," says Freeman.
Traditionally, party faithful who have worked hard for their candidates are often rewarded with an ambassadorship. International hotspots like the Middle East are usually reserved for career diplomats. Still, Freeman wasn't just handed the job in Belize. There were background checks by the FBI, and the appointment had to be approved by the U.S. Senate. Belize might seem like a climate shock for the Freemans. They're moving from the Red River Valley of the North to the white sandy beaches of Belize, the Central American country formerly known as British Honduras. But Russ Freeman says some things will be familiar.
"There are a lot of similarities between Belize and North Dakota. The biggest industries down there are agriculture and tourism, which also hold true for North Dakota."
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"Particularly in the ag business - maybe in the value-added ag products. We have a lot of experience there and that's something that could help the people in Belize as well as help the North Dakota business man," says Freeman.
Freeman has spent weeks in briefings and seminars, learning what his duties are and how to go about doing his job. He says there have been no real surprises, but it has been educational.
"The biggest issue is our involvement in trying to curtail the drug trafficking down there. I didn't realize the extent that we're involved to help the Belizian authorities counter the drug trade."
Susie Freeman says it's an exciting time, despite the hassles and frustrations of moving. She looks forward to new opportunities. After 12 years with the North Dakota Council on the Arts, she's excited about the Art in the Embassies program, which arranges for art from the United States to be sent overseas.
"I've been very busy, going to museums and contacting artists who are friends, to lend us pieces of artwork that we can then hang in the residence," Susie Freeman says. "I've also talked with several artists from here about coming and doing residencies in the schools."
Freeman says there is no language barrier in Belize, where English is common. She plans to work with local schools to allow children in the embassy to learn more about North Dakota, its art and people. In return, she hopes visiting artists will learn more about Belize and Central America. The new ambassador and his wife leave for their post on September 8.
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