Article published in the weekly tabloid MK Estonia on August 22, 2007

U.S. Ambassador to Estonia Stanley Davis Phillips:
“The Main Accomplishment in My Life Are My Four Daughters”

In the Shadow of Sequoias

Q: Mr. Ambassador, how can you describe yourself today? What do you feel today?

A: I am very happy. My wife and I talked about it. We think being here is an opportunity of a lifetime for us and our daughters. To be doing what we are doing is really special. So we are thrilled.

Q: How long did you think before saying “yes” to coming to Estonia as Ambassador?

A: Well, I knew immediately. I was in California when they called me. I was in a tent, camping out in the redwood forest. I waited until I came home and asked Kay. And I said, “What do you think?” And she said, “Yes, that would be great!” so here we are! Q: For a long time you were at the head of “Phillips Industries” company. Is it your family company? A: It was partly so. I started “Phillips Industries” in the 1970s. I am from North Carolina .We call it “home of the furniture industry.” So I started in the furniture business. I also worked in finance, textiles, and built showrooms. But I sold those companies, retired and now I am working again here in Estonia.

About the Family

Q: Tell about your ancestors. How and when did they come to America?

A: From England. Both my wife's side and my side. We traced things back as to our ancestors. As a matter of fact, we have a dear friend who has done it for us because it is very complicated. My wife a member of the DAR, which in America is the “Daughters of the American Revolution.” DAR members can trace their lineage back to their family, fighting for independence in America, for out Revolution in 1775. So it goes back a long way.

Q: You once said, “I can be a businessman, I can be a diplomat, but the main accomplishment of my life are my four daughters.” What do they do?

A: Just like any other father, I worry about my daughters. And the four, Lil, Kate, Bo, and Lucy, are out in the world living their experiences, which I really encourage. My oldest daughter is 34. She worked in Hollywood in the film business for eight years,. and then she worked on Wall Street in New York for a few years. Now she is getting her Master's degree in Nutrition at Columbia University. So she is experiencing life. My second oldest daughter lives in London. She got her Master's degree in London, where she works in interior design. The third daughter is in government. She worked for George Bush's campaign and she has worked in the White House. She lives in Washington, D.C. And the fourth daughter is an artist. This summer she lived in Italy in Lucca. It is south of Milan near Pisa. So these four girls are doing all these exciting things in life. And I applaud them for doing it. This is like what Kay and I are doing here. Our great experience in life.

Q: Do you remember the first time you met your wife?

A: I do. It was a blind date. And I really believe in blind dates. I have told my four daughters, “Do not turn down a blind date!” That means that somebody is putting their reputation in the line to introduce someone to you. It is like being pre-screened. And someone went into a lot of trouble to introduce me to Kay. You just never know.

Q: Was it love from the first sight?

A: It almost was, really. After we dated a few times, got to know each other… I mean it was. So you never know. I was very nervous and she was very nervous. It was in North Carolina, in the same county we live in. Some people meet people and get married to people from all over the world. We got married [to people from] next door.

Q: How many years have you lived together?

A: 36.

About Russia

Q: You once said you were among the first American students who came to the USSR in 1961 on an exchange program.

A: That is correct.

Q: What were you first impressions? Do you remember?

A: I do! I remember being in the main building of Moscow State University where we lived for a couple of weeks. And we were teenagers. It was between high school and college. And there were ten of us. So we were there traveling around but we never made it to the Baltics. But we made it to Poland, Ukraine, Sochi and Yalta, Tbilisi and Rostov. Many towns in two and a half months by train, plane, boat. We had a fabulous time. We were young people and we were interfacing with other young people, drinking beer, having a good time.

Q: Interesting travels!

A: It was! It was fabulous! And I think my knowledge of the area has helped me coming back to this area to learn more about the history of the Soviet Union, the history now of Russia, the history of Estonia. I think a lot of the contemporary problems I can put into perspective. I think it was a gift to me that I was here, in this area, and lived among a lot of people my age for a long period of time. And I have been back, several times, to Russia with my family. And I am going back again this winter.

Q: Why? Do you like it there?

A: I love it! I am going back to St. Petersburg. I want my children to see it. They have been there once but I want to take them back. So we plan on doing a lot of traveling while I am over here.

Q: What do you think about the relations between Estonia and Russia?

A: They are understandable. There is nothing quite like it that I know of. They are unique. For half a century Estonia has been a county in transition. Especially in the last 15-16 years. It has all come to a point to what I worry about most are the Russian families that live here, people that were born here. And you asked me a question about my daughters, about my worries about their future. And I can imagine the Russian families' worry about their children and their future. And I am closely following the process of integration in Estonia. It is very important. We are all human. We all have our families and we wish for the best.

About Other Interests

Q: America is known to be a fast food nation. What kind of food do you prefer?

A: I eat everything. We do have a tradition in our home: Chinese food every Sunday night. I grew up with the best Chinese restaurant in our little hometown in North Carolina. And it closed right before we came over here. So we have been trying different Chinese restaurants here.

Q: Which one here in Tallinn?

A: “Golden Dragon,” I think, in the Old Town. And when we were in the Chinese Embassy, we were intrigued to see what the food was going to be like. It was great! But I like all kinds of food.

Q: Do you prepare food yourself?

A: I do not. Only my wife Kay does. And she is really good. She is terrific!

Q: And what is your favorite book?

A: Well, I thought about this and I love biographies. I love to learn when I read. I do not like fiction very much. I like to learn about people and history. So that is what is intriguing to me. I have been able to read a lot about Estonia and the history of the whole area and put it all into a perspective. So that is what I really enjoy.

Q: You have traveled a lot. What is your favorite country?

A: Our children were just talking about it. Because we do travel a lot. We have made an effort every summer, when our daughters are out of school, to go to a different continent to teach them about geography, history, and religion. So we have been to Africa, all of Asia, Europe, and Australia. The place we were most impressed with was Africa. We went mostly to southern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana. We visited game parks. We slept in tents. It was the experience of being among the people, being in the huts with the people, being way out in the bush and dealing with the native people. It was fabulous! There is nothing else like it. And that is the place I want to go back to. And I have been back to Africa.

One of the most amazing things I did happened a year ago. I was able to get an audience with the Dalai Lama in the Himalayas. I wished for that trip and worked on the visit for a long time. We flew in a little plane up to the Himalayas; thank goodness the weather was OK because the plane was quite small. They took us way up in the mountains, past all the military. And all of a sudden all the Buddhist monks were there in their burgundy robes and their shaved heads. And it was incredible. So then we had out audience with the Dalai Lama and talked to him about the world. He is very wise and has great exposure to all the problems of the world. And he was very open to talk about it. That was a great experience of my life.

About George Bush

Q: You and President of the USA are friends, aren't you?

A; We are.

Q: How many years have you been friends?

A: His family lived in the same place in Florida that we lived for a period of time. And then George Bush “41,” George Bush Senior, visited our house in the 1980s. We have visited the Bushes in Kennebunkport where [President] Sarkozy just went. And [President] Putin was there, too, in July. It is up in Maine, New England. And Crawford, Texas, is where Bush has a ranch, I have visited him there. So I guess the families have known each other for a quarter of a century.