RAYMOND GEORIS A Quiet europeAn GArdener PDF
Preview RAYMOND GEORIS A Quiet europeAn GArdener
Raymond GeoRis A Quiet europeAn GArdener DaviD Watkiss editoR Dianna RienstRa Raymond GeoRis Raymond GeoRis A Quiet europeAn GArdener DaviD Watkiss editoR Dianna RienstRa Published by alliance Publishing trust in 2011 Copyright © 2011 Raymond Georis‑Janssen © all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system without the prior permission of the copyright owner. isBn 978 1 907376 09 2 alliance Publishing trust 1st Floor, 25 Corsham street London n1 6DR United kingdom [email protected] www.alliancepublishing.org Registered charity number: 1116744 Company registration number: 5935154 a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. typeset in Grotesque Mt Design and typesetting: Benedict Richards Printed and bound by Hobbs the Printers, totton, Hampshire, Uk ® MIX Paper from responsible sources FSC® C020438 this book is printed on FsC approved paper. Cover photo and photos of Raymond Georis on pages 67, 155, 156, 173 and back cover courtesy of Raphael van sitteren, 2010. Published with the generous support of the european Cultural Foundation, european Foundation Centre, evens Foundations and king Baudouin Foundation Contents acknowledgements 7 about the author and editor 9 Preface 10 Chapter 1 spring 2010 12 Chapter 2 early years and influences 20 Chapter 3 europe without borders 48 Chapter 4 the european Cultural Foundation years 68 Chapter 5 Building europe – motivations, machinations and relationships 100 Chapter 6 ‘Leave before they want to kick you out’ 116 Chapter 7 the godfather can’t retire 126 Chapter 8 modus operandi – how Raymond Georis gets things done 142 epilogue 156 index 177 7 acknowledgements this book is based on hours of interviews conducted during spring and early summer 2010 with Raymond Georis and several of Raymond’s friends, colleagues and collaborators. the archives of the european Cultural Foundation, as well as Raymond’s own records, were also key resources in the preparation of this publication. the writer and the editor would like to thank all who generously shared their time, reminiscences and photographs. special thanks go to Jill adler, John ashton, Marwan awartani, asa Briggs, Ladislav Cerych, Odile Chenal, annemie Degryse, Jean‑Luc Dehaene, Michel Didisheim, Corinne evens, elizabeth Georis, Jean Gordon, Jean‑Pierre Jallade, Hywel Jones, alexandre kirchberger, Daniel kropf, Domenico Lenarduzzi, norine Macdonald, Princess Margriet of the netherlands, Lise Mathol, Luce Pépin, John Richardson, Gerry salole, alan smith, Luc tayart de Borms, Raphael van sitteren, Marie vincent, Colombe Warin, William s White and Lesley Wilson. We are grateful to the european Cultural Foundation, the european Foundation Centre, the evens Foundation and the king Baudouin Foundation for their invaluable support. thanks also to Chris Dickson for his assistance translating several docu‑ ments from French to english. david Watkiss & dianna Rienstra 8 a Quiet euRoPean GaRdeneR Raymond GeoRis i seize the occasion to pay a personal tribute to David and Dianna, the author and the editor of the book. With enduring patience, they listened to my endless recollections and built them into a coherent story, leaving aside pieces that would have damaged the harmony of the whole. they also took the time to contact many of my friends and colleagues, persuad‑ ing them to add their own piece to a perfect biography of a very imperfect person. i cannot refrain now from disclosing who are the guilty for this book: the colleagues at the european Foundation Centre, with the friendly support of their Chief executive, Gerry salole. i would like to especially, and most warmly, thank sevdalina Rukanova who first had the idea of producing this book and made it happen with the appreciated help of Wendy Richardson. it would not have been possible, however, without the generous sup‑ port of my colleagues and friends Luc tayart de Borms (king Baudouin Foundation), Corinne evens (evens Foundation) and katherine Watson (european Cultural Foundation). Raymond Georis 9 about the author and editor dianna Rienstra, a Director of Phoenix ink Communications, sprl, a Brussels‑based public affairs and communications consultancy with a mix of high‑profile public and private sector clients. she has extensive experience in writing and editing. this is the third book concerning the foundation sector that she has worked on. Prior to establishing Phoenix ink in Brussels in 1996, Ms Rienstra was a communications consultant in toronto, Canada. david Watkiss, a Director of Phoenix ink Communications, sprl, is a Brussels‑based writer, editor and communications consultant. Prior to moving to Belgium in 2006, he practised law in the Us for 30 years. Conversing with Raymond Georis, his wife elizabeth, and many of Raymond’s friends and colleagues about europe, life, philanthropy, phi‑ losophy, politics and religion was one of the great experiences of his life.
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