Delano Lewis

Delano Eugene Lewis (; November 12, 1938 – August 2, 2023) was an American attorney, businessman and diplomat. He was the United States ambassador to South Africa from 2000 to 2001, and previously held leadership roles at the Peace Corps and National Public Radio. He was the father of actor Phill Lewis. Early life and education Delano Eugene Lewis was born on November 12, 1938, in Arkansas City, Kansas, into a family of "ardent Democrats". He was named for Franklin Delano Roosevelt (although his name is pronounced "Del-AYE-no", differently than Roosevelt). He was the only child of Raymond Ernest Lewis, a porter for the Santa Fe Railroad, and Enna L. Lewis (née Wordlow), a homemaker. Lewis attended Sumner High School, in Kansas City, Kansas, from which he graduated in 1956. He attended Boys State in his junior and senior years of high school. Lewis graduated from the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1960, where he was a classmate of Wilt Chamberlain. He earned a law degree from the Washburn University School of Law, in Topeka, Kansas, in 1963. He worked full-time at the Menninger Clinic while attending law school.