The Family of the Honorable Shirley Temple Black Gives Major Gift to the National Museum of American Diplomacy

Shirley Temple Black representing the US as a delegate at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, 1970-1972

The Diplomacy Center Foundation announced a major gift from the family of Ambassador Shirley Temple Black to support the National Museum of American Diplomacy. The contribution will fund the creation of “The Ambassador Shirley Temple Black Gift Vault and Protocol Gallery,” an exhibit highlighting diplomatic protocol and the ceremonial exchange of gifts between nations. The museum will also showcase Ambassador Black’s distinguished diplomatic career, which included service under four U.S. presidents, roles as U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and her historic appointment as the first woman to serve as U.S. Chief of Protocol.

This donation builds on Ambassador Black’s earlier support for the museum and aligns with the Foundation’s ongoing capital campaign, which has already raised $50 million for the museum’s glass pavilion. The new gallery will educate visitors on the role of protocol in diplomacy and honor Black’s legacy as the only person ever appointed an Honorary U.S. Foreign Service Officer. As Ambassador Roman Popadiuk stated, “Ambassador Black was an early supporter of the National Museum of American Diplomacy. We are greatly honored to continue recognizing her outstanding diplomatic legacy and hope the Museum’s gift vault and protocol gallery in her honor will serve as an inspiration to young women who are considering a career in diplomacy.”