Corvallis High School graduate Paul Converse died from injuries suffered in Easter Sunday attack

Paul Converse — a Corvallis High School and Oregon State University graduate who served a brief stint on the City Council — died Monday in Iraq of injuries from an Easter attack on the American-protected Green Zone.

The 56-year-old Converse was a civilian working for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, part of the U.S. Department of Defense, said Kristine Belisle, public affairs director for that office. He was a financial analyst who audited contracts in Iraq.

Converse is the seventh person with Corvallis connections to die since the war in Iraq began five years ago. To date, more than 4,000 American soldiers, which includes military civilian employees, have been killed.

Details about Converse’s death, caused by rockets and mortars that hammered the Green Zone on Easter Sunday, were limited.

His parents, Dick and Leona Converse of Corvallis, said they learned during a series of phone calls on Sunday that their son had been seriously injured, and that he probably would not survive the night. At 8:30 a.m. Monday, two officers from the Oregon Army National Guard came to the door of their Corvallis home.

“We knew exactly why they were here,” Dick Converse said. He choked up Monday when talking about the many condolence calls he and his wife had received from family, friends and government representatives.

“I’m sorry. I’ve lost it,” Dick Converse said, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes, voice quavering.

Leona Converse said her son was proud of his work and believed he was doing good in the war-torn country. He had telephoned from Iraq a week ago to wish her a happy 80th birthday, she said, and sent e-mails to his parents almost every other day.

Converse had worked in Iraq for about four years, first for private contractors and then for the government.

His parents said Converse assured them that he was safe in the Green Zone. He previously had worked for the United Nations in Kosovo and Bosnia, Dick Converse said.

Paul Converse moved from the Washington, D.C., area to Corvallis with his family when he was a junior in high school. He graduated from CHS in 1969. He received a degree in agricultural engineering technology from OSU in 1978. He later earned a master’s degree in finance and a law degree.

Converse served a brief and controversial stint on the Corvallis City Council in 1995. He completed six months of a two-year term. Converse pledged to clean up the Willamette River, but he clashed with fellow councilors and City Manager Jon Nelson over that issue, the siting of the Boys & Girls Club and other matters.

“He was a guy who went for it. He had strong beliefs, and he acted on those beliefs,” said John Muska, owner of Madison Avenue Designs, who knew Converse for 30 years. “He was the kind of person you could ask for a favor, and it would happen,” Muska added.

“It was never boring to be around Paul. Everybody who knew him will tell you that,” said Dennis Day, an employee of Corvallis Cyclery who was a schoolmate of Converse.

Converse’s parents remembered their eldest son as hard-working and enthusiastic.

They’ve known loss before. Their daughter, Nancy Roe died 22 years ago of cancer. Frank Converse, 54, of Port Townsend, Wash., is their surviving child. They also have three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Dick and Leona Converse said they always have been against the war in Iraq.

They said that although they feel heartbroken over the loss of their eldest son, they know they aren’t the only family in America experiencing pain over the war. They also said they have compassion for the families suffering in Iraq, a nation they see ravaged by a civil war, where families often lose more than one family member to violence.

“(For) every family like mine here, think about how many Iraqi families ... ” Dick Converse said. “I don’t think we can even grasp what their suffering is.”

Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.

Benton County losses

The following people from Benton County have died in Iraq since the start of the war:

• U.S. Army Specialist Joseph Blickenstaff, 23, of Corvallis died Dec. 8, 2003, in Ad Duluiyah. Blickenstaff was in a Stryker military vehicle when it flipped into a canal.

• Oregon National Guard Specialist Nathan Nakis, 19, died Dec. 16, 2003, in Mosul. Nakis, who attended Oregon State University, was the first Oregon National Guard member killed in a combat zone since World War II.

• Oregon National Guard Specialist Eric McKinley, 24, of Corvallis, died June 18, 2004, in Baghdad. A graduate of Philomath High School, he was engaged to be married.

• Oregon National Guard Specialist Ken Leisten, 20, died July 28, 2004, in Taji when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He had served with the 2nd Battalion, 162 Infantry Regiment of Corvallis.

• U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jason M. Evey, 29, died July 16, 2006, in Baghadad. A graduate of Corvallis High School, he served with the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of Fort Hood, Texas

• U.S. Army Corporal Graham McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, died Sept. 19, 2007, in Balad from a noncombat-related illness. He was a graduate of Corvallis High School and attended Oregon State University.

• Paul Converse, 56, a financial analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense, died Monday, March 24, of injuries from an Easter Sunday attack on the Green Zone. He was a graduate of Corvallis High School and Oregon State University.